How to Deselect in Photoshop: 5 Quick & Easy Methods

When you make a selection (with the Lasso, Marquee, or any selection tool), Photoshop isolates that area for editing. Deselecting simply means removing that selection outline. You do this when you finish working on the selected area or when you want to start a fresh selection.

In this blog post, we will provide a complete guide on how to deselect in Photoshop using various tools. Knowing this process enhances your workflow if you are a beginner or an experienced user.

How do I deselect a selection in Photoshop?

Using Keyboard Shortcut:

The fastest way is to press Ctrl+D (Win) or Command+D (Mac). This instantly clears the selection marquee (the “marching ants”). A quick habit to get into: after finishing edits on a selection, tap this shortcut to reset. (Tip: On Windows, you can customize shortcuts if needed, but Ctrl+D is the default for deselect.

Select Menu: You can also click the Select menu at the top and choose Deselect. This does the same thing as the shortcut. In fact, Adobe’s help says “Select > Deselect” will clear the current selection. It’s a reliable menu method if you prefer using the mouse.

Right-Click (Context Menu):

Another easy way is to right-click (Control+click on Mac) anywhere inside the selected area and pick Deselect from the context menu. This is handy if you don’t want to reach for the menu bar.

 The same guide notes: “right-click anywhere inside the selected area and choose the Deselect option.”.

Click Outside (Tool-based):

If you used a Lasso or Marquee tool, you can click or drag outside the selection boundary to cancel it. In other words, simply clicking or starting a new selection outside the old one will remove the old selection. For example, if you have a lasso selection and you switch to the Marquee tool and click outside, the previous selection is gone. (Adobe’s tutorials explain that any new selection basically replaces the old one.)

Layers Panel (for layers): To deselect a layer (so that no layer is highlighted), click on an empty area in the Layers panel. This clears any layer selection. 

One guide mentions: “click on a space within the Layers panel – this will deselect any currently selected layers.”. 

Each of these methods is safe and simple, and they all achieve the same goal: no active selection. Try them out to see which you prefer. Many users simply use Ctrl+D/Cmd+D because it’s quickest, but keep in mind the menu or right-click for other workflows.

How do I deselect part of a selection in Photoshop?

Sometimes you’ve made a selection (like with the Magic Wand or Lasso) but realize you want to remove just a section of it. You can’t “deselect half” by Ctrl+D – that removes the entire selection. Instead, use subtract mode:

• Subtract with Alt/Option: While a selection is active, pick one of the selection tools (Lasso, Polygonal Lasso, Magic Wand, etc.). Then hold down Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac) – you’ll usually see a minus sign on the cursor. Now click and drag over the part you want to remove from the selection. This will subtract that area. 

Adobe’s tutorial explains: “press the Option key (Mac) or Alt key (Windows) as you select an area you want to remove from the selection.”.

• Quick Mask Mode: Another trick is to enter Quick Mask mode by pressing Q (this shows your selection as a red overlay). Then paint with black on the mask where you want to remove the selection. Press Q again to exit Quick Mask, and then Ctrl+D will clear any remaining selection (if you wish). (Quick Mask is more advanced, but it can let you finely shape a selection.)
• Subtract Icon: In the options bar for most selection tools, there’s an icon with overlapping squares that lets you change to “subtract from selection” mode. Clicking that is equivalent to holding Alt/Option.

In short, to deselect a part of an area, subtract it. Use Alt/Option with your tool to carve out the unwanted part of the selection. This way, the rest of the selection stays active, and only the overlaid part is removed.

How do I deselect with each tool?

Photoshop has many tools, and they all respect the same deselect shortcuts. Here’s how deselection works with each common tool:

Lasso Tools (Freeform, Polygonal, Magnetic)

Click or drag outside the current selection, or press Ctrl+D, to remove it. To remove a part, hold Alt/Option and draw over it.

If you used a Lasso to cut out a region, simply clicking somewhere else on the canvas (and dragging if you like) will start a new selection and clear the old one.

The TourBox guide notes: “If you have made a selection using any of the Lasso Tools… you can deselect it by clicking anywhere outside the selected area.”. 

So try clicking an empty spot with the Lasso – Photoshop knows you want a new selection. Of course, Ctrl+D/Cmd+D also works.

Rectangular Marquee Tools ( Elliptical)

Same as above – click outside or press the shortcut to cancel. To subtract, use Alt/Option with the marquee.

