Looking for a way to be able to stop a layer from moving out of position? The way to do it is by locking the layer or locking the layer position.

I will show you the two different ways to lock a layer in Photoshop that I use daily.

Locking a Layer in Photoshop

The first way is by locking the layer. What this does is it will prevent you from being able to change the positioning and editing of the layer. 

To do this, have the layer selected that you want to lock. At the top of the layer panel there is a padlock icon click this and just like that your layer will be locked. 

You’ll know if the layer has been locked if a padlock icon appears next to the layer you’ve locked.

You can use the shortcut Ctrl+/ for Windows or Cmd+/ on a Mac.

You can follow the same process if you want to lock multiple layers just make sure you have multiple layers selected at once.

How to Lock A Layer Position

Sometimes you want to lock a layer but still want the ability to edit it. Then the way to solve this problem is by locking the layer position. 

To do this, have your layer selected and you want to click on the crossed arrow icon. This will lock the position of the layer.

To apply this to multiple layers then have the layers selected and click the cross-arrowed icon.

How to Unlock Layers in Photoshop

When you’ve locked the layer(s) there’s every chance you’ll want to unlock the layer. 

To unlock layers in Photoshop. Simply click the same icon that was used to lock the layer, and the layer is unlocked. 

You’ll know if the layer is unlocked as the padlock icon will not be present on the layer.

Final Thoughts

Locking layers can be handy especially when working with multiple layers or editing a photo. As I mentioned I use this on a daily basis so it’s definitely a good skill to know.