Spot healing brush not working

[joelh33703351]

I am using 21.1.2 version and the brush isn't working. There is a stack of paper icon in the options bar, but nothing happens when I click on it. I presume that is the sample all layers button and that this is the reason the spot healing brush doesn't work. I have created a separate layer but after using the brush when I release nothing happens. I have reset the tool but that doesn't seem to do anything either. Very frustrated.  I thought sample all layers was the default setting for this tool? Thanks

[joelh33703351]

Since no one responded let me amend. I do not have the option of choosing sample all layers in the option bar. Instead I have an icon showing a stack of papers that I am told means" samples cloned data from composited data" . As I said, I have reset the tool as I see that is frequently the issue with the spot healing brush. I have restarted PS, I have chosen different images. Nothing. I have the options bar and all other aspects of the panels and bars set on essential although being new would like the most robust option. Thanks

[Bojan Živković]

Can you post screenshot with Spot Healing Tool active, Options bar and Layers panel visible?

[joelh33703351]

[joelh33703351]

Unfortunately I received no help with this question from the community but after two weeks I figured this out. I could not get the spot healing brush to work because I could not sample all layers. And I could not sample all layers because the setting on my option bar was "narrow." I had never set it on narrow so I had no idea why I couldn't use the most basic functionality.  If you are facing this , I have the solution to get back the sample all layers button on the option bar. Go to Edit and scroll to the bottom and push the down arrow until Preferences comes up ( it is hidden below the screen) then go to Workspace then unclick the "condensed" option at the bottom, then push "ok" Please not this change will not take effect until you reopen Photoshop. Maddening but that will bring back the option and you can now select sample all layers. 
 

[mrholevar]

OMG THANK YOU SO MUCH!  I thought I was losing my mind.  I upgraded to PS22 and I had the exact same problem, very frustrating.  

[ilkeK]

did you try restoring defaults of your toolbars
edit > toolbar > restore defaults.

[joelh33703351]

Yes, I did. I reset

[bellevue scott]

For me on the Mac using PS 21.1.2 the spot healing brush has stopped working correctly. I use it to close around the edges of paintings I scan to fix the edges, and recently it just stopped working.

I tried 20.0.7 as well and get the same problem. When did this start happening? When I use the healing brush now it introduces garbage, like it's doing the exact opposite of what I want. Like it's cloning backwards and making the spot worse instead of better.