Quick answer: When your brush is not working in Photoshop, the usual causes are: an active selection somewhere else on the canvas (press Ctrl/Cmd + D to deselect), the wrong layer or a locked, hidden or text/Smart Object layer selected, a layer mask or channel targeted instead of the layer, brush opacity or flow at 0 percent, a blend mode like Behind or Clear, Quick Mask mode turned on, or an image mode such as Indexed Color. If none of those fix it, reset the Brush tool by right-clicking its icon in the options bar and choosing Reset Tool, then check your tablet driver.
Few things are more frustrating than dragging a brush across the canvas and seeing nothing happen. The good news is that Photoshop is almost never broken when this occurs. A setting somewhere is doing exactly what it was told, just not what you intended.
This guide works through the causes from most to least common, with the fix for each. Start at the top and work down; most people find the culprit in the first five checks. Once your brush is behaving, you may want to explore better tools; our roundup of the best digital painting brushes for Photoshop covers brush sets for sketching, painting and texture.
Fast Diagnostic Checklist
| Symptom | Most likely cause | Quick fix |
|---|---|---|
| Nothing appears anywhere | Hidden active selection | Ctrl/Cmd + D |
| Cursor shows a “no” symbol | Layer is locked, a text layer, a Smart Object or a group | Select a normal pixel layer or unlock it |
| Paint appears only in grayscale or not at all | Layer mask or channel is selected | Click the layer thumbnail, not the mask |
| Brush paints but very faintly | Low opacity or flow | Raise opacity and flow in the options bar |
| Strokes vanish or erase | Brush blend mode set to Behind or Clear | Set mode to Normal |
| Strokes appear as red overlay | Quick Mask mode is on | Press Q |
| Cursor is a crosshair or tiny dot | Caps Lock or cursor preferences | Turn off Caps Lock; check Preferences > Cursors |
| No pressure sensitivity | Tablet driver or Windows Ink setting | Reinstall driver; toggle Windows Ink |
Cause 1: An Active Selection Elsewhere on the Canvas
Photoshop only allows painting inside an active selection. If you made a selection earlier, even a tiny one, or hid the “marching ants” with Ctrl/Cmd + H, the brush will not paint outside it.
Fix: Go to Select > Deselect or press Ctrl + D (Windows) or Cmd + D (Mac). If you want to check for hidden selection edges, choose View > Show > Selection Edges.
Cause 2: The Wrong Layer Is Selected
The brush paints on the active layer, which may not be the one you are looking at.
- The active layer is hidden. If the eye icon is off, you will not see strokes. Turn it on.
- The active layer is below an opaque layer. You are painting, but another layer covers it. Move the layer up or select a layer on top.
- The active layer is a group. You cannot paint on a group folder. Select a layer inside it.
Fix: Open the Layers panel (Window > Layers), click the layer you want to paint on, and confirm it is visible and near the top of the stack.
Cause 3: The Layer Is Locked or Not a Pixel Layer
Photoshop shows a circle-with-a-line “no” cursor when you try to paint on a layer that cannot accept pixels.
| Layer type | Why the brush fails | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Locked layer (padlock icon) | Lock all or lock image pixels is on | Click the lock icon to unlock, or check the lock buttons at the top of the Layers panel |
| Background layer with locks | Some locks prevent edits | Double-click to convert to a normal layer |
| Type layer | Text is editable vector type | Create a new layer above, or rasterize the type |
| Smart Object | Contents must be edited separately | Paint on a new layer above, or double-click to edit contents |
| Shape or fill layer | Vector or adjustment-based | Paint on a new layer, or paint on its mask |
| Adjustment layer | You can only paint its mask | Select a pixel layer instead |
Tip: The safest habit is to create a new layer (Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + N) before painting. It avoids most of these issues.
Cause 4: You Are Painting on a Layer Mask or Channel
If a layer has a mask, clicking the mask thumbnail targets the mask. Painting then changes visibility rather than adding color, and colored paint is converted to grays.
Fix: Click the layer’s image thumbnail (left side) instead of the mask thumbnail (right side). A thin frame shows which is active.
Similarly, if a single channel is selected in the Channels panel, you may be painting on just the red, green or blue channel or an alpha channel. Click the composite RGB channel at the top of the Channels panel.
Cause 5: Opacity or Flow Is Very Low
The options bar at the top of the screen controls brush opacity and flow. If either is set to 0 or 1 percent, strokes may be invisible.
Fix: Select the Brush tool and set Opacity and Flow to 100 percent to test. Pressing number keys sets opacity quickly: 0 sets 100 percent, 5 sets 50 percent, and so on, which is easy to trigger by accident.
Also check the layer’s opacity and fill in the Layers panel. A layer at 0 percent fill hides painted pixels.
Cause 6: Brush Blend Mode Is Set Incorrectly
The brush has its own blend mode in the options bar, separate from layer blend modes.
- Behind: paints only on transparent areas; on a fully filled layer, nothing appears.
- Clear: erases instead of painting.
- Multiply, Screen and others: may make strokes invisible on certain colors, such as white Multiply on white.
Fix: Set the brush mode to Normal in the options bar.
Cause 7: Quick Mask Mode Is On
Quick Mask mode turns painting into selection-making. Strokes appear as a red overlay instead of color. The document tab title shows “Quick Mask.”
Fix: Press Q or click the Quick Mask button at the bottom of the toolbar to exit.
Cause 8: Foreground Color or Brush Settings Make Strokes Invisible
- White on white: check the foreground color swatch. Press D for default black and white.
