To change a stack name in Procreate, open the Gallery and tap the word "Stack" under the stack's thumbnail. The keyboard appears, so type the new name and tap Enter (or tap outside the field) to confirm. Stacks are named "Stack" by default, and they rename exactly like individual artworks. If the name snaps back to "Stack" afterward, the cause is usually how you added artwork to the stack, not the rename itself.

How to Rename a Stack in Procreate

The process takes a few seconds once you know where the title field is.

1. Open Procreate to the Gallery (the home screen with all your canvases).
2. Find the stack. It looks like a pile of layered thumbnails.
3. Tap the title under the stack, which reads "Stack" until you change it.
4. The on-screen keyboard opens with the title field active. Delete the existing text and type the new name.
5. Tap Enter on the keyboard, or tap elsewhere, to confirm.

The title sits directly under the thumbnail, not inside the stack. You don't need to open the stack first. If you've already tapped into it, use the back control in the top left of the toolbar (labeled "< Stack") to return to the Gallery, where the title is editable.

Renaming individual artworks

Artworks work the same way. New canvases appear as "Untitled Artwork," and tapping that title under the thumbnail brings up the keyboard. If you want to rename a canvas from inside it, go to Actions (wrench icon) > Canvas > Canvas information and tap the name at the top. That route is useful when the Gallery title field misbehaves.

Creating a Stack First (If You Don't Have One Yet)

You can't rename something that doesn't exist yet, so here are the two ways to build a stack.

• Select mode: Tap Select, tap each artwork you want to group (selected items show a blue tick), then tap Stack. You can swipe a finger lightly across thumbnails to select several quickly.
• Drag and drop: Press and hold an artwork, drag it over another, and wait for the lower thumbnail to turn blue. Drop it to create the stack.

Rename the new stack right away. The default name is identical for every stack, and a Gallery full of items called "Stack" is hard to navigate.

Why Your Stack Name Keeps Resetting

The most common complaint isn't that renaming is hard. It's that the new name disappears. Based on user reports and responses from Procreate's support community, there are a few distinct causes.

Cause 1: You added artwork the "wrong" way

This is the big one. Users have reported repeatable behavior where a named stack reverts to "Stack" when you:

• Drag the named stack onto a canvas, or
• Use Select, tap a stack and a canvas, then tap Stack.

Those actions cause the stack to revert to its default name. Support community members confirmed this has been long-standing behavior across multiple versions, so don't assume your device is broken.

The fix is to change direction. Instead of dragging the stack onto a canvas:

1. Press and hold the canvas in the Gallery to lift it.
2. Drag it over the named stack.
3. Hover until the stack flashes blue and opens (or, while holding the canvas, tap the stack with another finger to open it).
4. Move to where you want the canvas inside the stack and drop it there.

You have to actually place the canvas inside the opened stack. If you drop too quickly, it falls back into the Gallery. To move several canvases at once, lift one, then tap others to bunch them onto your finger, or use Select and drag the selection over the stack instead of tapping Stack.

Cause 2: You tapped the small "x" in the name field

When the title field is active, there's a faint "x" at the end that clears the text. If you tap it while trying to confirm, you wipe the new name, and leaving the field reverts to the previous one. Confirm with the keyboard's Enter key instead, or tap well away from the right edge of the field.

Cause 3: An external keyboard

Some users on older iPad and iOS combinations reported that renaming failed while a hardware keyboard (such as a Smart Keyboard) was attached, and worked fine once it was disconnected. If your rename "flashes and reverts," detach the keyboard and try again.

Cause 4: A stuck app state

If none of the above applies, try the basics:

• Close Procreate and clear it from the app switcher by swiping up.
• Restart the iPad.
• Check that Procreate and iPadOS are up to date. The version number appears when you tap "Procreate" at the top left of the Gallery.
• Test the Canvas information route to see whether the problem is specific to the Gallery title field.

If it still fails, record a short screen recording of the exact steps. Support teams find repeatable steps far easier to act on, and in at least one reported case a clear repro got a long-standing bug logged.

Quick Reference: Stack Actions in the Gallery

Naming Conventions That Hold Up on Real Projects

Procreate is often where motion designers and animators sketch boards, style explorations, and character designs before moving into After Effects, Cinema 4D, Blender, or Nuke. A few habits keep the Gallery usable across projects.

