To add more brushes to Procreate, open your brush library, tap the + button in the top right, choose Import from Files, and select a .brush, .brushset, or .brushlibrary file. You can also tap a brush file in Files, Mail, or Safari and choose to open it in Procreate, or drag the file into the app in Split View. Procreate also accepts Adobe Photoshop .abr brush files. New brushes land in an "Imported" folder or as a new set at the top of your library.

Know What You're Importing

Procreate accepts a few file types. Knowing which one you have saves time later.

• .brush: a single brush.
• .brushset: a collection of brushes that arrives as one set.
• .brushlibrary: a full library containing multiple sets.
• .abr: a Photoshop brush file that Procreate can also import.

Brush packs are often delivered as a .zip. Procreate cannot read a zip directly, so unzip it in the Files app first and look for files showing the Procreate icon. If your file ends in something else, such as .png or .psd, it is not a Procreate brush. Some creators also ship textures or stamps separately.

Older guidance mentions that .brushset requires Procreate 4.1 or later. That is rarely a concern on a current iPad, but it explains why a very old install may reject a modern pack.

Method 1: Import From Inside Procreate

This is a straightforward route that skips the system prompts, which sometimes fail.

1. Open any canvas and tap the brush tool to open your brush library.
2. Tap the + button in the top right of the library.
3. Choose Import from Files.
4. Navigate to your file and tap it.

Where the brushes appear depends on what you imported:

• A single brush goes into a folder called Imported at the top of your current set list.
• A brush set appears at the top of your current library.
• A full brush library appears at the top of the libraries overview, which you reach by pinching inward on the brush view or tapping the library title and choosing back to libraries.

The same + menu also lets you create a new set or build a brush from scratch, which matters later in this article.

Method 2: Tap the File Directly

If the brush file arrives by email, a download, a message, or a web page, you can often skip the manual import.

1. Tap the .brush, .brushset, .brushlibrary, or .abr file wherever you find it.
2. Choose Open in Procreate (or the equivalent share option) when the prompt appears.
3. Procreate launches and installs the brushes automatically.

In Safari, the downloads icon in the top right opens the file list, and tapping the file there triggers the same import. In Chrome, tap Open in from the download bar and select Procreate. If the download is a zip or a folder, the prompt will not appear, so unzip it in Files first.

Method 3: Drag and Drop in Split View

Drag and drop is the fastest option when you are installing many files at once.

1. Open Procreate and the Files app (or Dropbox, iCloud Drive, or Google Drive) side by side in Split View.
2. Press and hold a brush file until it lifts.
3. Tap additional files with your free hand to add them to the selection.
4. Drag the group into Procreate and release when you see the green plus indicator.

You can drop into a specific open set if you want the brushes to land there rather than in Imported. Hover for a moment so the existing brushes shift aside, then release.

The same gesture works in reverse. Pick up a brush in your library and drag it out to Files or another compatible app to export it for backup or sharing.

Getting Brush Files From a Mac or PC

Brush files rarely start on the iPad. If you download packs on a desktop, move them over with one of these:

• AirDrop (Mac): Make the iPad discoverable in Control Center, then share the .brush or .brushset files from Finder. Procreate usually opens and installs them on arrival. Set discoverability to Contacts Only unless you're in a private space.
• Cloud storage: Put the files in iCloud Drive, Dropbox, or Google Drive. On the iPad, open the file, then use Share or Export and pick Procreate, or use the drag-and-drop method above.
• PC users: AirDrop isn't available, so cloud storage is the practical path. Unzip before importing.

You can also manage brushes outside the app. Procreate stores libraries in the Files app, under On My iPad → Procreate → Brushes, or iCloud Drive → Procreate Brushes if you use iCloud. Library folders contain set folders, and those contain individual brush files. Copying or moving things there is reflected in Procreate, but treat it carefully, since deleting or reorganizing files in that structure can remove brushes from the app.

Keep Your Library Organized

Imports pile up fast. A few habits keep things usable:

• Rename the Imported folder right after each import, before the next batch lands. Otherwise unrelated brushes end up mixed together.
• Group by purpose, not by vendor. Sets like "Ink," "Texture," "Grain," and "Concept" are faster to scan than a list of pack names.
• Back up your library by exporting sets to Files or cloud storage so a reinstall or a new iPad doesn't cost you your tools.
• Duplicate before editing. Procreate remembers your changes to a brush, so duplicate a favorite before heavily modifying it.

Troubleshooting Brushes That Won't Import

Most failed imports come down to a short list of causes.

The file is still zipped. Unzip it in the Files app, working from On My iPad rather than the Recents view, which can block extraction.