You can remove a rectangular or elliptical marquee selection in the same way. Or again, just hit Ctrl+D/Cmd+D. There’s no special marquee trick beyond that. If part of your marquee selection should go, hold Alt/Option and draw (Photoshop will subtract that shape).

Quick Selection and Magic Wand Tools

To deselect entirely, use Ctrl+D or click outside. To remove part of the selection, hold Alt/Option and click over the area to take it away.

These two are similar. If you have an active Magic Wand or Quick Selection selection, clicking anywhere outside (with that tool) starts a new selection and thus ends the old one. However, they have a built-in subtract shortcut: hold Alt (Win) or Option (Mac) and click to remove pixels. 

For example, one guide explains for the Magic Wand: “hold down the Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac) key and click on the area you want to deselect.”. This effectively “unselects” that portion. So use the same Alt/Option trick here.

Pen Tool and Object Selection Tool

The Pen tool selections or vector paths can be closed/deselected by pressing Esc or clicking off them. The Object Selection tool follows the same Ctrl+D/Select menu rules.

For the Pen tool (creating paths), if you want to stop editing a path, you can press Esc or click the “deselect path” button (it looks like a dotted square) in the options bar. Another way (per community tips) is to Shift-click the path name in the Paths panel to deselect it.

The guide lumps the Pen tool in with other tools, noting you can deselect selections made by it just like any other selection tool (i.e., Ctrl+D or menu). For the Object Selection tool (the AI-powered select-subject tool), after it makes a selection, Ctrl+D or using the menu will clear it as well.

Each tool basically follows the same rules: exit or clear the active selection with a shortcut, menu, or click. If a tool has a subtract mode (like Lasso/Marquee have icon modes), use it to remove part of a selection. Otherwise, just use the general deselect commands.

How do I deselect other items (layers, paths, text, masks) in Photoshop?

Deselecting a layer or path is different. For layers, click in the blank area of the Layers panel or Ctrl-click a selected layer to deselect it. To deselect a path, click the blank page icon in the Paths panel or press Esc in path edit mode. For masks or text edits, finish editing (click off or press Enter/Esc) and then use Ctrl+D if needed.

Deselect Layers:

Photoshop allows only one layer to be active at a time (with the Move tool). To clear any layer selection, click below all layers in the Layers panel (the empty space). Adobe notes that clicking under the bottom layer deselects all layers.

 Alternatively, you can Ctrl-click (Windows) or Command-click (Mac) on a selected layer in the panel to deselect it. In practice, just click the empty area in the Layers panel and watch the highlight go away.

Deselect Paths:

If you’ve drawn a vector path (Pen tool) and want to clear it, click the new path icon (looks like a blank page) at the bottom of the Paths panel. That removes the current path. You can also use the Path Selection tool and Ctrl-click the path segment again,

or simply hit Esc to exit path mode (make sure a path tool is active, then press Esc). Community tips suggest Shift-clicking the path name in the panel will deselect it. Essentially, treat a path like a selection: create a new empty one or stop editing it.

Deselect Masks:

When you create a mask (pixel or vector), it is not a “selection” in the marching ants sense. To “deselect” a mask’s editing, simply click back on the layer thumbnail or any other layer. If a mask overlay (red or gray) is shown, press Q (Quick Mask) or hit Esc. If you had made a selection to apply a mask, you can also just do Ctrl+D after applying to clear the selection.

Deselect Text:

If you are typing text, Photoshop outlines the text area. Once you finish (press Enter or Esc), that “selection” of text is done. To deselect any highlighted text characters, just click outside the text box or switch tools. There isn’t a “marching ants” selection for text editing in the same way, but Cmd/Enter or Esc will exit editing mode.

Each of these works a bit differently, but the main idea is: stop editing that object or click away from it. For layers and paths, think of clicking blank space to clear. For masks and text, exit their edit mode (usually with Enter or Esc). In any case, if you ever see a selection outline (marching ants) that you don’t need, Ctrl+D/Cmd+D will always clear it, regardless of how it was made.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

final takeaway

Knowing how to deselect in Photoshop is a small but crucial skill. We learned that pressing Ctrl+D (Windows) or Command+D (Mac) will clear almost any selection instantly. You can also use the Select > Deselect menu or right-click context menu to remove the selection.

For tool-specific needs, remember Alt/Option lets you subtract part of a selection. And if you ever have a layer, path, or mask active, clicking off of it or using Esc will exit that mode.