How to Remove Text from an Image in Photoshop

First, check whether the text is still editable

If you are working in the original PSD and the words sit on their own type layer (the layer thumbnail shows a "T"), you do not need any retouching. Select the layer in the Layers panel and delete it, or hide it with the eye icon.

Most people searching for this have a flattened file instead: a JPG, PNG, screenshot, or exported graphic where the text is part of the pixels. Deleting a layer will not help there. Photoshop has to fill the area where the letters were with new pixels that match the surroundings. The three methods below all do that, in different ways.

Before you start, duplicate the background layer (Ctrl+J on Windows, Cmd+J on Mac) so the original stays untouched.

Method 1: Content-Aware Fill (best for simple backgrounds)

Content-Aware Fill samples the area around your selection and uses it to fill the gap. It works well when the text sits on sky, a wall, a gradient, sand, or another fairly even surface.

1. Select the text. Use the Lasso Tool (L) or Rectangular Marquee Tool (M) to draw around the words. Leave a small margin; do not trace the letters tightly.
2. For single-color text, select it more precisely. Go to Select > Color Range, click the text color, adjust Fuzziness until the letters are selected, and click OK.
3. Expand the selection. Go to Select > Modify > Expand and add 3–6 pixels so the selection covers anti-aliased edges, outlines, and shadows. Leftover edge pixels are the most common reason a removal looks fake.
4. Open Content-Aware Fill. Go to Edit > Content-Aware Fill. A workspace opens with a green overlay showing the area Photoshop will sample from.
5. Adjust the sampling area. If the green area includes something you do not want copied (a person, a logo, other text), paint it out with the Sampling Brush set to subtract.
6. Output to a new layer. Under Output Settings, choose New Layer, then click OK.
7. Check the result at 100% zoom and fix small artifacts with the Clone Stamp (see the cleanup section below).

Quick version: after making the selection, Edit > Fill > Content-Aware (or Shift+Backspace / Shift+Delete) fills it in one step without the workspace. It is faster but gives you less control over where Photoshop samples from.

Method 2: Remove Tool or Spot Healing Brush (best for small text)

For a short caption, a date stamp, or a few words in a corner, painting is often faster than selecting.

1. Select the Remove Tool from the healing tools group (shortcut J; if a different healing tool is active, press Shift+J to cycle). In older Photoshop versions, use the Spot Healing Brush with Type: Content-Aware in the options bar instead.
2. Set the brush slightly larger than the height of the letters.
3. Paint over the text in one continuous stroke, including any outline or shadow.
4. Release the mouse. Photoshop removes the painted area and fills it from the surroundings.
5. Repeat in short strokes for longer lines. Several small passes usually look better than one large stroke.

This method is quick but less predictable on detailed backgrounds, because you cannot control where Photoshop samples from.

Method 3: Generative Fill (best for complex backgrounds)

When the text runs across a scene with depth, faces, foliage, reflections, or a pattern, sampling nearby pixels often produces smears or repeated textures. Generative Fill creates new content for the selected area instead.

1. Select the text with the Lasso Tool, with a small margin, and expand the selection by a few pixels as in Method 1.
2. In the Contextual Task Bar that appears under the selection, click Generative Fill.
3. Leave the prompt empty and click Generate. An empty prompt tells Photoshop to fill the area based on what surrounds it.
4. Photoshop creates a new Generative layer with several variations. Browse them in the Properties panel and keep the one that fits best.

Generative Fill needs an internet connection and a Creative Cloud plan that includes it, and it may use generative credits depending on your plan. Results vary between variations, so it is worth generating more than once on difficult images.

Clean up the edges with the Clone Stamp

Whichever method you use, zoom to 100% and look along the area where the text was. Common problems are a faint outline of the old letters, a repeated patch of texture, or a line in the background that no longer lines up.

1. Create a new empty layer above your image.
2. Select the Clone Stamp Tool (S) and set Sample: Current & Below in the options bar.
3. Alt-click (Windows) or Option-click (Mac) on a clean area to sample it.
4. Paint over the problem with a soft brush at low hardness. Resample often so you do not create obvious repeats.

For straight edges, such as a horizon, the edge of a table, or a wall corner, clone along the line in the same direction so it stays continuous.

Which Photoshop method should you use?

Tips for a cleaner result

• Select the whole text effect. Outlines, drop shadows, and glows belong to the text. If they are left out of the selection, a ghost of the letters remains.
• Use a slightly larger selection than you think you need. A tight selection leaves anti-aliased edge pixels behind.
• Work on a copy or a new layer. You can lower opacity, mask, or delete a bad fill without starting over.
• Remove long text in parts. Filling two short sections often looks more natural than one long strip.
• Compare with the original. Toggle the result layer on and off to catch changes you did not intend.

A faster option without Photoshop

If you do not have Photoshop, or you only need to remove one caption, headline, or date from a finished picture, you can do it in the browser with Image Text Editor's Remove Text tool.

1. Upload a JPG, PNG, or WebP image.
2. The editor scans the picture and lists the text blocks it finds. Lines and paragraphs are listed separately, so you can remove one line or a whole paragraph.
3. Select the block you want gone and confirm. No replacement wording is needed.
4. The model rebuilds the area from the surrounding pixels. Compare the before and after, then download a flattened PNG.

"SUMMER IN BALI" removed from a travel photo; the sky and the palm leaves behind the headline are filled in.

A few honest limits: the tool works on one detected text block per run, so text the scan does not detect cannot be targeted. The rebuilt area is generated, not restored, so results depend on image quality, text style, and how complex the background is. It is free to try: eligible new accounts get 1 free credit after Google sign-in, and more credits are available as paid packs or subscriptions.

If you want to change the words rather than remove them, use Replace Text, or edit text with the same font style. For what to check when the background matters, see how to replace text without changing the background.