- Brush size is tiny: a 1-pixel brush on a large canvas is nearly invisible when zoomed out. Press ] to enlarge.
- Brush tip is empty or broken: a corrupted or blank custom brush tip paints nothing. Try a default round brush.
- Shape dynamics with pen pressure on a mouse: if size is set to pen pressure and you use a mouse, or your pen is not reporting pressure, the size may drop to zero. Open the Brush Settings panel and set Size Jitter control to Off to test.
- Transfer settings: opacity or flow jitter controlled by pressure can also reduce strokes to nothing. Turn Transfer off to test.
Cause 9: Image Mode or Bit Depth Limits Painting
Some image modes restrict tools.
- Indexed Color (often GIFs) limits painting and layers.
- Bitmap mode allows only black and white.
- 32-bit images restrict some tools and features.
Fix: Go to Image > Mode and choose RGB Color and 8 Bits/Channel or 16 Bits/Channel.
Cause 10: Tool Preset or Settings Are Stuck
Sometimes a combination of settings is hard to track down. Resetting the tool clears everything at once.
Fix: With the Brush tool active, right-click (or Control-click on Mac) the brush icon at the far left of the options bar and choose Reset Tool. Choose Reset All Tools if other tools also behave oddly.
Cause 11: Tablet or Pen Input Problems
If the brush works with a mouse but not your pen, or works without pressure, the problem is the tablet connection.
- Update or reinstall the tablet driver from the manufacturer’s website.
- Remove old drivers from other tablet brands.
- On Windows, toggle the Windows Ink setting in the tablet driver for Photoshop. Some setups need it on for pressure, others off.
- Restart Photoshop after driver changes, and sometimes the computer.
- Check that pen pressure controls size or opacity in the Brush Settings panel.
Cause 12: The Cursor Looks Wrong
Sometimes the brush works, but the cursor confuses you.
- Crosshair instead of brush outline: Caps Lock is on. Press it to switch back.
- Tiny dot or no outline: check Preferences > Cursors and set Painting Cursors to Normal or Full Size Brush Tip.
- Cursor lag: very large brushes, many layers or limited system resources can delay strokes. Try a smaller brush, reduce smoothing in the options bar or check GPU settings in Preferences > Performance.
Cause 13: Smoothing Makes It Seem Unresponsive
The Smoothing setting in the options bar stabilizes strokes. High values cause strokes to trail far behind the pen, which can feel like the brush is not working.
Fix: Lower smoothing to 0 to 10 percent for general painting.
Cause 14: Photoshop Preferences Are Corrupted
If nothing above works, preferences may be damaged.
Fix: Back up any custom settings you want to keep. Then quit Photoshop and restart it while holding Alt + Ctrl + Shift (Windows) or Option + Cmd + Shift (Mac). Confirm when asked to delete the settings file. Recent versions also offer Reset Preferences on Quit in the General preferences panel.
Cause 15: Clipping Masks, Lock Transparency and Artboards
A few less obvious settings can make strokes appear in unexpected places or not at all.
- Clipping mask: if your layer is clipped to the layer below (shown by a small bent arrow), paint only appears where the base layer has pixels. Painting over transparent areas of the base layer shows nothing. Release the clipping mask with Alt/Option-click between the layers, or paint within the base shape.
- Lock transparent pixels: this lock, the checkerboard icon in the Layers panel, lets you paint only on existing pixels. On an empty layer, nothing appears. Turn it off.
- Artboards: painting outside an artboard’s boundary may not show. Make sure your layer sits inside the artboard you are viewing.
Prevention Habits
- Create a new layer before painting.
- Deselect (Ctrl/Cmd + D) after finishing any selection-based edit.
- Keep the Layers panel visible so you always see the active layer.
- Save brush settings you like as tool presets so you can return to them.
- Learn the shortcut to reset to default colors (D) and swap them (X).
Brushes themselves can be part of the problem when custom packs are poorly built. Well-made sets behave predictably with pressure and blend modes; see our guide to reliable Photoshop painting brush sets for options worth trying.
FAQs
Why won’t my brush work in Photoshop?
The most common reasons are an active selection elsewhere, a locked or non-pixel layer, a layer mask selected, low opacity or flow, a brush blend mode like Behind or Clear, or Quick Mask mode. Deselect, check the layer and reset the Brush tool.
Why does my Photoshop brush show a no symbol?
The selected layer cannot accept paint. It may be locked, a text layer, a Smart Object, a shape layer or a group. Select or create a normal pixel layer.
Why is my brush painting gray instead of color?
You are probably painting on a layer mask, which only accepts grayscale. Click the layer thumbnail instead. It can also happen in Grayscale image mode.
How do I reset my brush in Photoshop?
Select the Brush tool, right-click the tool icon at the left of the options bar and choose Reset Tool. This clears opacity, flow, mode and other settings.
Why is my Photoshop brush not pressure sensitive?
Usually the tablet driver is missing or outdated, the Windows Ink setting does not suit your setup, or pressure is not assigned in Brush Settings. Reinstall the driver and check Shape Dynamics and Transfer settings.
Why does my brush cursor look like a crosshair?
Caps Lock is on, which switches to the precise cursor. Turn it off, or adjust cursor options in Preferences.
Final Thoughts
When a Photoshop brush stops working, the problem is almost always a setting, not a bug. Deselect, check the active layer and its locks, confirm you are not on a mask, set opacity, flow and mode to normal values, exit Quick Mask and reset the tool. Tablet drivers and preferences come last.
With your brush working again, it may be a good time to upgrade your toolkit. Browse our picks for Photoshop brushes built for digital painting.
