Rectangle Tool

The Rectangle Tool creates rectangular vector shapes, paths, or pixel-based rectangles. It is the foundation of UI design, layout creation, and geometric shape building in Photoshop. Unlike the Rectangular Marquee, which creates selections, the Rectangle Tool creates actual shape layers.

Shape layers created with the Rectangle Tool are fully editable — you can change their color, stroke, size, and position at any time without losing quality. This non-destructive workflow is essential for modern design work.

Where to Find It

The Rectangle Tool is located in the toolbar, grouped with the other shape tools (Ellipse, Polygon, Line, Custom Shape). Click the rectangle icon or press U to activate it. Press Shift+U to cycle through the shape tools.

How to Use

• Draw a rectangle: Click and drag on the canvas to create a rectangle shape. Release to finalize.
• Create a square: Hold Shift while dragging to constrain the shape to a perfect square.
• Draw from center: Hold Alt (Option) to draw the rectangle outward from its center point.
• Adjust properties: Use the Properties panel to modify fill color, stroke, corner radius, and dimensions after drawing.
• Set corner radius: In the Options bar, set the corner radius before drawing to create rounded rectangles.

Pro Tips

• Use the Properties panel (Window > Properties) to adjust the corner radius of individual corners independently for custom shapes.
• Combine multiple shape layers using the Path Operations in the Options bar to create complex compound shapes.
• Convert shape layers to Smart Objects before applying filters to keep the shape editable and non-destructive.