How to Fix ‘Adobe Photoshop Not Opening’ issue

How to Fix ‘Adobe Photoshop Not Opening’ issue: Can’t get Photoshop to run on your Microsoft Windows or Apple Mac computer? If so, your app might be broken or your operating system might have some small problems. Most of the time, files that are damaged or corrupted during installation cause Photoshop not to open. There are also times when the process runs into a problem when it’s starting up, which freezes it.

When this happens, the process keeps running in the background, but nothing gets done. If your computer doesn’t meet Adobe Photoshop’s minimum requirements, the application might not be able to start. This happens a lot on older systems, and you should check the minimum system requirements for Photoshop before moving on. There are many things that can stop your computer from starting Photoshop. For example, the app’s core files could be broken, your app settings could be wrong, and so on. Let’s look at each possible answer.

What is Adobe Photoshop?

A lot of people use Adobe Photoshop to edit raster images, make graphic designs, and make digital art. It uses layers to give the design and editing process depth and flexibility. It also has powerful editing tools that, when used together, can do just about anything. It was made in 1988 by Thomas and John Knoll, who are brothers. John sold the program to Adobe Systems in 1989. Adobe Systems sold it under the name “Photoshop.” Since then, the program has become the standard for editing raster graphics. It comes out for macOS and Windows, but not for Linux.

Thomas and John Knoll made the first version of Adobe Photoshop in 1987. In 1988, Adobe Systems Inc. bought the rights to sell it. Thomas was getting his PhD at the University of Michigan at the time. While he was there, he wrote a program on his Macintosh Plus called Display that basically showed pictures on a screen. John, who worked at Industrial Light & Magic, talked him into turning it into a full program. They started to work together on it, and since ImagePro was already taken, they called it Photoshop.

Common Causes of Adobe Photoshop Not Opening issue

1. Software Conflicts: Other software or applications running in the background can conflict with Photoshop. Close unnecessary programs before launching Photoshop.
2. Corrupted Installation: A corrupted or incomplete installation of Photoshop can prevent it from opening. Reinstalling the software may resolve this issue.
3. Plugin Problems: Third-party plugins or extensions can sometimes cause Photoshop to crash. Disable or update any problematic plugins.
4. Outdated Graphics Drivers: Outdated or incompatible graphics drivers can lead to Photoshop not opening correctly. Update your graphics drivers to the latest version compatible with your system.
5. Licensing or Activation Issues: Ensure your Photoshop license is valid and properly activated. Licensing problems can prevent the software from launching.
6. Preferences File Corruption: Sometimes, the preferences file for Photoshop can become corrupted, causing startup issues. You can reset Photoshop’s preferences by holding down the Alt, Shift, and Ctrl (Windows) or Option, Shift, and Command (Mac) keys while launching Photoshop.

Fix ‘Adobe Photoshop Not Opening’ issue

Turn Off Controlled Folder Access

1. Double-click the Windows Security shield icon in the taskbar’s system tray. If you can’t find it, click the small arrow next to the words Show hidden icons.
2. In the Windows Security sidebar, choose the Virus & threat (shield) tab.
3. Then, click Manage ransomware protection to get to the Controlled folder access setting for Windows Security.
4. If the Controlled folder access setting is turned on, click the switch next to it to turn it off.
5. Then try starting Adobe Photoshop without using controlled folder access.

Clear Photoshop’s Font Cache

1. Press Win + R to open the Run app.
2. Press Enter after typing %AppData% in Run to open a Roaming directory.
3. Open the subfolders in the Roaming directory that are named Adobe > Photoshop.
4. Right-click the CT Font Cache subfolder and choose “Delete” from the menu that appears.
5. Double-click the Recycle Bin shortcut on your desktop, then choose Empty Recycle Bin.

Disable Your PC’s Display Adapter

1. Click Start with the right button on your mouse to open the Power User menu.
2. To get to the Windows utility, choose Device Manager.
3. Double-click Display adapters to see the graphics devices.
4. To turn off your graphics adapter, right-click it and choose “Disable device.”
5. Choose “Yes” to turn off the device.
6. Start Photoshop and turn off the graphics adapter.

Terminate Background Adobe Processes

1. Right-click on the Windows taskbar and choose Task Manager from the menu.
2. Right-click on Adobe Photoshop in the Apps section of the Processes tab and choose End task.
3. Scroll down to the Background processes section and check for any Adobe Photoshop processes.
4. Select the Adobe Photoshop background tasks you want to stop and click End task. Turn off everything you can find in Photoshop.

System Requirements and Compatibility

Conclusion

Working on the PSD files for hours and then finding out you can’t open them is a terrible feeling. There are many things that can go wrong with your PSD file that would make it an invalid Photoshop document. And as a result, Photoshop doesn’t know what your PSD file is. Photoshop is a great tool for editing and fixing up photos. When you can’t open a PSD file in Photoshop, it can be frustrating and make you worry. There are ways to fix this problem, which is good news. But if you can’t fix the problem by hand, we suggest that you use the Remo Repair PSD tool.

Questions and Answers