2 Easy Ways to Remove Text from an Image in Photoshop

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Remove text using Content-Aware Fill or the Clone Stamp tool

Co-authored by Richard Marczewski Jr. and Travis Boylls

Last Updated: October 27, 2025 Fact Checked

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Using Content-Aware Fill

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Using the Clone Stamp Tool

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Expert Q&A

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Tips

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Warnings

Do you have a great photo you want to use, but it has text on it? Well, Photoshop has some terrific features to help you remove the text and unwanted objects. You don’t have to be a professional graphic designer to learn how to use them, either. When it comes to image editing, Photoshop is fairly user-friendly, even if you’re new to the program. This wikiHow article teaches you how to remove text from an image, featuring expert tips from digital media specialist Richard Marczewski Jr. and graphic design expert Shari Fairclough.

Remove Text from a Photoshop Image

Use the Object Selection or Quick Selection tool to select the letters of an image. Expand the selection by about 3 pixels in the Select menu under Modify. Right-click the image and select Content-Aware Fill. Use the Clone Stamp tool to clean up any leftover artifacts.

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

Using Content-Aware Fill

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1
Open an image in Photoshop. You can right-click (or Control-click on Mac) an image file and select Open with. Then select Photoshop from the list of apps. You can also click Open on the Photoshop title screen and select the image file you want to open. Then click Open.
- You can open an image in Photoshop at any time by clicking File in the menu bar at the top, followed by Open. Select the image you want to open and click Open.
2
Duplicate your layer. To do so, press Ctrl + J on Windows or Command + J on Mac. This is so you don’t make any changes to the original image. If you look in the Layers panel, you’ll see that you now have two layers with the same image. The original stays safe on the Background layer. You will be editing the duplicate layer above the background layer.^{[1]
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- Optionally, you can give the new layer a new name so you don’t mix it up with the original. To do so, right-click directly on Layer 1 and click Rename. Enter a new name for the layer.
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3
Select the letters. There are a number of ways you can select the letters. Letters usually have a high contrast with the background. You could probably easily select the letters using the Object Selection Tool. It has an icon that resembles a mouse cursor in front of a box. Click it in the toolbar to the left. You can also press W to select the Object selection tool. Drag a box over the text you want to select.
- Alternatively, you can use the Quick Selection tool. It has an icon that resembles a brush drawing a circle. Hold Shift and click each letter. If you really want to be precise, you can use the Polygonal Lasso tool to trace a selection around the letters.
- Your selection is marked by an outline that resembles marching ants. You can always add to your selection by holding the Shift key. Use any tool to add to your selection.
- To remove a part of your selection, click the icon that resembles a square cut out of another square at the top. Then use any tool to remove a part of your selection.
4
Expand your selection. This will extend the selection a few pixels out from the letters. The amount you need to expand the selection depends on the resolution of the photo. You don’t want to expand too far out. Start with three pixels. Use the following steps to expand your selection:
- Click Select in the menu bar at the top.
- Click Modify.
- Click Expand.
- Enter the number of pixels you want to expand by
- Click Ok.
5
Apply a content-aware fill. According to Marczewski, using AI is the easiest way to remove objects from a photo.^{[2]
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Expert Source

Richard Marczewski Jr.
Digital Media Specialist

Expert Interview} The Content-Aware fill uses AI to detect what's around the letters and fill them in with colors and patterns. Use the following steps to apply a content-aware fill:^{[3]
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- Click Edit in the menu bar at the top.
- Click Content-Aware Fill.
6
Use the Clone Stamp tool to remove any remaining artifacts. There may still be some remaining parts of the letters or parts where the Content-Aware Fill didn’t do the greatest job of filling in the letters. You can usually smooth these over with the Clone Stamp tool. Use the following steps to use the Clone Stamp tool.
- Select a soft brush in the menu bar at the top.
- Click the Clone Stamp tool in the toolbar, which resembles a stamper.
- Press Alt (or Option on Mac) and click an area you want to sample.
  - For best results, click an area near the artifact.
- Drag the Clone Stamp tool over the area you want to repair.

Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

Using the Clone Stamp Tool

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1
Open an image in Photoshop. You can right-click (or Control-click on Mac) an image file and select Open with. Then select Photoshop from the list of apps. You can also click Open on the Photoshop title screen and select the image file you want to open. Then click Open.
- You can open an image in Photoshop at any time by clicking File in the menu bar at the top, followed by Open. Select the image you want to open and click Open.
2
Duplicate your layer. To do so, press Ctrl + J on Windows or Command + J on Mac. This is so you don’t make any changes to the original image. If you look in the Layers panel, you’ll see that you now have two layers with the same image. The original stays safe on the Background layer. You will be editing the duplicate layer above the background layer.^{[4]
X
Research source}
- Optionally, you can give the new layer a new name so you don’t mix it up with the original. To do so, right-click directly on Layer 1 and click Rename. Enter a new name for the layer.
3
Click the Clone Stamp tool. It’s the icon that resembles a stamper in the toolbar. Alternatively, press Ctrl + S (or Command + S on Mac) to select the Clone Stamp tool. According to Fairclough, the Clone Stamp tool is a good way to remove text in Photoshop.^{[5]
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Expert Source

Shari Fairclough
Social Media & Graphic Design Expert

Expert Interview} This will work on older versions of Photoshop, too. ^{[6]
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Research source}
- Choose a soft-tipped brush with a flow rate between 10 and 30 percent (for most jobs) in the menu bar at the top. Start with opacity at 95 percent. You can make adjustments as needed
4
Sample the area next to the letters. To do so, place your cursor over a spot that is as close to the lettering as possible. Hold Alt (or Option on Mac) and then left-click an area to sample it. This spot is called your source. Essentially, you will pick up "paint" from this spot and use it to paint over your text.^{[7]
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- Be careful not to get too close to the lettering, as the source will move as you paint over the text. If you get too close, then you will just be copying the spot you were trying to erase. If your source is too far away from your lettering, then the color of the background may not be appropriate for camouflaging the spot where the letters were. You will see distortion when you paint over the image.
This action samples pixels continuously without losing the current sampling point. Every time you stop painting, deselect Aligned before you start over. Reset it after you choose a new sampling point.
6
Paint over the letters you want to cover up. Left-click and drag to paint the source over the lettering. Notice the lighting of the background image. Make sure that the spots that you clone are lit in the same direction as the image.^{[8]
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- Paint in small sections. You don’t want to drag the mouse over the letters in large strokes. This action will ensure that your work looks professional instead of blotchy. Continue this process until the project is complete.

Expert Q&A

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Are there other ways to remove text from photos in Photoshop?

Shari Fairclough
Social Media & Graphic Design Expert
Shari Fairclough is a Social Media & Graphic Design Expert based in Atlanta, Georgia. Shari is a versatile designer with extensive experience in social media marketing, UX/UI design, and graphic print production. She has over 4 years of both freelance and in-house experience working as a UX and Graphic Designer. She currently works as the Social Media & Marketing Coordinator at Guidepost Montessori. In this role, Shari curates engaging content and enhances the school's online presence. In 2022, Shari founded Sunni Aesthetics, a design platform that blends culture, design, and art. Shari holds a Google UX Design certification. Additionally, she studied graphic design at The Creative Circus, has four years of experience working as an assistant teacher, and is certified as a TEFL instructor. Shari has contributed to various publications, including Canvas Rebel, VoyageATL, and 11 Alive, and has film credits on IMDb for her work in "Black Lightning," "The Color Purple," and "The Staircase." She received a BA in Film & Media from Georgia State University.

Shari Fairclough

Social Media & Graphic Design Expert

Expert Answer

You can also use the Spot Healing Brush Tool, which looks like a band-aid icon. With this tool, you can paint over the text, and Photoshop will blend the surrounding pixels to erase the text. Another option is the Content-Aware Fill feature. To use this, select the text area with the Lasso Tool, then go to Edit > Content-Aware Fill, and Photoshop will analyze the surrounding content to fill in the selection. Lastly, the new AI-based Generative Fill tool allows you to remove text by typing a prompt. For instance, you can highlight the text and type a prompt like "remove the text" in the Generative Fill dialog, and Photoshop's AI will handle the rest.

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Does this work on faces?

Mo.mow.mo.money

Community Answer

You could use the spot healing tool or just the healing brush to fix that.

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I have Adobe Photoshop 7.0. There's is not any option of "context aware" in Fill. Could you please tell me where can I find that option?

Community Answer

Make sure you have Adobe CS series, particularly CS5 and or later. What you have may be too basic.

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Tips

In a multi-layered file like a PSD or PDF file, the text may be on an extra layer above the background image. Right-click Text Layers in the Layers panel on the right side of the window. Then, choose Delete Layer and click Yes to confirm.

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Set aside plenty of time for the project, particularly if you are inexperienced or if you are using the Clone tool. If the text block is large, making the background look seamless may take time.

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If you mess up too badly, you can delete your layer and start again with a fresh duplicate of the background layer.

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Warnings

Always save your new image separately from your old image by renaming the file after you perform touch-ups. That way, if you decide that you don't like the changes, you always have the original, unaltered photo on hand.

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