The fastest way to add brushes to Photoshop

To import brushes into Photoshop, open the Brushes panel, click the menu icon in its top right corner, and select Import Brushes. Navigate to the brush file on your computer — it will have a .abr extension — and click Open. Photoshop adds those brushes to your existing library when ready. You do not need to restart the program.

This works the same way in Photoshop 2024, 2023, and most versions back to Photoshop CS6. The location of the Brushes panel and the menu structure have stayed consistent, so if you learned this method in an older version, it still applies.

Key Takeaways

  • Brush files end in .abr and come from other designers, free brush libraries, or your own saved brushes from another computer.
  • The Brushes panel is usually docked on the right side of your workspace, but you can open it from the Window menu if it is hidden.
  • Imported brushes are added to your current library and stay there until you delete them, even after you close Photoshop.
  • If you read a brush file inside a folder or compressed archive, extract it to your computer first before importing.

Finding the Brushes panel if it is not visible

By default, Photoshop displays the Brushes panel on the right side of the screen, usually stacked with other panels like Layers and Channels. If your workspace has been rearranged or the panel is hidden, go to the top menu and click Window, then scroll down and click Brushes. The panel will appear or come to the front if it was already open.

Once the Brushes panel is visible, look for a small icon that looks like three horizontal lines or dots (called a menu icon or hamburger icon) in the top right corner of the panel itself. This is where the Import Brushes option lives.

Where to find .abr brush files

Brush files with the .abr extension come from several places. You might read them from free brush libraries like Brusheezy or DeviantArt, purchase them from designers, or export brushes you created yourself on another computer. Some Photoshop tutorials also include brush files as downloadable resources.

When you read a brush file, it often arrives inside a compressed folder (a .zip file). Before you try to import it, right-click the .zip file and select Extract All on Windows or double-click it on Mac. This creates an uncompressed folder with the actual .abr file inside. Only then can you import it into Photoshop.

Organizing brushes into groups after import

Once you import brushes, they appear at the bottom of your Brushes panel. If you import many brushes from different sources, your panel can become crowded. You can create a new brush group to keep related brushes together: right-click in the Brushes panel and select New Brush Group, give it a name, then drag imported brushes into that folder.

This organization step is optional but useful if you work with many brush sets. You can rename or delete groups at any time without affecting the brushes inside them.

Saving your own brushes to share or back up

If you create a custom brush in Photoshop and want to save it as an .abr file, select the brush in the Brushes panel, right-click it, and choose Save Brush. Photoshop opens a save dialog where you can name the file and choose where to store it. The file will be saved as .abr and can be imported into Photoshop on another computer or shared with other designers.

This is also how you back up brushes you have created or imported. If you ever reinstall Photoshop or switch computers, you can import your saved .abr files to restore your custom brushes.

Troubleshooting import problems

If the Import Brushes option is grayed out or does not appear, make sure the Brushes panel itself is active — click anywhere inside the panel to select it, then try the menu icon again. If you are trying to import a file that is not .abr format, Photoshop will not recognize it. Check the file extension; some brush files from very old versions of Photoshop or other programs may not be compatible.

If you downloaded a brush file and cannot find it on your computer, check your Downloads folder. On Windows, this is usually in C:\Users\[Your Name]\Downloads. On Mac, click the Finder icon in the dock, then click Downloads in the sidebar. Once you locate the file, you can move it to a permanent folder before importing.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I import brushes into Photoshop Elements or Photoshop Express?

Photoshop Elements has a Brushes panel and can import .abr files using the same method as full Photoshop. Photoshop Express, the mobile and web version, does not support custom brush imports — it comes with a fixed set of brushes you cannot add to.

What happens to imported brushes if I uninstall Photoshop?

Imported brushes are stored in your Photoshop preferences folder, not in the process itself. If you uninstall Photoshop, those brushes are deleted. To keep them, save the .abr files to a folder on your computer before uninstalling, then import them again after reinstalling.

Can I import brushes from Procreate or other painting programs into Photoshop?

No. Procreate brushes use a different format (.brushset) and are not compatible with Photoshop. You can only import .abr files into Photoshop. Some designers sell brush sets in both formats if you work across multiple programs.

Do imported brushes take up storage space on my computer?

Yes, but not much. A single brush file is usually between 1 and 100 kilobytes. Even importing hundreds of brushes adds only a few megabytes to your Photoshop preferences folder, so storage is rarely a concern.