Procreate Pocket 5 Brushes Upgrade
Upgrading to the new Brushes system
In Procreate Pocket version 5, your brushes are stored in the iOS Files app, and can be synced using iCloud.
Previously your brushes were stored in the Procreate Pocket app itself, and now they will be stored as individual .brush files in the Files app (the iOS file system). If you’d like to read more about the new storage system, check out the Procreate Pocked Handbook .
When you update to Procreate Pocket 5 from a previous version, your brushes will begin to copy, moving from the old brushes system to the new brushes system. This upgrade may take some time if you have quite a few custom brushes.
If you have any problems with the brush upgrade process, please reach out to our team for assistance .
Heads Up
If you are installing a completely fresh version of Procreate Pocket, your brushes will be stored on iCloud Drive by default, or On My iPhone if you don’t have iCloud enabled. Check the below sections for information on either storage option.
Once the upgrade is complete, you will be given the option to store your brush libraries in iCloud Drive, if you have it enabled, or in your iPhone storage (On My iPhone).
iCloud Drive
If you opt to store your brushes in iCloud Drive, the file path for your brushes will be Files app → iCloud Drive → Procreate Pocket Brushes → Classic Library (and others) → Brush Sets → Brushes.
Pro Tip
Setting iCloud requires you to have sufficient storage space in your iCloud account in order to sync the brushes across devices. While you will still be able to use your brushes on this iPhone if you have sufficient local iPhone Storage, be sure to remember this if you want to sync your brushes between devices.
On My iPhone
If you opt to store your brushes in ‘On My iPhone’, the file path for your brushes will be Files app → On My iPhone → Procreate Pocket → Brushes → Classic Library (and others) → Brush Sets → Brushes.
Using Procreate Pocket after the upgrade.
Tap on 'Start using Procreate Pocket' after your brush upgrade occurs, to enter the app and begin working. Open up any canvas to see the new interface, and check the information below to see how to access and use the new Brushes system.
Heads Up
When your brushes moved into Files (the iOS file system), any duplicate brushes in the same set will have had a number appended to their name. Certain special characters (<, >, :, “, /, \\, *, %, \, |, ?, and periods (.) at the start of brush/set names) will also have been removed from the brush name as it became an object in the file system. These characters are reserved by operating systems, and may not be used in filenames.
Using brushes in the Procreate Pocket app
Access Brushes
Expand your top toolbar with the ellipsis icon, then tap once on paint, smudge or erase to select the tool.
Pro Tip
You can tap directly on the paint/smudge/erase icon itself twice to access then Brushes interface using that tool.
With the interface expanded, tap twice on your preferred painting tool to open up your Brushes interface with that tool.
Your brushes
Your brushes are in the list on the right, with your current brush highlighted in blue.
Your brush sets
Your brush sets are in the list on the left, with your current set highlighted in blue.
Access brush libraries
Pinch in on the Brushes panel or tap on the title of your library and select ‘Back to libraries’ to return to your other brush libraries. Your current brush library will be highlighted in blue.
Alternative method of accessing brush libraries
Tap the ellipsis icon at the top of the Brushes interface, then tap 'Show all libraries'.
Quickly access brush libraries and your custom brushes
Heads Up
If you have updated from a previous version of Procreate Pocket, all of your custom brushes will be available in the Classic Library.
You can access the Classic Library in one of two ways:
pinch inwards on the Brushes interface, then tap on Classic Library.
tap the ellipsis icon in the top right of the Brushes and tap 'Show all libraries', then tap on Classic Library.
Renaming and moving brushes in Procreate Pocket
To rename a brush, tap hold it and select Rename from the menu that appears.
To move a brush or brush set, tap and hold on it to 'pick it up', then use another finger to navigate to another set or library (tap the desired set or tap the library title → Back to libraries → desired library) before dropping it where you'd like it to be.
Brush options and brush set icons
When in the relevant view, tap a brush, brush set or brush library to set it as your current one. Tap and hold a brush, brush set or brush library to bring up options to rename, share, duplicate or delete it.
Specifically with brush sets, tap hold and choose ‘Select icon’ to give it a special icon from our list. Alternatively, you can rename the brush set and place an emoji at the beginning of the name for it to have that as its ‘icon’.
Danger
You can now delete custom and default brushes, brush sets and brush libraries. If you have accidentally deleted a default or custom brush, head to the recovery section of this article to attempt to recover it. If you have deleted a default library, head to Actions → Help and select 'Restore brush libraries'.
Brush storage in Procreate Pocket 5
In Procreate 5 Pocket, your .brush files are stored directly inside folders in the Files app:
Those folders are stored inside a folder which is your ‘brush library’:
When you change brushes in the Files app, the changes will be reflected in Procreate Pocket after a moment, and vice versa.
This is true if your brushes are set to 'On My iPhone' or 'iCloud (Drive)'. Check out the video below for a demonstration of library creation and copying brush sets between libraries, using the Files app.
Store your brushes in iCloud Drive
You can choose to store your brushes in iCloud Drive even if you originally picked 'On My iPhone' when setting up Procreate Pocket 5.
To do this, ensure that you have iCloud Drive turned on and Procreate Pocket enabled, then open up any canvas. Expand the top toolbar with the ellipsis icon head to Actions → Prefs, then toggle on Store brushes in iCloud Drive.
You may have to swipe the grey handle upwards in order to see the option to store the brushes in different locations.
Once you select this, you will have the option to move your entire brush collection (All brushes) over to iCloud Drive, or just change the storage location so that any ‘New brushes only’ will from this point be stored in iCloud Drive.
Heads Up
If you choose to move your entire collection, this process will take some time, especially if you have quite a few brushes, brush sets, and brush libraries. Please be patient while you wait for the storage changeover to complete. If you cancel this process, your brushes will revert to your previous storage location.
Once you have selected ‘Store brushes in iCloud’, any new brushes you make or import directly into the app will be uploaded to and stored in iCloud Drive.
Danger
While syncing brushes is now available, we still recommend manually backing up your most important brushes, sets and libraries into an alternative storage location such as an external hard drive, to ensure extra data security. As part of your digital art routine, consider running regular backups of your iPhone to keep your work as safe as possible.
Store your brushes 'On My iPhone'
You can at any point switch to local storage for your brushes. To do this, expand your toolbar with the ellipsis icon, then head to Actions → Prefs and toggle off Store brushes in iCloud.
If you toggle this and select ‘New brushes only’, this will simply set your storage location back to Files → On My iPhone and will not move any brushes across.
If you select ‘All brushes’, this will move your iCloud Drive brushes over to ‘On My iPhone’, too.
Selecting this option will trigger a download of all your iCloud Drive brushes to your iPhone's storage. It may take some time and will prevent you from using Brushes until it is completed.
As always, if something isn't covered here or if you have any questions, please feel free to contact our team using the Support Form .
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