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This guide will give you the quickest ways to remove anchor points in Photoshop.
I often find that I need to remove anchor points when creating paths in my Photoshop work.
Removing anchor points lets you perfect the shape of a pathline and keep a smooth editing workflow.
Let’s dive into the tutorial.
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How to Remove Anchor Points in Photoshop, 6 Different Ways
Anchor points are necessary for creating paths in Photoshop. Paths are incredibly useful in Photoshop work, as they’re used to make custom shapes, active selections, and more.
An anchor point is positioned on the workspace to dictate the direction of a pathline. Each one indicates the start and end points of a path segment.
When a path is curved, the anchor point has adjustable handlebars. These handlebars are used to control the direction and distance of the curve.
During the path editing process, we usually need to revise a shape’s line. When this happens, it’s important to know how to delete and edit anchor points.
This tutorial will walk you through the different ways to delete anchor points in Photoshop.
In most cases, it’s a quick two-step process to delete anchor points.
Option 1 – Using the Delete Anchor Point tool
Photoshop knows the importance of deleting and editing anchor points to design the perfect pathline.
As such, Adobe built in a tool specifically to delete anchor points.
Step 1 – Select the Delete Anchor Point tool
Head to the toolbar, and in the Pen Tool’s toolbox, you will find the Delete Anchor Point Tool.
Click on it to select it.
Step 2 – Delete the Anchor Point
Hover your cursor over the anchor point you wish to delete.
In the image below, the Delete Anchor Point Tool was hovered over the third anchor point in the sequence.
When the minus (-) symbol appears beside the Pen Tool icon, click on the anchor point to remove it.
The anchor point will now be removed.
As you can see in the image above, the shape of the pathline changes when the anchor point is removed.
Not only has the path been altered, but the handlebars of the two anchor points on either side of the deleted anchor point will adapt to accommodate the new shape.
Option 2 – Delete an Anchor Point using the Pen Tool
This option is useful when designing paths and using the Pen Tool.
It will save you time, as you won’t have to return to the toolbar to select the Delete Anchor Point Tool each time you wish to delete an anchor point.
Step 1 – Select the Pen Tool
If the Pen Tool isn’t active, select it from the toolbar to the left of your canvas.
Alternatively, press P for the keyboard shortcut.
Step 2 – Delete the Anchor Point
When the Pen Tool is active, hover the Pen Tool icon over the anchor point you wish to delete.
When the anchor point changes from an outline of blue to a dot of blue, click the minus (-) symbol on your keyboard.
The anchor point will now be deleted.
You can also use the keyboard when using the Pen Tool to add anchor points to your pathline. To add an anchor point, use the plus (+) symbol instead of the minus.
Option 3 – Delete an Anchor Point using the Anchor Point Dialogue
Photoshop is a diverse and powerful program; as always, there is more than one way to complete a goal.
The following method deletes anchor points using the anchor paths dialogue box.
Step 1 – Select the Anchor Point
When the Pen Tool is active, hover your cursor over the anchor point you wish to delete to select it.
Don’t click the canvas to select the anchor point; this will create another one.
Instead, hover the cursor over the anchor point until it changes from a blue outline to a full blue.
A full blue circle indicates the anchor point has been selected.
Step 2 – Right Click
Right-click over the anchor point, and a dialogue box will appear.
From the dialogue box, select the first option, Delete Anchor Point.
Once you have clicked Delete Anchor Point, the anchor point will be removed from the path.
As you can see in the image below, the second anchor point has been removed, and the pathline has been reshaped.
Using this method, you can delete any anchor point along the pathline.
Option 4 – Delete an Anchor Point using the Direct Selection Tool
When the Direct Selection Tool is active, you can delete an anchor point by hitting the delete key on your keyboard.
Step 1 – Select the Direct Selection tool
Select the Direct Selection Tool from the toolbar to the left of your canvas.
Or, for the keyboard shortcut, hit the A key.
Step 2 – Select an Anchor Point
Select the anchor point you wish to delete from your canvas workspace when the Direct Selection Tool is active.
The anchor point will change from a circle icon made from a blue outline to a blue dot.
In the image below, you can see that the third anchor point has been selected.
Step 3 – Delete the Anchor Point
When the anchor point is selected, hit the Delete button on your keyboard.
The anchor point will immediately be deleted.
As you can see in the image below, unlike the previous methods, deleting anchor points using the Direct Selection Tool will split the path into two segments.
You can delete more than one anchor point using the Direct Selection Tool.
To do this, hold down the Shift key and click on each anchor point to select them.
When all the anchor points have been selected, hit the Delete key to delete them.
