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Known Participant
September 29, 2026
Answered

How do I edit text in a grouped layer?

  • September 29, 2026
  • 6 replies
  • 51 views

Have a PSD I got, converted from Illustrator.
I need to edit the text on one layer, which shows up as a group.

 

Thoughts?

    Correct answer Spas K.

    The "<Group>" layers in your screenshot are simply Illustrator groups which got rasterized / flattened, and are only editable as pixels and not dynamic objects anymore. They only have the name of "group", but are not actual groups. The groups in Photoshop are the "CAT", "Layer 10", etc, with the little Folder icon that these layers are nested under. This doesn't change your situation though.

    If the text is rasterized as it looks like, your only option is to delete it, and try to replicate it with the same font using the text tool.

    You can also try Generative Fill, select the text (and a sufficient area around it) and prompt it to replace it with one specified by you. You can try different models to see what works best. Firefly Image 5 does a better job with text.

    6 replies

    Known Participant
    September 29, 2026

    I kinda figured that.  Plan B is recreate, as mentioned.  Thx for your time!

    Known Participant
    September 29, 2026

    I used history to go back to original, as I could not edit the smart object.  I thought there was a way to ungroup for editing. In any case, what is the next step?

    Spas K.
    Community Expert
    Spas K.Community ExpertCorrect answer
    Community Expert
    September 29, 2026

    The "<Group>" layers in your screenshot are simply Illustrator groups which got rasterized / flattened, and are only editable as pixels and not dynamic objects anymore. They only have the name of "group", but are not actual groups. The groups in Photoshop are the "CAT", "Layer 10", etc, with the little Folder icon that these layers are nested under. This doesn't change your situation though.

    If the text is rasterized as it looks like, your only option is to delete it, and try to replicate it with the same font using the text tool.

    You can also try Generative Fill, select the text (and a sufficient area around it) and prompt it to replace it with one specified by you. You can try different models to see what works best. Firefly Image 5 does a better job with text.

    Spas K.
    Community Expert
    Community Expert
    September 29, 2026

    Can you post a screenshot including the layers panel so we can better see what is happening? The text tool works even if the text layer is inside a group. 

    Normally, you can expand a group and see the layers inside.

    Known Participant
    September 29, 2026

    It’s the October 10 text I need to modify.

    Spas K.
    Community Expert
    Community Expert
    September 29, 2026

    The layer selected is a smart object. You can double click on the thumbnail - it will open in a separate tab. Check it and see if the contents are editable. You can learn more about smart objects here.