How to Delete Layer in Procreate

Great digital artists know how to delete a layer in Procreate.

When we talk about Procreate, we like to talk about building, designing, and creating. Heck, creation is in the name. But with every creation process comes erasure.

Erasure gives us the freedom to experiment, take risks, and make mistakes without worrying about them being permanent.

So how do we delete in Procreate?

To delete part of a drawing in Procreate, use the eraser.

To delete a layer in Procreate, swipe left on the layer and click the Delete button.

You can also clear this in the layer settings.

To delete an entire artwork, select it in the Gallery and click the Delete button.

Easy right?

Procreate gives you many different ways to remove parts of your art, layers, or all of your art without hassles.

This article explains how to delete layers in Procreate and answers all your other Procreate questions.

Before You Learn How to Delete Layer in Procreate

Be careful when erasing Procreate.

Make sure you back up your art and be 100% sure you’re ready to delete anything you delete, no matter how small.

Recovering deleted Procreate files is NOT quick and easy. It includes iCloud backups that you need to have in place proactively.

So don’t accidentally delete anything you don’t want to delete.

Once you have your Procreate backups and security measures in place, here are the different ways to delete them in Procreate.

How to Delete Layer in Procreate (Removing Small Parts of Your Art)

If you need to erase small parts of your Procreate art, or if you need to remove very specific parts of your Procreate art, it’s best to use an eraser.

The eraser can be paired with any Procreate brush, giving you great freedom to erase in a detailed, accurate, and precise way.

The eraser is one of the most visible art tools. It probably seems like a huge DUH to include this in a post about lubrication!

That said, the eraser in Procreate is underrated.

It is an extraordinary tool that we need to think more strategically about when creating our artwork.

If you have small or specific parts of your Procreate art that you need to erase, tap the eraser icon to get the most out of everything it can do.

Of all the erasing techniques on this list, the Eraser tool is the only one that gives you precision, accuracy and control over what you erase.

And when we think about erasers in Procreate, we need to think beyond our trusty pink block erasers that we’ve used for our traditional art.

In Procreate, the eraser can be paired with ANY brush in the brush library.

Simply click on the eraser to select it and reopen the brush library. Choose any brush you want! It’s amazing.

If you want a bold and strong eraser, pair it with one of the coloring brushes. If you want a softer rubber, pair it with one of the airbrushes.

So if you have small and specific things you want to erase in your Procreate art, you’ll want to turn to the eraser.

If you need to do larger, large-scale deletions, you’ll want to use the strategies we’ll discuss next.

How to Delete Layers in Procreate (Step-by-Step)

If everything you want to remove is contained within a single layer of your Procreate art, the easiest way to get rid of it is to delete the entire layer.

To delete a layer in Procreate, swipe left on the layer and click the “Delete” button.

Again, be 100% sure you want to delete what you’re deleting.

Immediately after deleting a layer, you can use two fingers to tap the iPad screen to undo the deletion.

However, your deletion will be permanent if you don’t catch and cancel it immediately.

So again, be 100% ready to delete the layer.

Removing layers is a quick and efficient way to remove large swathes of art without completely erasing the entire artwork.

How to Delete Layer in Procreate From Layer List

First, ensure there is nothing on your layer you don’t want to delete.

When you delete a layer, you delete everything from that layer.

If you have something on a layer that you don’t want to delete, cut and paste it onto a fresh layer to keep it.

Once you’ve moved anything you need to move out of the layer, you can remove it as follows.

Simply swipe left on the layer and tap the big red “Delete” button.

This removes the layer from the layer list and deletes it.

Okay, now let’s expand our horizons further and discuss erasing entire canvases.

How to Delete Layer in Procreate (Deleting Artworks)

To delete artwork in Procreate:

• Go to your Procreate Gallery.
• Click the “Select” button and highlight the artwork you want to remove.
• You can choose only one or more artworks. Then tap the “Delete” button to delete it.

Make sure you have your Procreate art backed up on your desktop, cloud, or Apple, so you don’t accidentally delete pieces of Procreate art you don’t want to delete.

If you’re 100% ready to delete the artwork, here’s how to do it:

Go to your Procreate gallery – the magical land where all your art lives. Next, click the “Select” button.

Click on all the artwork you want to remove. You can only remove one or more artworks at a time.

Next, click on the “Remove” button, and you will notice that your selected artwork will disappear.

Here you are! Those are the three ways to delete in Procreate, from the smallest and most specific to the largest and most general.

How to Select Multiple Layers in Procreate

To select multiple layers in Procreate, open the Layers panel and swipe right on each layer you want to select.

Your basic layer will be marked in bright blue. The other layers you have selected will be highlighted in dark blue.