Option 5 – How to Delete an Anchor Point Using the History Panel
The History Panel can undo any edit steps from your document, not only delete an anchor point.
A History Panel is an excellent option for deleting anchor points when your last edit action was adding the anchor point.
Step 1 – Open the History Panel
Head to the History Panel and click on it to open.
If you can’t find the History Panel, it may not be active.
If you need to activate it, head to the main menu above your canvas workspace and click Window.
A dropdown menu will appear. Find History and check if there is a tick beside it.
If there is no tick beside it, click History to activate it. The History Panel should now appear beside the other panels to the right of your canvas.
Depending on how your workspace is organized, the History Panel might be accessed by clicking the two arrows in the top right-hand corner of your canvas workspace.
You can view your last editing actions when the History Panel is opened.
The oldest edit will be at the top of the panel, and the last edit will be at the bottom.
Step 2 – Delete the Anchor Point
By default, the History Panel will only display the last twenty editing actions.
When an edit action is clicked in the History Panel, the image will revert to this stage of the editing process.
All edits will be deleted back to this step.
As you can see in the image below, when the third edit step is clicked, the document in the canvas is reverted back to this step.
The deleted edits will be partially visible in the History Panel until a new edit is made. When a new edit is made, they will be deleted.
You can click on any of the deleted edits to bring the edit sequence back until this point.
As you can see below, when the bottom (or last) edit step in the History Panel was clicked, the edits in the document were restored.
There are three options to delete the last anchor point using the History Panel.
The first option is to click on the previous edit action.
The second is to click the trash can icon in the bottom right-hand corner of the History Panel.
A dialogue window will appear when the trash can is clicked, asking if you wish to delete the last state.
Click Yes to delete the last state, “New Anchor Point.”
The third option is to click the two stacked lines on the top right of the History Panel.
This will open a dropdown menu. Click Step Backward to delete the last edit.
The anchor point will now be deleted.
The History Panel is useful when you wish to delete an Anchor Point if it was the last edit or to delete an entire sequence of anchor points.
However, if you created five anchor points and you want to delete the third anchor point, you will also have to delete the fifth and fourth before you can remove the third.
If you want to delete the third anchor point without deleting the fourth and fifth, use the previous techniques.
Option 6 – Delete All Anchor Points using the Path Selection Tool
You can use the Path Selection Tool to delete all the anchor points in one click, but you can’t use this technique to remove an individual anchor point.
Step 1 – Select the Path Selection Tool
The Path Selection Tool is in the toolbar under the Type Tool.
Click on it to select it, or for the keyboard shortcut, hit A.
Step 2 – Delete All Anchor Points
When the Path Selection Tool is active, simply press Delete on your keyboard to delete all the anchor points.
Once clicked, the anchor points will be deleted from your canvas workspace.
This is a quick way to remove all the anchor points from your canvas and is helpful if you wish to remove the entire path.
Now that you know several different ways to remove anchor points in Photoshop, you can choose the method that suits your editing task.
I hope you enjoyed this tutorial and can add these new tricks to your Photoshop editing toolbox.
If you would like to learn more Photoshop tutorials, check out – How to Use the Slice Tool in Photoshop.
FAQ
How do I get rid of anchor points in Photoshop?
If you wish to delete all the anchor points, you can use the Path Selection Tool.
Select the Path Selection Tool from the toolbar, then click the Delete key on your keyboard.
All the anchor points will be deleted.
How do I delete an anchor point in Photoshop?
To delete one anchor point from a path in Photoshop, use the Delete Anchor Point Tool.
Select the Delete Anchor Point Tool from the toolbar and click on the anchor point you wish to delete.
Once the anchor point has been clicked, it will be deleted.
What is the shortcut for deleting anchor points in Photoshop?
The shortcut for deleting anchor points when using the Pen Tool in Photoshop is the minus symbol on your keyboard.
With the Pen Tool active, hover your cursor over the anchor point you wish to delete.
Now click on the minus (-) symbol to delete it.
How do I edit objects by deleting anchor points?
When an object’s anchor point is deleted in Photoshop, the outline shape of the object will be altered.
To edit the object, strategically delete anchor points.
How do I change anchor points?
You can edit anchor points in Photoshop using the Pen Tool in conjunction with your keyboard.
Hold down the Alt key to alter the curve on either side of an anchor point.
When the Pen Tool icon changes to an arrowhead icon, click on the anchor point and drag its handlebars to adjust the curve.
To change the position of an anchor point, hold down the Command key (for Macs) or Ctrl key (for Windows).
Now, drag the anchor point into its new position using your cursor.
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