How-to · Photoshop for Mac
How to check your photoshop version in Photoshop on Mac: 2025 and 2026 numbers explained
To check your Photoshop version on a Mac, open the Photoshop menu in the menu bar and choose About Photoshop. The version number sits in the upper left of the box, and it should match the number shown in the Creative Cloud app.
Quick answer
- Open the Photoshop menu in the menu bar, then choose About Photoshop.
- Read the number in the upper left of the box, such as 27.3.
- Photoshop 2025 is the 26.x family. Photoshop 2026 is the 27.x family.
- Match the number against the Creative Cloud app before you update.
- Lazur can circle the menu item on screen, but you click it yourself.
What you need
- A Mac with Photoshop installed
- Photoshop open and set as the active app
- The Creative Cloud desktop app, for the update check
- No file changes are needed for this check
How to Check your Photoshop version on a Mac in Photoshop on a Mac
Open Photoshop
Click the Photoshop icon in the Dock, or open it from Applications in Finder. Wait for the Photoshop window to appear before you go on. The menu bar only shows Photoshop's menus when Photoshop is the active app.
Open the Photoshop menu
Look at the menu bar across the top of the screen. The menu named Photoshop sits just to the right of the Apple logo. Click it once.
Choose About Photoshop
Pick About Photoshop from the top of the Photoshop menu. A window opens that shows the Photoshop logo and build details.
Tip: If the menu item is missing, Photoshop is not the active app. Click its window and try again.
Read the version number
Find the version number in the upper left of the About Photoshop window. It appears as two numbers separated by a dot, such as 27.3. Note the full number, including the part after the dot.
Compare with Creative Cloud
Open the Creative Cloud desktop app and find Photoshop in the apps list. The version there should match the number you just read. If it does not, use the troubleshooting section before you update.
Close the About window
Close the About window with the red button in its top left corner. Your document windows are not affected.
Check for updates
Choose Help > Updates from the menu bar. Photoshop opens the Creative Cloud app on its Updates page. Any Photoshop update listed under New updates shows its version number beside it.
Tip: You can read the Updates page while Photoshop is open. Quit Photoshop and Adobe Bridge before you click Update.
Install and confirm
Quit Photoshop and Bridge, then click Update in the Creative Cloud app. The button changes to Open when the install finishes. Open Photoshop, then repeat the About check to confirm the new number.
Most people check their Photoshop version for one of three reasons. A tutorial names a specific build. A plug-in will not load. Or an update prompt appears, and you want to know what you are about to install. The check takes a minute, and you do not need to change any files.
Open the About Photoshop box on your Mac
Photoshop does not show its version in the title bar or the Dock. You find it in the app menu, the menu named Photoshop that sits to the right of the Apple logo. Photoshop has to be the active app first. If Finder or another app is in front, the menu bar shows that app's menus instead, and the Photoshop menu is missing.
Choose About Photoshop. A small window opens with the Photoshop logo and build details. The version number sits in the upper left of that window. Read it, then close the window with the red button in its corner. Your open documents stay where they are.
What the version number means: 2025 and 2026
Photoshop 2025 is the 26.x family. Photoshop 2026 is the 27.x family. Expert Photography uses those labels, and Adobe Community threads from early 2026 use them too. The 26.x family still gets technical support and security fixes, according to the same article. That matters if you have not moved to the newer release yet.
| Photoshop release | Version family | What to know |
|---|---|---|
| Photoshop 2025 | 26.x | Still gets technical support and security fixes, according to Expert Photography |
| Photoshop 2026 | 27.x | The newer family. A January 2026 Adobe Community thread discusses a 27.3 update |
The family is only the first part of the number. The second part, such as 27.3, marks a specific update within that family. Two builds in the same family can behave differently, so a tutorial that names a build expects that exact build. Read the full number from the About box, not just the year.
Check the number against Creative Cloud
The Creative Cloud desktop app also lists Photoshop and shows its version. The number there should match the About box. Open Creative Cloud from the Applications folder or the Dock, then find Photoshop in the apps list. If the two numbers disagree, you may be looking at two different installs.
A February 2026 Adobe Community thread describes a user who installed Photoshop 2026 through Creative Cloud. Launching Photoshop still opened the 2025 version, and Creative Cloud listed Photoshop 2026 as not installed. The marked answer suggested turning off auto-updates, then signing out of Creative Cloud and back in, or reinstalling the app. If you see that split, do not guess. Check the troubleshooting section below.
If you keep both 2025 and 2026 on the same Mac, check the About box every time before a project. Launch the version you plan to use, then check that version, not the one you remember opening last week. Settings can carry over between releases, as one thread's answer suggests, so a fresh check helps.
