Liquify in Photoshop is not a separate tool on the toolbar—it’s a filter you open from the top menu.

Where Liquify Lives

  • Open your image in Photoshop.
  • Go to the top menu and choose:
    • Filter → Liquify…
  • The Liquify workspace will open in a separate dialog window with its own tools on the left and settings on the right.
  • Keyboard shortcut (most recent versions):
    • Windows: Shift + Ctrl + X
    • Mac: Shift + ⌘ + X

Why You Might Not See It

If you don’t see “Liquify” under Filter:

  • Make sure you have a normal pixel layer selected (not an empty layer). Liquify works on bitmap layers.
  • Check that you’re not in a special mode or dialog (like Camera Raw) where Filters are disabled.
  • In some cases, it can be hidden in the menu customization:
    • Open the Keyboard Shortcuts and Menus dialog, go to the Menus tab, expand Filter , and make sure Liquify has the “eye” icon turned on so it’s visible.

Pro Tip: Use It Non‑Destructively

Before going to Filter → Liquify, convert your layer to a Smart Object so you can re-edit the effect later:

  • Right‑click the layer in the Layers panel → Convert to Smart Object , then use Filter → Liquify….

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.