Photoshop Freezing Fix – Causes and Solutions

Why Photoshop Keeps Freezing & How to Fix It

Fix Photoshop Freezing Issues

Common Reasons Photoshop Freezes

  1. Large File Sizes – High-resolution images or multiple layers use excessive RAM.
  2. Low RAM or Scratch Disk Space – Photoshop needs free memory and disk space to work smoothly.
  3. Outdated Photoshop Version – Older versions may have bugs or compatibility issues.
  4. Corrupt Preferences or Plugins – Damaged settings or heavy plugins slow down Photoshop.
  5. GPU Issues – Some graphics card drivers conflict with GPU acceleration.
  6. Too Many Background Apps – Running other programs reduces available resources.

Quick Fixes

1. Free Up Memory

  • Close unused programs.
  • Work on smaller image sizes or merge layers.
  • Go to Edit → Purge → All to clear temporary memory.

2. Check Scratch Disk Space

  • Go to Edit → Preferences → Scratch Disks.
  • Select a drive with at least 20GB free space.
  • Clear temporary files on your disk.

3. Reset Photoshop Preferences

Hold Ctrl+Alt+Shift (Windows) or Cmd+Option+Shift (Mac) while starting Photoshop to reset preferences.

4. Update Photoshop & Graphics Drivers

Update Photoshop and GPU drivers (NVIDIA, AMD, Intel) to the latest versions.

5. Disable GPU Acceleration

Go to Edit → Preferences → Performance and uncheck Use Graphics Processor.

6. Optimize Performance Settings

  • Set RAM usage to 70–80%.
  • Set cache levels to 4 or 6.
  • Reduce History States to 20 instead of 50.

If It Still Hangs

  • Save work frequently as PSD and backup files.
  • Try opening Photoshop in Safe Mode (Shift + launch).
  • Split large projects into smaller files.
© 2025 YourWebsite.com | Photoshop Tips & Tutorials

Comments