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Can't delete a selected layer using the 'delete' key CS6 [2013]

Community Beginner ,
Aug 15, 2013 Aug 15, 2013

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Why can you no longer delete layers with the delete key?

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macOS , Windows

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Adobe Employee ,
Aug 15, 2013 Aug 15, 2013

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Still works for me. Make sure your layers panel is what is currently in focus (that you don't have a cursor is some field to set the value for some slider or tool).

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Community Expert ,
Aug 15, 2013 Aug 15, 2013

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Or Photoshop is waiting for input for another action - having a Free Transform active for instance.

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Community Beginner ,
Aug 15, 2013 Aug 15, 2013

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I just tested this on a bunch of different kinds of layers. Some will delete with the 'delete' key. others will not. i can't figure out what the difference is between those that will and those that won't. I've tested shape layers as well as text layers, linked layers, groups and multiples.

i can select some groups and delete them. Other groups will not delete. Same thing happens if I select multiple layers: some will delete and others will not. any ideas?

the only thing i noticed is that layers further down in my list (way at the bottom) are the ones that won't go. Nothing is locked though.

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Adobe Employee ,
Aug 16, 2013 Aug 16, 2013

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Layer order shouldn't have anything to do with it.

When you next find a layer that you cannot delete, immediately take a screen shot and post it here. It will probably have an important clue as to what you are running into.

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Explorer ,
Jan 20, 2016 Jan 20, 2016

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was this ever fixed? now in the latest CC and its doing it for me too. Ghosted delete button in the layers palette, delete key on keyboard also doesnt work. restarted comp, restarted PS, nada

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Adobe Employee ,
Jan 20, 2016 Jan 20, 2016

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Still haven't seen the issue replicated (you can't fix something if you can't recreate it, otherwise how will you know if you've fixed it?)

Can you provide a screen show of the behavior in action? Or a file that has this behavior?

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Explorer ,
Jan 20, 2016 Jan 20, 2016

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Ill see if i can replicate it later. I aint got time to deal with all these bugs in PS let alone record or document each and every one of them.

Fixed it now using:

1. create a new group (folder icon)

2. click on that group, make sure the delete icon is lit up and the group is deletable

3. drag and drop what you couldnt delete into that group

4. you should now be able to delete what you couldnt delete before

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New Here ,
Jan 12, 2022 Jan 12, 2022

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Hey! Having the same problem in Photoshop CC 2020, your workaround seems to work. Thank you!

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New Here ,
Sep 01, 2022 Sep 01, 2022

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same issue in September 2022, this workaround solved it.

 

btw- Layer wasnt locked, could delete other layers just fine even with the rectangular marquee...thank you for this workaround

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Explorer ,
Feb 02, 2016 Feb 02, 2016

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Heres a video of whats happening. I cant replicate #3 from my steps on this one.

February 2, 2016 - YouTube

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Adobe Employee ,
Feb 04, 2016 Feb 04, 2016

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Interesting, there is definitely a specific layer that just won't delete (and of course, you can't delete any layer group that layer is within when that layer is there). I don't see any special reason that layer can't be deleted. Can you share this file so I can take a look on my side?

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Explorer ,
Mar 28, 2016 Mar 28, 2016

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Pretty annoying prob if you guys can get it fixed. Happens all the time.

http://www.filehosting.org/file/details/556666/cant%20delete.psd

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Adobe Employee ,
Mar 28, 2016 Mar 28, 2016

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Thank you for supplying a file. Unfortunately, this file seems to work fine on my side.

That test is somewhat inconclusive though. There is only one layer in this file, so of course you can't delete the layer, you can't have zero layers in a file. There always has to be at least one or you don't even have a file. So I had to add a new layer before I could even attempt to delete the existing layer. Such a modification may change the nature of the file and thus nullify this test. Additionally, I don't have the font used to create this layer installed on my system, so technically, this is a somewhat invalid layer on my end.

Could you supply another version of this (or another) file? It should have at least two layers (one you can delete and one you cannot) and if any Text layers are in use, make sure it is using a default system font.

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New Here ,
Jul 15, 2017 Jul 15, 2017

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file:///C:/Users/Reyvie/Desktop/Cara.psdhttp:// whenever i select a part to be vectorized i cant delete the selected part

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Explorer ,
Mar 28, 2016 Mar 28, 2016

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Adding layers may be a solution for a 1 layer file but it happens when i have a bunch of layers in. Doesnt always happen, so I dont have a file with that example right now. Ill send over when I do. Thanks.

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New Here ,
Apr 19, 2016 Apr 19, 2016

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There is a layer that is locked. Sometimes we can do that accidentally. You will have to go through all the layers to look for the one (or a few) that is locked.

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New Here ,
Sep 23, 2016 Sep 23, 2016

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Did  you make sure that the "Move Tool (V)" was selected? I was having the same problem and came to this page. Finally I noticed I had the Rectangular Marque Tool selected instead of the move tool. I clicked on the move tool and was able to delete layers AND groups using the delete key on my keyboard. To sum it up:

Delete with the Move Tool (V) selected.

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New Here ,
Aug 16, 2022 Aug 16, 2022

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This worked for me! Thank you 🙂

 

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New Here ,
Nov 20, 2022 Nov 20, 2022

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Although not exactly what you suggested, selecting the Rectangular Marque Tool worked for me. Thank you for pointing me to that group of tools. I don't understand how Adobe expects users to predict this intermediate step instead of just using Delete or the trash can.

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New Here ,
Jan 10, 2020 Jan 10, 2020

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Uninstall photoshop

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New Here ,
Jul 23, 2020 Jul 23, 2020

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go to Select then in the dropdown menu uncheck "Edit in quick mask mode".  Worked for me

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New Here ,
Dec 29, 2020 Dec 29, 2020

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After googling for the same exact problem, I figured out the solution on my own. I just saved the .psd file as is, and restarted photoshop. Then, I could delete the layers just fine.

 

Just leaving this here in case someone struggles with the problem in the future, happy to help!

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New Here ,
Mar 11, 2021 Mar 11, 2021

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My trash button was greyed out too. Could not select trash icon to delete a layer. Instead, I dragged down the layer I wanted to delete directly to the trash icon and not only did the layer get deleted, but the trash button went back to normal. Tried saving and closing Ps first but did not fix. Only dragging the layer did.

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Community Expert ,
Aug 17, 2022 Aug 17, 2022

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No offense, but why are you still using CS6?  CS6 came out in 2012.

You are missing out on so many cool features... if you have the Creative Cloud subscription you get every udpate. Meaning you have so many more tools. Plus, as time goes by tools are refined.

Example, Content Aware Fill was horrible when it first came out.  But now it is nearly perfect! 


I know it could be personal reasons... moeny or whatever.  But still really consider getting the Creative Cloud subscription. The new features since 2012 will blow your mind and speed up your workflow.

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