The extension is wrong. Confirm it ends in .brush, .brushset, .brushlibrary, or .abr.

Nothing appears after the import. Check the Imported folder and the top of your set list. New content does not always land where you expect.

The spinner never finishes. Try a different route, such as in-app Import from Files instead of drag and drop, or Export from the cloud app instead of Split View.

Odd filenames. In one support thread, brushes with long underscore-heavy names stalled during import. Renaming the files to something simple is a cheap test.

OS or app version mismatch. Procreate is built for the latest official iPadOS release, so beta operating systems can cause import bugs. Update Procreate, restart the iPad, and try again.

An .abr file loads but behaves differently. Photoshop brushes import, but they may not behave exactly as they did in Photoshop. Test them and adjust in Brush Studio.

Build Your Own Brushes

Importing is not the only way to expand your tool set. In the brush library, tap + and choose Create new brush to open Brush Studio. There you can control shape, grain, behavior, color dynamics, pressure response, opacity, taper, and more. Opening an existing brush a second time takes you to its settings as well.

For working artists, a custom brush is often better than a purchased pack. You can scan real ink, pencil, or paper textures, use them as grain sources, and tune the response to your stylus. That gives you a consistent mark-making vocabulary across a whole project, which matters when several frames need to feel like they came from one hand.

Where Procreate Brushes Fit in a Motion Pipeline

Motion designers and animators often use Procreate for the stage before After Effects: style frames, boards, character sketches, texture passes, and hand-painted elements. A few brush packs and a custom set can establish a look quickly. The challenge is carrying that look through motion without repainting every frame.

This is where a tool like Styleframe can help. Styleframe is an AI video and motion tool built around artistic control rather than one-click output. Generation is driven by your own references: images, video clips, and keyframes. You could paint a few key poses in Procreate with your chosen brushes and use them as references to generate motion between them, or use a painted frame as a style reference for existing footage.

The AI part replaces neither your brushwork nor your compositing. It extends the look you already built.

Quick Reference

Final Notes

Adding brushes to Procreate is straightforward once you know the file types and the three import paths. Start with in-app Import from Files, use tap-to-open for single downloads, and reach for drag and drop when you have a batch. Organize each import as it arrives, and when a pack does not do what you need, build the brush yourself in Brush Studio.

To add more brushes to Procreate, open your brush library, tap the + button in the top right, choose Import from Files, and select a .brush, .brushset, or .brushlibrary file. You can also tap a brush file in Files, Mail, or Safari and choose to open it in Procreate, or drag the file into the app in Split View. Procreate also accepts Adobe Photoshop .abr brush files. New brushes land in an "Imported" folder or as a new set at the top of your library.

Know What You're Importing

Procreate accepts a few file types. Knowing which one you have saves time later.

• .brush: a single brush.
• .brushset: a collection of brushes that arrives as one set.
• .brushlibrary: a full library containing multiple sets.
• .abr: a Photoshop brush file that Procreate can also import.

Brush packs are often delivered as a .zip. Procreate cannot read a zip directly, so unzip it in the Files app first and look for files showing the Procreate icon. If your file ends in something else, such as .png or .psd, it is not a Procreate brush. Some creators also ship textures or stamps separately.

Older guidance mentions that .brushset requires Procreate 4.1 or later. That is rarely a concern on a current iPad, but it explains why a very old install may reject a modern pack.

Method 1: Import From Inside Procreate

This is a straightforward route that skips the system prompts, which sometimes fail.

1. Open any canvas and tap the brush tool to open your brush library.
2. Tap the + button in the top right of the library.
3. Choose Import from Files.
4. Navigate to your file and tap it.

Where the brushes appear depends on what you imported:

• A single brush goes into a folder called Imported at the top of your current set list.
• A brush set appears at the top of your current library.
• A full brush library appears at the top of the libraries overview, which you reach by pinching inward on the brush view or tapping the library title and choosing back to libraries.

The same + menu also lets you create a new set or build a brush from scratch, which matters later in this article.

Method 2: Tap the File Directly

If the brush file arrives by email, a download, a message, or a web page, you can often skip the manual import.

1. Tap the .brush, .brushset, .brushlibrary, or .abr file wherever you find it.
2. Choose Open in Procreate (or the equivalent share option) when the prompt appears.
3. Procreate launches and installs the brushes automatically.

In Safari, the downloads icon in the top right opens the file list, and tapping the file there triggers the same import. In Chrome, tap Open in from the download bar and select Procreate. If the download is a zip or a folder, the prompt will not appear, so unzip it in Files first.

