How to Fix Generative Fill Grayed Out in Adobe Photoshop

By Hongkiat Lim. in Photoshop. Updated on August 8, 2024.

The Generative Fill AI feature recently introduced in Adobe Photoshop is one of the best features added. By entering prompts like any other image-generative AI tool, it lets you do all sorts of fun and creative things like filling blank areas in your image, removing unwanted elements, and more.

But if you’ve encountered errors like the Generative Fill feature being grayed out, as shown in the screenshot below, it might be disappointing.

Here’s how to fix or enable the feature if it’s grayed out in your Adobe Photoshop app.

Confirm if It Is Really Grayed Out

Generative Fill in Photoshop only works if you have an area selected; otherwise, it will be grayed out by default.

For example, in the image below, before an area is selected, it’s grayed out, but it doesn’t mean that the feature isn’t working.

Generative Fill feature grayed out in Photoshop with no selection

Generative Fill will not work if no area is selected

When you have an area you want to edit selected, you’ll notice the feature isn’t grayed out anymore.

Generative Fill feature active in Photoshop with a selected area

When an area is selected, Generative Fill will be enabled.

Another way to confirm that it’s grayed out is to select an area in your image, then right-click to access the context menu and see if it’s grayed out.

Context menu in Photoshop showing Generative Fill not grayed out

Generative Fill in the context menu enabled when area is selected

Generative Fill feature grayed out in Photoshop with a selected area

Generative Fill in context menu grayed out even when an area is selected

If the feature is grayed out no matter what, then let’s start diagnosing and see if we can get that fixed.

1. Make Sure You’re Running the Right Version

First, make sure the Photoshop installed on your machine supports the Generative Fill feature. You must have Photoshop version 25.0 or greater installed to access Generative Fill.

To check if you are using the correct version that supports Generative Fill, in the menu bar, navigate to Help > System Info.

2. Check if You Are Logged Out

You will need to be signed in to your Creative Cloud app or Photoshop to use the Generative Fill feature.

To ensure that you are signed in, in Photoshop, go to Help, and click Sign In… if you haven’t yet.

Before signing in to Adobe account

If you’ve signed in, it should look something like this:

After signing in to Adobe account

3. Check if You Have Sufficient Generative Credits Left

Starting January 17, 2024, Adobe has been enforcing generative monthly renewable credit limits on select plans. In Photoshop, you will use up 1 credit for each Generative Fill feature used once. Adobe says that even if you are running low on credits, the Generative Fill feature will still function for a limited time, but it’s unclear how long you can still use it.

If your Generative Fill feature is grayed out, you could possibly be running out of credits.

To check your generative credits, open the Creative Cloud app, click on your account’s icon on the top right, and see how much credit you have left.

Checking generative credits in Creative Cloud app

To learn more about the details of Generative credits, check out this Adobe’s page.

4. Check if You Are Using VPN

This may sound odd, but being connected to a VPN may cause the Generative Fill feature to not work.

If all the above methods have been tried and your Generative Fill is still grayed out, consider pausing your VPN, or quitting the VPN app, then quit and reopen Photoshop and see if it works.

5. Check if You Have Multiple Accounts Logged In

Last but not least, check if you have more than two computers signed in. Adobe allows you to simultaneously log in to two machines at the same time. If you want to use it on a third machine, then one of the first two needs to be logged out.

Now here’s what possibly causes your Generative Fill to be grayed out. Consider the following scenario:

You are signed in to Photoshop on Computer A and B. Now, you want to use Photoshop on Computer C, and on Computer C, you enable Photoshop and log out of Computer A but found that Generative Fill is grayed out in Computer C.

The culprit? Computer A is not entirely logged out yet.

So what do you do? Go to Computer A, and manually sign out. Then in Computer C, quit and reopen Photoshop again.

So, What Can You Do with the Generative Fill Feature?

Before the introduction of the Generative Fill feature, you needed to have some technical know-how when it comes to editing your image.

For example, illustrated in one of our previous posts, to remove an object, it would take you about 6-7 steps and knowing which tool to use.

Removing object in Photoshop without Generative Fill

And now, with the help of Generative Fill, all you need to do is tell it to remove something for you simply by providing a prompt or instruction.

And of course, the Generative Fill feature can do much more. Check out the Generative AI art with Photoshop section of our previous article to see more of what the feature can do.