Can't Paste into Layer Mask at all

[carlos_4830]

Ive been following everything and i still cant do it

I press option and click on the layer mask channel to paste my texture overlay and it still doesnt paste. No matter if i do it the shortcut way or the way through the menu and ive reset my tool and the app and still nothing im so frustrated. It lets me edit the layer mask with brushes but i cant paste anything into the layer.

[Anshul_Saini]

Hi @carlos_4830,

I understand how frustrating that can be. If you’re able to paint on the layer mask but can’t paste into it, could you please:

• Share a short screen recording of your process and a sample PSD file.

• Let me know your Photoshop version and OS.

• Go to Photoshop > Help > System Info, save the info as a text file, and upload it here.

That way, I'll be able to dig deeper and help you resolve this.

Best,

Anshul Saini

[carlos_4830]

1. attached this message

2. PS 2025 macos

3. attached

[c.pfaffenbichler]

You seem to be copying Layers, not pixels. 

Try Select > Select All before copying. 

Edit: … and show the receiving Channel in the Channels Panel. 

[carlos_4830]

i've done that and still nothing 

[c.pfaffenbichler]

i've done that and still nothing 

By @carlos_4830

Could you please post screenshots with the pertinent Panels (Toolbar, Layers, Channels, Options Bar, …) visible? 

[Trevor.Dennis]

If you Alt/Opt click the mask to show it full screen, you can then paste content to it.

It works with RGB coloured images as well, pasting a grescale into the mask.  

What is totally weird is that you can Free Transform the mask and move and distort it.

OKaying the FT commits the mask cancelling the Alt click.  

You can get some interesting effects.

[carlos_4830]

i've done it the manual way but still nothing i can't paste anything 

[Bojan Živković]

I downloaded def.psd and everything works fine 26.4.1. Something is preventing you, either because steps were not executed as they should be or for another reason. Have you tried resetting the preferences?

[Trevor.Dennis]

Let's double check your workflow

Ive added an arbitrary mask for the sake of clarity.

Alt click the mask which shows it full screen.  We just see black & white in the image window now. The alpha channel for the mask is there in the Channels panel.

I can paste anything into the document window.  Note that the mask is still selected (it has the white boundery)

I have to Alt click the mask again, to toggle off the full screen view.

That means I have to place the cursor over the mask, and Alt Click.

If the above steps are what you are doing, and it is still not working, then we'll dig deeper, like trying another version (beta, 22.2 etc.)