GIMP Brush or Paintbrush Not Working

How to fix it

Try these in order — the most common fix is first.

1. 1. Clear selection and check the layer

   Copy steps
   1. Choose Select > None (Shift+Ctrl+A)
   2. In the Layers dock make sure the layer is selected, visible and not locked (lock icons above the layer list)
   3. Click the layer thumbnail, not the mask, so you do not paint on a mask
   Did this fix it? Yes No

2. 2. Rasterize text, link or vector layers

   Copy steps
   1. In GIMP 3.2, right-click a text, link or vector layer and choose Rasterize
   2. Then paint on it (Revert Rasterize returns it to editable form)
   Did this fix it? Yes No

3. 3. Check the brush and tool options

   Copy steps
   1. Open Tool Options: set size above 1, opacity 100, mode Normal
   2. Pick a standard brush such as 2. Hardness 050 instead of a clipboard or pattern brush
   3. Disable Dynamics or Smooth Stroke to test
   Did this fix it? Yes No

4. 4. Check the color mode

   Copy steps
   1. Image > Mode: use RGB for full-color painting
   2. Indexed images cannot hold new colors
   Did this fix it? Yes No

Symptoms

You click and drag with the Paintbrush, Pencil or Eraser but no color appears.

Why it happens

• Active selection that excludes where you are painting
• Layer locked, hidden, a text/vector layer that is not rasterized, or a layer mask selected
• Clipboard or mask-type brush selected
• Brush size, opacity or dynamics set to near zero
• Image in indexed or grayscale mode

This guide also covers

• gimp paintbrush not working
• gimp brush not painting
• gimp can't draw
• gimp eraser not working

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• GIMP Fonts Not Showing Up
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• How to Export as PNG or JPG in GIMP (Save Not Working)
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