Swipe right again on each layer to remove it from the selection.

Once you understand this method, selecting multiple layers in Procreate is quick and easy.

You can even select all your layers if you want!

Let’s go through it step by step

Open the Layers Tab in the Top Toolbar of Procreate

• The Layers tab is on the right side of the top Procreate toolbar. The one next to the eraser has an icon with two overlapping squares.
• In this layered panel, you can add layers, remove, select, group, and move layers. Anything you want to do with layers can be done in the Layers panel.

Select One of the Desired Layers

• The layer you are currently working with will be automatically selected.
• If you want this layer to be part of your selection, leave it.
• If not, click on another layer and select it as the primary layer.
• Ensure the opacity of all your layers is set so you can see them all clearly.

Swipe Right on Each Layer You Want to Select

• Go through the list of layers and swipe right on any of the layers you want to select.
• You’ll see that the first layer you originally selected will remain bright blue, while the other selected layers will be a darker blue.
• Swipe right on any layer you need to select.
• Don’t go crazy with your choice. Remember that your selections will be moved together or grouped, so don’t go overboard and select layers you don’t need.
• If you do, you’d need to cancel them in the next step.

Swipe Right Again to Deselect Layers

• If you mistakenly selected layers you didn’t mean to, don’t worry. You don’t have to start over.
• Simply swipe right again on any layer you don’t want to select to deselect it.
• Before moving or grouping layers, it’s a good idea to double-check the layers you’ve selected to make sure they don’t contain any that you need to deselect.

How to Deselect All Layers

If you no longer need to select multiple layers, simply tap one of them with your finger to deselect them all.

Now that we’ve selected multiple layers let’s learn how to move them.

How to Move Multiple Layers in Procreate

To move multiple layers in Procreate, start by selecting all the layers you want by swiping to the right.

Hold your finger on one of the selected layers, and all the layers will be grouped together.

Drag to a new position in the Layers panel.

To start this process, go through the process we discussed above and select multiple layers.

Once you’ve finished selecting your layers, it’s time to move them.

Hold your finger on any of the selected layers until they are all grouped together.

It will look like they pop out of your layers panel. Move them around the layers panel until they are where you need them.

Lift your finger, and all your layers snap into place.

After selecting layers, you can also group them.

How to Group Layers in Procreate

To group layers in Procreate, start by selecting all the layers you want by swiping to the right.

Select the Group button at the top of the Layers panel.

All your layers will be combined into a new group, which will automatically be named “New Group”.

Rename this group as needed.

If you want to group layers instead of moving them, that’s an option too!

Once you’ve selected the layers you want, click the Group button at the top of the Layers panel. Be careful not to Delete it instead.

Once you group the layers, you will see they fall into a group. Automatically, this group will be called the “New Group.”

To rename this group, simply double-click on the “New Group” name to activate the setting. Click the “Rename” button to rename your group as per your needs.

If you create a layer group and realize you made a mistake, that’s okay. Simply tap two fingers on the canvas to activate Procreate back.

Once you’ve created a layer group, you can move it around the Layers panel as needed.

Simply hold your finger on your group name and drag the group wherever you need it in the Layers panel.

Moving groups of layers work just like moving multiple layers that you have selected.

Simply hold your finger on your group and drag it.

How to Move Layers From Your Groups

If you have layers in a group that you no longer want there, you can either move them to a new group or to no group at all.

Simply swipe right to select them, then drag them to a new location as usual.

Make sure your group is not selected when you do this.

Select only the individual layers you want to move from the group.

Once you’ve selected the layers you want, simply drag them outside of our layer group to another location in the Layers panel.

How to Delete Layer in Procreate (Key Points)

To delete layers, hover left on the layers you want to delete and click the “Delete” button.

You can also delete multiple layers together by swiping right to select them and clicking the “Delete” button above the Layers panel.

We talked a lot about swiping right on layers to select them. Now swipe left.

When you swipe left on an individual layer, you’ll see a series of buttons, one of which is the “Delete” button.

If you need to delete an individual layer, swipe left on it and tap the delete button.

If you need to remove multiple layers at once, swipe right on each layer to select them.

Once you’ve selected all the layers you want, press the “Delete” button at the top of the Layers panel.

Conclusion

Deleting layers can be a great way to clean up your work, especially if you’ve reached your layer limit or want to share your Procreate work with included layers.

That said, you’ll want to be careful with this technique and double-check that you’ve only selected the layers you intended.

If you’re looking for more Procreate tutorials, here’s a selection to get you started:

Selecting, moving, and grouping multiple layers in Procreate can initially seem messy and daunting.

It takes practice.

But once you get the hang of it, it’s a great technique for making your Procreate workflow more efficient.