• Lead with the project. Use something like ClientName_Spot30_Boards so related stacks sort and scan together.
• Separate stages. Use distinct stacks for Thumbnails, Styleframes, Character Turnarounds, and Final Exports rather than one large pile.
• Use a cover canvas. Place a labeled cover canvas as the first item in a stack so the thumbnail tells you what's inside. Create it as a new canvas with text added from Actions.
• Version in the title, not by duplicating blindly. Names like v03_approved beat a pile of "Untitled Artwork (copy)" canvases.
• Keep names short enough to read. Long titles can be hard to read at a glance, so put the most important words first.

Because the rename-on-add bug can wipe a name, a good habit is to build the stack with its contents first, then rename it, or to always add items by dragging canvases into the stack.

Where Procreate Stacks Fit in a Motion Pipeline

Procreate's Gallery organizes the source of your work, but it doesn't organize the files downstream. When you export frames for animation or comp, naming discipline matters again. Export flattened PNGs or layered files with names that match your project folders, so the same naming logic follows the artwork into After Effects or Nuke.

A well-organized Procreate stack of style frames can also serve as reference material in other tools, and a tidy, well-named stack of exports gives you cleaner inputs. None of this replaces Procreate.

FAQ

Can I rename a stack from inside it?

The editable title is in the Gallery, under the stack's thumbnail. Go back with the "< Stack" control and tap the title there.

Why does my stack say "Stack" again after I added a canvas?

You likely dragged the stack onto a canvas, or used Select with a stack and canvas together. Add canvases by dragging them into the opened stack instead.

Is there a limit on stack names?

Procreate's documentation doesn't specify one, but long names can be hard to read in the Gallery view, so keep them concise.

Does renaming a stack rename the artworks inside?

No. A stack's title is separate from its contents. Each artwork keeps its own name.

Does deleting a stack matter for naming?

Be careful with deletion in general. Procreate's documentation notes that deleting an artwork is final and can't be undone, so check before you clear anything out while reorganizing.

Summary

Renaming a stack is a single tap on its Gallery title, a typed name, and Enter. If the name reverts, look at how you added artwork (drag canvases into the stack, not the stack onto a canvas), avoid the faint "x" in the field, and test without an external keyboard. Pair that with consistent naming and your Procreate work carries cleanly into the rest of your motion pipeline.

To change a stack name in Procreate, open the Gallery and tap the word "Stack" under the stack's thumbnail. The keyboard appears, so type the new name and tap Enter (or tap outside the field) to confirm. Stacks are named "Stack" by default, and they rename exactly like individual artworks. If the name snaps back to "Stack" afterward, the cause is usually how you added artwork to the stack, not the rename itself.

How to Rename a Stack in Procreate

The process takes a few seconds once you know where the title field is.

1. Open Procreate to the Gallery (the home screen with all your canvases).
2. Find the stack. It looks like a pile of layered thumbnails.
3. Tap the title under the stack, which reads "Stack" until you change it.
4. The on-screen keyboard opens with the title field active. Delete the existing text and type the new name.
5. Tap Enter on the keyboard, or tap elsewhere, to confirm.

The title sits directly under the thumbnail, not inside the stack. You don't need to open the stack first. If you've already tapped into it, use the back control in the top left of the toolbar (labeled "< Stack") to return to the Gallery, where the title is editable.

Renaming individual artworks

Artworks work the same way. New canvases appear as "Untitled Artwork," and tapping that title under the thumbnail brings up the keyboard. If you want to rename a canvas from inside it, go to Actions (wrench icon) > Canvas > Canvas information and tap the name at the top. That route is useful when the Gallery title field misbehaves.

Creating a Stack First (If You Don't Have One Yet)

You can't rename something that doesn't exist yet, so here are the two ways to build a stack.

• Select mode: Tap Select, tap each artwork you want to group (selected items show a blue tick), then tap Stack. You can swipe a finger lightly across thumbnails to select several quickly.
• Drag and drop: Press and hold an artwork, drag it over another, and wait for the lower thumbnail to turn blue. Drop it to create the stack.

Rename the new stack right away. The default name is identical for every stack, and a Gallery full of items called "Stack" is hard to navigate.

Why Your Stack Name Keeps Resetting

The most common complaint isn't that renaming is hard. It's that the new name disappears. Based on user reports and responses from Procreate's support community, there are a few distinct causes.

Cause 1: You added artwork the "wrong" way

This is the big one. Users have reported repeatable behavior where a named stack reverts to "Stack" when you:

• Drag the named stack onto a canvas, or
• Use Select, tap a stack and a canvas, then tap Stack.