Method 3: Drag and Drop in Split View

Drag and drop is the fastest option when you are installing many files at once.

1. Open Procreate and the Files app (or Dropbox, iCloud Drive, or Google Drive) side by side in Split View.
2. Press and hold a brush file until it lifts.
3. Tap additional files with your free hand to add them to the selection.
4. Drag the group into Procreate and release when you see the green plus indicator.

You can drop into a specific open set if you want the brushes to land there rather than in Imported. Hover for a moment so the existing brushes shift aside, then release.

The same gesture works in reverse. Pick up a brush in your library and drag it out to Files or another compatible app to export it for backup or sharing.

Getting Brush Files From a Mac or PC

Brush files rarely start on the iPad. If you download packs on a desktop, move them over with one of these:

• AirDrop (Mac): Make the iPad discoverable in Control Center, then share the .brush or .brushset files from Finder. Procreate usually opens and installs them on arrival. Set discoverability to Contacts Only unless you're in a private space.
• Cloud storage: Put the files in iCloud Drive, Dropbox, or Google Drive. On the iPad, open the file, then use Share or Export and pick Procreate, or use the drag-and-drop method above.
• PC users: AirDrop isn't available, so cloud storage is the practical path. Unzip before importing.

You can also manage brushes outside the app. Procreate stores libraries in the Files app, under On My iPad → Procreate → Brushes, or iCloud Drive → Procreate Brushes if you use iCloud. Library folders contain set folders, and those contain individual brush files. Copying or moving things there is reflected in Procreate, but treat it carefully, since deleting or reorganizing files in that structure can remove brushes from the app.

Keep Your Library Organized

Imports pile up fast. A few habits keep things usable:

• Rename the Imported folder right after each import, before the next batch lands. Otherwise unrelated brushes end up mixed together.
• Group by purpose, not by vendor. Sets like "Ink," "Texture," "Grain," and "Concept" are faster to scan than a list of pack names.
• Back up your library by exporting sets to Files or cloud storage so a reinstall or a new iPad doesn't cost you your tools.
• Duplicate before editing. Procreate remembers your changes to a brush, so duplicate a favorite before heavily modifying it.

Troubleshooting Brushes That Won't Import

Most failed imports come down to a short list of causes.

The file is still zipped. Unzip it in the Files app, working from On My iPad rather than the Recents view, which can block extraction.

The extension is wrong. Confirm it ends in .brush, .brushset, .brushlibrary, or .abr.

Nothing appears after the import. Check the Imported folder and the top of your set list. New content does not always land where you expect.

The spinner never finishes. Try a different route, such as in-app Import from Files instead of drag and drop, or Export from the cloud app instead of Split View.

Odd filenames. In one support thread, brushes with long underscore-heavy names stalled during import. Renaming the files to something simple is a cheap test.

OS or app version mismatch. Procreate is built for the latest official iPadOS release, so beta operating systems can cause import bugs. Update Procreate, restart the iPad, and try again.

An .abr file loads but behaves differently. Photoshop brushes import, but they may not behave exactly as they did in Photoshop. Test them and adjust in Brush Studio.

Build Your Own Brushes

Importing is not the only way to expand your tool set. In the brush library, tap + and choose Create new brush to open Brush Studio. There you can control shape, grain, behavior, color dynamics, pressure response, opacity, taper, and more. Opening an existing brush a second time takes you to its settings as well.

For working artists, a custom brush is often better than a purchased pack. You can scan real ink, pencil, or paper textures, use them as grain sources, and tune the response to your stylus. That gives you a consistent mark-making vocabulary across a whole project, which matters when several frames need to feel like they came from one hand.

Where Procreate Brushes Fit in a Motion Pipeline

Motion designers and animators often use Procreate for the stage before After Effects: style frames, boards, character sketches, texture passes, and hand-painted elements. A few brush packs and a custom set can establish a look quickly. The challenge is carrying that look through motion without repainting every frame.

This is where a tool like Styleframe can help. Styleframe is an AI video and motion tool built around artistic control rather than one-click output. Generation is driven by your own references: images, video clips, and keyframes. You could paint a few key poses in Procreate with your chosen brushes and use them as references to generate motion between them, or use a painted frame as a style reference for existing footage.

The AI part replaces neither your brushwork nor your compositing. It extends the look you already built.

Quick Reference

Final Notes

Adding brushes to Procreate is straightforward once you know the file types and the three import paths. Start with in-app Import from Files, use tap-to-open for single downloads, and reach for drag and drop when you have a batch. Organize each import as it arrives, and when a pack does not do what you need, build the brush yourself in Brush Studio.