How to Use Photoshop Brushes in GIMP

It’s just a matter of putting them in the correct folder

What to Know
Windows: C: drive > Users > name. View > Hidden items > App Data. In GIMP folder, open brushes > paste file.
Mac: Right-click GIMP app > Show Package Contents. Open Brushes folder > paste file.
Linux: Press Ctrl+h in your Home folder to see hidden files. Find Brushes folder > paste file.

This article explains how to copy Photoshop brushes into GIMP using a Windows, Mac, or Linux operating system. Additional information covers how to refresh the GIMP software to access your new brushes.

How to Copy Brushes to the Brushes Folder on Windows

Open File Explorer, and copy the Photoshop brush file you want to import in to GIMP.

Navigate to the root of your C: drive.

Select Users followed by your username.

In your user’s folder, select View at the top of the File Explorer. Then, check the Hidden items box to show hidden files and folders.View

Now, choose AppData from your user folder.

Select Roaming > GIMP > 2.10.

In the GIMP folder, find and open brushes.

Paste your Photoshop brush file in the brushes folder.

How to Copy Brushes to the Brushes Folder on Mac OS

Right-click on GIMP within the Applications folder on OS X.

Select Show Package Contents.

Navigate through Resources > Share > gimp > 2.0 on Mac to find the Brushes folder.

How to Copy Brushes to the Folder on Linux

Select the brush files that you want to add to GIMP, and copy them.

Press Ctrl+h in your Home folder to see hidden files.

Navigate to:

/home/username/.config/GIMP/2.10/brushes
Replace username with your actual username and 2.10 with the version of GIMP that you have.

Paste your brushes in to the directory. Then, you can press Ctrl+h again to hide the hidden files again.

A huge variety of Photoshop brushes are available online, and many are free to download.
How to Refresh the Brushes

GIMP automatically loads brushes when it’s launched, but only then. To see the list of brushes you’ve just installed, you must manually refresh:

With GIMP open, go to Windows > Dockable Dialogs > Brushes in the main menu.

Locate the refresh icon in the Brushes dialog. If should look like an arrow with a circular tail. Press it to refresh your brushes.

Open the brush tool, and look to see if your brushes are there. If you’re having a problem, you can always try restarting GIMP.

GIMP tends to lag behind Photoshop in some ways. The latest Photoshop brushes may not be supported in GIMP.

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