Those actions cause the stack to revert to its default name. Support community members confirmed this has been long-standing behavior across multiple versions, so don't assume your device is broken.

The fix is to change direction. Instead of dragging the stack onto a canvas:

1. Press and hold the canvas in the Gallery to lift it.
2. Drag it over the named stack.
3. Hover until the stack flashes blue and opens (or, while holding the canvas, tap the stack with another finger to open it).
4. Move to where you want the canvas inside the stack and drop it there.

You have to actually place the canvas inside the opened stack. If you drop too quickly, it falls back into the Gallery. To move several canvases at once, lift one, then tap others to bunch them onto your finger, or use Select and drag the selection over the stack instead of tapping Stack.

Cause 2: You tapped the small "x" in the name field

When the title field is active, there's a faint "x" at the end that clears the text. If you tap it while trying to confirm, you wipe the new name, and leaving the field reverts to the previous one. Confirm with the keyboard's Enter key instead, or tap well away from the right edge of the field.

Cause 3: An external keyboard

Some users on older iPad and iOS combinations reported that renaming failed while a hardware keyboard (such as a Smart Keyboard) was attached, and worked fine once it was disconnected. If your rename "flashes and reverts," detach the keyboard and try again.

Cause 4: A stuck app state

If none of the above applies, try the basics:

• Close Procreate and clear it from the app switcher by swiping up.
• Restart the iPad.
• Check that Procreate and iPadOS are up to date. The version number appears when you tap "Procreate" at the top left of the Gallery.
• Test the Canvas information route to see whether the problem is specific to the Gallery title field.

If it still fails, record a short screen recording of the exact steps. Support teams find repeatable steps far easier to act on, and in at least one reported case a clear repro got a long-standing bug logged.

Quick Reference: Stack Actions in the Gallery

Naming Conventions That Hold Up on Real Projects

Procreate is often where motion designers and animators sketch boards, style explorations, and character designs before moving into After Effects, Cinema 4D, Blender, or Nuke. A few habits keep the Gallery usable across projects.

• Lead with the project. Use something like ClientName_Spot30_Boards so related stacks sort and scan together.
• Separate stages. Use distinct stacks for Thumbnails, Styleframes, Character Turnarounds, and Final Exports rather than one large pile.
• Use a cover canvas. Place a labeled cover canvas as the first item in a stack so the thumbnail tells you what's inside. Create it as a new canvas with text added from Actions.
• Version in the title, not by duplicating blindly. Names like v03_approved beat a pile of "Untitled Artwork (copy)" canvases.
• Keep names short enough to read. Long titles can be hard to read at a glance, so put the most important words first.

Because the rename-on-add bug can wipe a name, a good habit is to build the stack with its contents first, then rename it, or to always add items by dragging canvases into the stack.

Where Procreate Stacks Fit in a Motion Pipeline

Procreate's Gallery organizes the source of your work, but it doesn't organize the files downstream. When you export frames for animation or comp, naming discipline matters again. Export flattened PNGs or layered files with names that match your project folders, so the same naming logic follows the artwork into After Effects or Nuke.

A well-organized Procreate stack of style frames can also serve as reference material in other tools, and a tidy, well-named stack of exports gives you cleaner inputs. None of this replaces Procreate.

FAQ

Can I rename a stack from inside it?

The editable title is in the Gallery, under the stack's thumbnail. Go back with the "< Stack" control and tap the title there.

Why does my stack say "Stack" again after I added a canvas?

You likely dragged the stack onto a canvas, or used Select with a stack and canvas together. Add canvases by dragging them into the opened stack instead.

Is there a limit on stack names?

Procreate's documentation doesn't specify one, but long names can be hard to read in the Gallery view, so keep them concise.

Does renaming a stack rename the artworks inside?

No. A stack's title is separate from its contents. Each artwork keeps its own name.

Does deleting a stack matter for naming?

Be careful with deletion in general. Procreate's documentation notes that deleting an artwork is final and can't be undone, so check before you clear anything out while reorganizing.

Summary

Renaming a stack is a single tap on its Gallery title, a typed name, and Enter. If the name reverts, look at how you added artwork (drag canvases into the stack, not the stack onto a canvas), avoid the faint "x" in the field, and test without an external keyboard. Pair that with consistent naming and your Procreate work carries cleanly into the rest of your motion pipeline.