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What Is the Shortcut to Duplicate a Layer in Photoshop?

Last updated on September 23, 2022 @ 8:57 pm

There are a few different ways that you can duplicate a layer in Photoshop. One way is to right-click on the layer that you want to duplicate in the ‘Layers’ panel and select ‘Duplicate Layer.’

Another way is to drag the layer that you want to duplicate onto the ‘New Layer’ icon at the bottom of the ‘Layers’ panel.

If you want to duplicate a layer and also move it to a different location in your image, you can use the ‘Move Tool’ (shortcut: V) to click and drag the layer to the desired location. Then, press and hold the ‘Alt’ key (Windows) or ‘Option’ key (Mac) and click and drag the layer again to create a copy.

PRO TIP: If you are using Photoshop to duplicate a layer, be sure to use the Duplicate Layer command, not the shortcut. The shortcut will not create a new layer; it will simply copy the pixels from the existing layer.

You can also duplicate a layer by pressing and holding the ‘Ctrl’ key (Windows) or ‘Command’ key (Mac) and clicking on the layer thumbnail in the ‘Layers’ panel. Then, press and hold the ‘Shift’ key and click on the ‘New Layer’ icon at the bottom of the panel to create a copy of that layer.

Conclusion: The easiest way to duplicate a layer is to right-click on it and select ‘Duplicate Layer.’ You can also use the keyboard shortcut ‘Ctrl+J’ (Windows) or ‘Command+J’ (Mac).

Madison Geldart

Madison Geldart

Cloud infrastructure engineer and tech mess solver.