Generative Fill is in the Edit menu, not a separate tool

Generative Fill lives in Photoshop's Edit menu at the top of the window, not in the toolbox on the left. You access it by selecting Edit > Generative Fill after you've made a selection on your image. It's not a brush, a filter, or a layer mode — it's a command that fills in whatever area you've selected with AI-generated content that matches the surrounding pixels.

The feature appeared in Photoshop 2024 (version 25.0) and later. If you have an older version, you won't see it in the menu. You can check your version by going to Help > About Photoshop at the top of the window. If you're running version 24 or earlier, you'll need to update through the Creative Cloud app or your subscription settings.

Generative Fill requires an active internet connection and a Creative Cloud subscription — it won't work offline or with a perpetual license. The feature uses Adobe's servers to process the image, so what you're filling gets sent to Adobe's systems temporarily while it generates the result.

Key Takeaways

  • Generative Fill is found under Edit > Generative Fill in the menu bar, not in the toolbox, and only works in Photoshop 2024 or later.
  • You must make a selection first using any selection tool — the rectangular marquee, lasso, or magic wand — before the Generative Fill command becomes available.
  • The feature requires a Creative Cloud subscription and an internet connection; it processes your image on Adobe's servers.
  • You can type a text prompt to guide what gets generated, or leave it blank to let the AI infer what should fill the space based on surrounding content.
  • Generative Fill creates a new layer by default, so your original image stays untouched and you can undo or adjust the result.

How to make a selection before using Generative Fill

Generative Fill only works on a selected area, so your first step is to outline what you want to fill. Open your image in Photoshop and choose a selection tool from the toolbox on the left. The rectangular marquee (the dotted rectangle icon at the top left) works for straight-edged areas. The lasso (the rope-like icon) lets you draw freehand around irregular shapes. The magic wand (the wand icon) selects areas of similar color automatically.

Draw or click to create your selection. You'll see marching ants — a moving dotted line — around the area you've selected. If you make a mistake, press Ctrl+D (Windows) or Command+D (Mac) to deselect and start over. You can also hold Shift while selecting to add to your selection, or hold Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac) to subtract from it.

Once your selection is active, go to Edit at the top menu bar and look for Generative Fill. If you don't see it, either your version of Photoshop is older than 2024, you're not logged into your Creative Cloud account, or you don't have an active subscription.

What happens when you open the Generative Fill dialog

When you click Edit > Generative Fill, a panel opens on the right side of your screen showing a preview of what the AI will generate. By default, it creates content based on the pixels surrounding your selection — if you're removing a person from a background, it extends the background. If you're filling a gap in a pattern, it continues the pattern.

You can type a text prompt in the box at the bottom of the panel to guide the generation. For example, if you're filling a sky, you could type "blue sky with clouds" or "sunset." The prompt is optional — if you leave it blank, Photoshop uses only the surrounding image content to decide what to generate. Prompts work best when they're short and specific about what you want, not what you don't want.

The panel shows you three different generated options. Click on any of them to see a preview in your image. If none of them look right, click the refresh icon (the circular arrow) to generate three new options. You can refresh as many times as you want until you find a result you like.

Accepting the result and working with the generated layer

When you find a generated result you want to keep, click explore. Photoshop creates a new layer called "Generative Fill" and places the result there, leaving your original image untouched on the layer below. You can see both layers in the Layers panel on the right side of the screen.

Because the result is on a separate layer, you can adjust it without affecting your original. You can lower the layer's opacity to blend it with the original, erase parts of it with the eraser tool, or delete the entire layer if you change your mind. If you want to merge the generated layer with the original, right-click the Generative Fill layer and choose Merge Down.

If the generated result has rough edges or doesn't blend smoothly with the surrounding image, you can use the Clone tool or Healing brush to smooth the transition. These tools are in the toolbox on the left — the Clone tool looks like a rubber stamp, and the Healing brush looks like a bandage.

Common reasons Generative Fill doesn't appear in the menu

If you open the Edit menu and don't see Generative Fill, check these things in order. First, make sure you have a selection active — the command is grayed out if no area is selected. Second, confirm you're running Photoshop 2024 or later by going to Help > About Photoshop. Third, check that you're signed into your Creative Cloud account by looking at the top right corner of the window — you should see your name or email, not a Sign In button.

Fourth, verify you have an active Creative Cloud subscription. If your subscription has lapsed, the Edit menu will show Generative Fill but it will be grayed out. Fifth, make sure you have an internet connection — Generative Fill won't work offline. If all of these check out and the command still doesn't appear, try closing and reopening Photoshop, or restarting your computer.

When Generative Fill produces results you don't want

Sometimes the AI generates something that doesn't match your image well — colors that don't blend, textures that look artificial, or content that doesn't fit the context. This is normal. The easiest fix is to click the refresh button in the Generative Fill panel and try again. Each refresh generates three new options, and results vary significantly.

If you've already applied a result and don't like it, press Ctrl+Z (Windows) or Command+Z (Mac) to undo. You can then reopen Generative Fill and try different prompts or refresh for new options. If the problem is only at the edges, use the Healing brush or Clone tool to blend the seams manually — these tools often produce better results than asking the AI to generate a perfect edge.

For complex images or detailed areas, smaller selections often work better than large ones. If you're trying to fill a large area and the result looks messy, try selecting just a portion of it and generating that separately, then repeating for adjacent areas.

Generative Fill versus other Photoshop removal tools

Photoshop has other ways to remove or fill content. The Content-Aware Fill (Edit > Content-Aware Fill) has been in Photoshop for years and works without an internet connection, but it's less flexible and can't use text prompts. The Remove tool (in the toolbox, looks like a bandage) lets you paint over unwanted objects and automatically fills the area, but it's slower and requires more manual work.

Generative Fill is faster than both for most tasks and gives you more control through prompts. However, it requires a subscription and internet connection, whereas Content-Aware Fill and the Remove tool work offline. For straightforward background removal or object deletion, Content-Aware Fill is often sufficient. For more creative filling — adding elements, changing what's in a space, or generating specific content — Generative Fill is the better choice.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to pay extra for Generative Fill beyond my Creative Cloud subscription?

No. Generative Fill is included with any Creative Cloud subscription that includes Photoshop. You don't pay per use or need a separate add-on. You only need an active subscription and an internet connection.

Can I use Generative Fill on text or vector shapes?

Generative Fill works on raster images (photographs, paintings, scans) but not on text layers or vector shapes. If you want to fill around text, flatten the text to the image first by right-clicking the text layer and choosing Rasterize Layer, then make your selection and use Generative Fill.

What if the generated result looks blurry or low quality?

Blurriness often happens when you're filling a large area or asking the AI to generate something very detailed. Try making a smaller, more specific selection and generating that area separately. You can also try a more detailed text prompt that describes exactly what you want — "brick wall" produces better results than "wall."

Can I use Generative Fill on layers with transparency?

Yes, but the result depends on what's below the transparent area. If there's another layer underneath, Generative Fill considers that content when generating. If the area below is empty, it generates based only on the edges of your selection, which often produces less convincing results.

Is there a limit to how many times I can use Generative Fill?

No hard limit exists, but Adobe's servers may throttle requests if you use the feature extremely heavily in a short time. For normal use — a few fills per image, a few images per day — you won't hit any practical limit.