Adding text in Procreate starts with the text tool in your toolbar

Open Procreate and tap the text tool — it looks like the letter "A" and sits in your toolbar on the left side of the screen. Once selected, tap anywhere on your canvas where you want the text to appear. A text box will open with a keyboard at the bottom, and you can start typing when ready.

The text will appear in a default font and size. You do not need to finish typing before you adjust how it looks — Procreate lets you change the font, size, color, and alignment while you are still editing. When you are done, tap outside the text box or press the checkmark to confirm your text and move on.

If you want to edit text after you have confirmed it, tap the text tool again and then tap the text you created. The text box will reopen and you can make changes. Once you confirm again, the text becomes part of your layer.

Key Takeaways

  • The text tool is the "A" icon in your toolbar — tap it, then tap your canvas to start typing.
  • You can change font, size, color, and alignment before or after you finish typing without affecting other parts of your drawing.
  • Text sits on its own layer until you confirm it, which means you can move or delete it without touching your artwork.
  • Procreate stores text as editable text only while the layer exists — flattening your image turns text into pixels that cannot be edited later.

Changing font, size, and color while typing

After you tap the text tool and start typing, look at the top of your screen. You will see options for font name, font size (shown as a number), and a color swatch. Tap the font name to open a list of available typefaces — Procreate includes dozens of built-in fonts, and you can add more by installing them on your iPad first.

The size number controls how large your text appears. Tap it and drag left or right to make text smaller or larger, or tap the number itself to type a specific size. The color swatch lets you pick any color from your palette or create a new one by tapping it.

You can also select text you have already typed and change only that portion. Highlight the letters you want to modify by tapping and dragging across them, then adjust the font, size, or color — only the selected text will change.

Moving and aligning text on your canvas

Once you have confirmed your text, it sits in a text box with handles around it. You can drag the text box anywhere on your canvas by tapping and dragging from inside the box. If you need to resize the text box itself, drag one of the corner handles outward or inward.

Before you confirm the text, you can set the alignment using the buttons at the top of the screen. Look for left align, center align, and right align options — these control whether your text lines up on the left edge, centers itself, or lines up on the right. Tap the alignment you want, and your text will shift to match.

If you want to rotate text, confirm it first, then use the transform tool (the arrow icon) to rotate the entire text layer. You can also flip text horizontally or vertically using the flip options in the transform menu.

Text layers and what happens when you flatten your image

Each time you add text in Procreate, it creates a new layer. You can see all your text layers in the Layers panel on the right side of the screen. This means you can hide, delete, or move text layers independently from your drawing — if you do not like a text layer, swipe left on it in the Layers panel and tap Delete.

Text remains editable as long as the text layer exists. If you flatten your image (merge all layers into one), the text becomes pixels and cannot be edited again. Before you flatten, make sure all your text looks the way you want it. If you think you might need to change text later, keep the text layers separate and only flatten when you are completely finished.

You can also duplicate a text layer if you want to use the same text in multiple places. Long-press the text layer in the Layers panel and tap Duplicate, then move the copy to a new location and edit it as needed.

Adding effects and styling to text

Once you have created a text layer, you can add effects like shadows, glows, or strokes. With the text layer selected, tap the "N" icon (effects) in the Layers panel. You will see options for adding drop shadows, outer glows, inner glows, and strokes — each one can be customized with color, size, and opacity.

You can also change the opacity of the entire text layer by adjusting the slider at the top of the Layers panel. This makes text semi-transparent, which is useful if you want text to sit subtly over an image without completely blocking it.

If you want to explore a gradient or pattern to your text instead of a solid color, select the text layer and use the fill tool or gradient tool on top of it. Make sure you have the text layer selected first, or you might accidentally fill a different layer.

Fixing common text problems

If your text appears blurry or pixelated, the font size is probably too small or you zoomed in too far while typing. Increase the font size or zoom out to see the text at its actual size. Text in Procreate is vector-based while you are editing it, so it will always look sharp at any zoom level until you flatten the layer.

If text is not appearing where you tapped, you may have tapped outside the canvas boundaries. Make sure your canvas is large enough to hold the text you want to add. You can always increase canvas size later using Image > Canvas Size.

If you cannot edit text you created earlier, the text layer may have been flattened or merged with another layer. Check the Layers panel to see if the text layer still exists as a separate item. If it has been merged, you can undo the merge by pressing Ctrl+Z (or Cmd+Z on Mac) repeatedly to go back to when the text layer was separate.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use fonts I downloaded from the internet in Procreate?

Yes. Install the font on your iPad first through Settings > General > Fonts, then restart Procreate. The new font will appear in your font list when you tap the font name while editing text. Procreate can use any font installed on your iPad.

What is the difference between text and drawing text by hand?

Text created with the text tool stays editable and sits on its own layer. Hand-drawn text becomes pixels when ready and cannot be changed. Use the text tool for words you might need to edit later, and draw by hand for decorative lettering that is part of your artwork.

Can I curve text along a path in Procreate?

Procreate does not have a built-in curve text feature. You can rotate text using the transform tool, but to make text follow a curved path, you would need to use a different app like Adobe Illustrator or Affinity Designer, then import the result into Procreate as an image.

How do I make text follow the edge of a shape?

Procreate does not support text on a path. You can manually position and rotate separate text layers to approximate a curved arrangement, or draw the shape in a vector app first, add curved text there, and import it as a layer into Procreate.

What happens to text if I rotate my canvas?

Text rotates with your canvas if you use Image > Rotate Canvas. If you rotate only the artwork using the transform tool, text layers rotate separately. Keep text on its own layer so you can rotate it independently from your drawing if needed.