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Question

Why does merging a folder in Photoshop also crops it to canvas size?

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I am using Photoshop CS6. When I merge a folder with Ctrl+ E, not only does it merge the layers but it also crops it to the canvas size. Sometimes the layers in the folder have images that extend past the canvas and I want to preserve that even after merging.

Is there a setting that I need to change so that merging a folder doesn’t crop the merged image?? Am I doing something wrong?

(Please don’t suggest “just use the updated CC version” because currently I don’t have access to that at the moment)

Jeff Arola

Community Expert

Another way is to make a selection of the objects that extend outside the canvas boundary and then add a layer mask to the Group.

After you Merge Group and remove the layer mask, the objects should still be there and not deleted.

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Jeff Arola

Community Expert

As far as i can tell at this point, your right that this only occurs in Photoshop CS6 and that older and newer Photoshop versions don’t delete the data outside the canvas boundary (cropped pixels) when merging a layer group.

I haven’t tested every version of Photoshop to know for sure, however, i did test Photoshop 6.0.1, the first Photoshop version with layer groups (layer sets in ps6), Photoshop CS6 13.0.1.3 and Photoshop 2026 27.3.

Though i did discover that only the Windows version of Photoshop CS6 deletes the data outside the canvas boundaries and Photoshop CS6 13.0.6 on the Mac side does not.

I don’t see any setting in Photoshop CS6 that would affect the issue, however, before merging the group you could do a Image>Reveal All and that would maintain the data that was outside the canvas when merging the layer group.

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D

D_A_RenoirAuthor

Known Participant

That’s very weird. Yeah, I don’t normally use CS6, it’s just what I have right now, I’m not in my usual workspace. So ok I will just put up with it until I get back to my usual Photoshop.

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Imaginerie

Community Expert

This is normal behaviour, and the workaround is exactly as you do it: Create a copy all visible layers/merge (so it’s up to you to make the layers outside the group non visible (Quick shortcut is ALT/OPT and click on the eye icon of your group, that way it only makes your group visible).
CTRL+SHIFT+E (or Mac equivalent) to paste all visible layers to a new one, can be assigned a different keyboard shortcut if you got small hands like me 😉current version, not sure if it was the same in CS6...

edit>preferences>keyboard shortcuts to access that feature...

That said, you’re using a very old version, and I honestly cannot remember how it was back then. If this behaviour have changed over time (I don’t think it has, but we never know), then you’ll have a hard time finding the real solution.

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Imaginerie

Community Expert

I forgot to say that it’s normal behaviour for CS6, not for newer versions...

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D_A_RenoirAuthor

Known Participant

Oh ok, if it’s normal for this version I will put up with it until I can get back to my normal workspace. This is not the version I usually use, it’s just what I have for now.

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Ged_Traynor

Community Expert

@D_A_Renoir this is from a Google search

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D_A_RenoirAuthor

Known Participant

Is there a way to change that so it doesn’t happen?

If I just merge the layers (manually selecting the layers inside the folder) it won’t crop it, but if I merge a whole folder it will crop even if I use the same Ctrl+E command.

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jane-e

Community Expert

@D_A_Renoir

Did you try changing the canvas size first as indicated by Ged?

Jane

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