Photopea Tutorial

How to Edit Text in Photopea

Photopea can edit real text layers directly in the browser, but a JPG, PNG, or screenshot usually contains flattened letters rather than editable text. This guide shows how to identify the file you have, use the Photopea Text tool, enlarge and restyle wording, and rebuild text when the original layer is missing.

Edit a Finished Image Online Open Photopea
Official Photopea website showing the browser-based photo editor
Official Photopea website captured on July 15, 2026. Photopea runs in a browser and can open PSD files as well as flat image formats.

Quick answer

If the Layers panel shows a text layer with a T icon, select the Type tool, click the text, and edit it. If the words are baked into a JPG, PNG, or screenshot, first remove or repair the old letters, then create a new text layer. For a quick one-line replacement in a finished image, ImageTextEdit can be simpler than rebuilding the area manually.

First decide whether the text is still editable

The most important Photopea text-editing step happens before you choose a tool. A live text layer keeps font and spacing data. Flattened text is only pixels, so clicking it with the Type tool will not reveal the original wording.

File or layerBest methodWhat to expect
PSD with a T text layerChoose the Type tool, select the layer, and edit the characters directly.Best chance of preserving the exact font, effects, spacing, and alignment.
JPG, PNG, WebP, or screenshotRemove the old pixels with repair tools, then add replacement text on a new layer.The wording can change, but font matching and background cleanup are manual.
Smart Object or imported designDouble-click the Smart Object thumbnail and inspect its internal layers.The original text may still be editable inside the embedded document.
Official Photopea Learn page explaining the Text tool and type layers
Photopea's official Text documentation describes point text, paragraph text, and text on a curve. Screenshot captured July 15, 2026.

How to edit text in Photopea step by step

Step 1

Open the file and inspect Layers

Open the PSD or image, then check the Layers panel. A T icon indicates a live text layer. If there is only one image layer, the wording is probably flattened.

Step 2

Select the Type tool

Press T or choose the Type tool in the toolbar. Click inside the existing text or select the text layer first. Drag to highlight only the characters you want to replace.

Step 3

Change wording, size, and spacing

Type the new words, then use the top options bar and Character panel to adjust font, size, leading, tracking, alignment, color, and anti-aliasing. Use Free Transform when the entire text box needs scaling.

Step 4

Replace flat text, export, and keep a PSD

For pixel-based wording, repair the old area, add a separate text layer, and compare the result at normal size. Export PNG or JPG and keep a PSD so the replacement remains editable.

Official Photopea tutorial explaining how to remove and replace text in an image
Photopea's official tutorial separates flattened-image editing into removing the old text and typing new text. Screenshot captured July 15, 2026.

How to make the replacement text look natural

A technically correct edit can still look fake if the new type does not belong to the image. Check these details before exporting:

  • Match the original font category, weight, capitalization, and approximate character width.
  • Compare baseline, line height, letter spacing, alignment, rotation, and perspective.
  • Sample nearby colors and reproduce outlines, shadows, glow, blur, opacity, or texture only after the basic shape matches.
  • Keep replacement wording close to the original length and review it at 100 percent and at the final output size.

When Photopea is not the fastest option

Photopea offers detailed manual control, but not every image needs a full layer-based workflow.

  • A short price, date, label, or sentence change in a finished image may be faster in an AI image text editor.
  • Blurred, tiny, curved, reflective, or heavily compressed text may not reveal a reliable font match.
  • Busy backgrounds behind flattened wording can require clone or healing work before new text looks believable.
  • You should not alter IDs, receipts, contracts, evidence, or other documents in deceptive or unlawful ways.

Related image text workflows

Edit text in an image online

Replace short baked-in wording directly in a browser workflow.

Open the editor

Edit text with the same font

Focus on matching the original typography, spacing, and visual style.

Match the font

Edit screenshot text online

Change app labels, dates, names, and other short interface text.

Edit a screenshot

Photoshop text editing guide

Compare the same live-layer and flattened-image decision in Photoshop.

Read the Photoshop guide

Photopea text editing FAQ

The wording is probably flattened into the image or stored inside a Smart Object. Look for a T text layer. If none exists, repair the old pixels and add a new text layer.

Select the text layer, choose the Type tool, and increase the font size in the top bar or Character panel. For proportional scaling of the whole text box, use Free Transform and keep the layer editable.

Choose the Type tool, click once for point text or drag a box for paragraph text, then type. Use the Character and Paragraph controls to style and align it.

A flat image does not preserve font metadata. You can compare visible letter shapes and use a close font, but exact identification is not guaranteed.

Official references and image sources

Need to replace text in a finished image quickly?

Use ImageTextEdit when you have a JPG, PNG, WebP, or screenshot without editable layers and want a shorter browser workflow.

Start Editing OnlineMatch the Same Font