WiseCleaner Think Tank
Encounter difficult computer problems?
All about maintenance and optimization of your Windows System.
Nov 2, 2026
Adobe Photoshop is a powerful image-editing tool, but unexpected crashes can interrupt your work, close the application without warning, or prevent you from opening it altogether. These problems may occur when launching Photoshop, editing large images, applying filters, or saving files.
Photoshop crashes can have several causes, including outdated graphics drivers, corrupted preferences, incompatible plug-ins, insufficient memory, or a lack of available scratch disk space. Fortunately, you can troubleshoot most common issues without reinstalling the application immediately.
In this guide, we will walk you through five practical ways to fix Photoshop crashes on Windows 10 and Windows 11.
Corrupted or incorrectly configured preferences can cause Photoshop to crash during startup or while using certain features. Resetting these settings can help determine whether they are responsible.
Resetting preferences may remove custom settings and workspaces. Back them up beforehand if possible.
Make sure Photoshop is completely closed.
Hold down Ctrl + Alt + Shift simultaneously while starting Photoshop. If prompted to delete the Adobe Photoshop Settings file, select Yes.
Open an image and repeat the operation that previously caused the crash.
Outdated or incompatible plug-ins can cause Photoshop to crash during startup or while using certain features.
Exit Photoshop completely.
Hold Shift while launching Photoshop. If prompted to skip optional or third-party plug-ins, confirm the action.
Test Photoshop again. If the problem disappears, update or disable your plug-ins individually to identify the cause.
Windows Reliability Monitor records application failures and provides technical information that may help identify the cause.
Press Win + R, type perfmon /rel, and press Enter.
Locate the Photoshop crash in the timeline, click its error indicator, and select View technical details.
Check the faulting module and exception code to help narrow down the cause.
Damaged Windows system files can sometimes contribute to application instability. You can use the built-in DISM and System File Checker tools to check and repair corrupted system problems.
Search for Command Prompt, right-click it, and select Run as administrator.
Enter the following command and press Enter:
DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth
Wait for the operation to finish.
Enter the following command:
sfc /scannow
Wait for the scan to complete and review the results.
Restart Windows and launch Photoshop again to check whether the crashes persist.
If Photoshop continues to crash after you have tried the previous methods, the installation itself may be damaged.
Reinstallation should generally be a last resort because it takes more time and may not resolve crashes caused by hardware, drivers, or incompatible plug-ins.
Before reinstalling, back up important project files and any custom settings or plug-ins you want to preserve.
Open the Wise Program Uninstaller app, find Photoshop, and select Uninstall to perform a clean uninstallation.
Restart your computer, reinstall Photoshop through Adobe Creative Cloud, and launch the application.
Test Photoshop before restoring custom plug-ins or settings. If crashes continue, check for compatibility issues or contact Adobe Support.
Photoshop crashes can result from several different problems, ranging from corrupted preferences and incompatible plug-ins to GPU driver issues and insufficient scratch disk space. Try one fix at a time and test Photoshop after each change.
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