Update Photoshop from the Help menu
If your version is older than the one you need, update from inside Photoshop. Choose Help > Updates. Photoshop opens the Creative Cloud app on the Updates page. Any available Photoshop update appears under New updates with its version number. Click Update, and the button changes to Open when the install finishes.
Close Photoshop and Adobe Bridge before you click Update. An update does not go through while either app runs. Save open files before you quit. If Creative Cloud reports that Photoshop cannot update while certain processes run, quit those apps or restart the Mac, then try again.
Mistakes people make when checking their version
- Reading the Creative Cloud number and calling it the Photoshop build. The About box is the number that counts for Photoshop itself.
- Looking for a keyboard shortcut. The research behind this page found no documented shortcut for About Photoshop, so use the menu.
- Checking while another app is active. The Photoshop menu is missing, so you may open the wrong menu or the wrong About box.
- Trusting a screenshot from an older tutorial. Your Mac shows the version it has, not the one in the screenshot.
- Assuming 2026 is the app you open. A 2025 install can still launch after you add 2026, as one Adobe thread shows.
Once you have the number, write it down or keep it in your notes. You will need it the next time a plug-in, template, or tutorial asks what version you run. Sometimes a missing feature is only a version gap, and the number tells you that in seconds.
Photoshop on the web and on the phone
The steps above cover the desktop app on a Mac. This guide does not cover the web app, because the version dialog there could not be verified. Adobe's Photoshop page says there is no free web version for editing your own photos, so you need a plan or a free trial to edit there.
Photoshop on your phone is a separate app with its own version. The mobile app is free, but its premium features need a subscription, according to Adobe. Its version is not the number you see in the About box on your Mac.
Troubleshooting update errors on macOS
If the About box shows the wrong year, or the update button fails, work through the fixes in order. Start with the least risky one. Replies in an Adobe thread suggested a restart before anything else. Reinstalling Creative Cloud is the last step, because it takes longer and changes more of the setup.
On macOS Tahoe 26.4, a poster in Adobe Community reported grayed-out menus and no visible interface. Suggested fixes included giving Photoshop Full Disk Access, deleting the UXP cache, and testing under Rosetta. The original poster said the problem still happened after those steps. Another reply reported that going back to macOS Sequoia fixed it. Treat that as a report, not a confirmed fix.
What to do with the version number
Use the version to choose the right tutorial. A guide written for Photoshop 2026 may describe menus, panels, or features that older guides lack. If the guide names a build, match it. If it does not, the family number is a good starting point.
If you want Lazur to explain where things are while you work, see the Photoshop AI assistant for Mac. If a scratch disk warning shows up after an update, the scratch disk fix guide walks through the usual causes.
If it does not work
- About box shows Photoshop 2025 after you installed 2026
- Turn off auto-updates for Photoshop, sign out of Creative Cloud and back in, then try again. If it still fails, reinstall the Creative Cloud app. One reply suggested a cleanup tool called CC Cleaner, so read Adobe's guidance before you run any third-party cleanup tool.
- Photoshop can't update while processes are running
- Quit Photoshop and Adobe Bridge, then try the update again. If the error stays, restart the Mac. An Adobe Community moderator linked Adobe's article on closing conflicting processes.
- Menus are grayed out on macOS Tahoe 26.4
- Adobe Community suggested giving Photoshop Full Disk Access, deleting the UXP cache, and testing under Rosetta. No confirmed fix was found in the sources for this page. Some users reported the problem went away after returning to macOS Sequoia.
- Creative Cloud shows no Photoshop at all
- Sign out of Creative Cloud, sign back in, and restart the app. If Photoshop still does not appear, reinstall the Creative Cloud app as the last step.
- You cannot find a version dialog in Photoshop on the web
- This guide covers the desktop app on a Mac only. Check Adobe's help pages for web steps, because the web version dialog could not be verified here.
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You say“Where is the About Photoshop menu item?”
Lazur · points at itLazur circles About Photoshop on your screen. You click it. Lazur does not click for you, but it can point at the next item you need.
Questions people ask
Is there a keyboard shortcut for About Photoshop on Mac?
Not that the sources for this page document. No keyboard shortcut for About Photoshop was found, so use the Photoshop menu in the menu bar. It takes only a couple of clicks.
Why does my version differ from the Creative Cloud app?
The two numbers should match. A mismatch may mean two installs exist, or that Creative Cloud has not refreshed its list. Sign out and back in, then check again. If the mismatch stays, follow the troubleshooting steps on this page.
Which Photoshop version is the newest?
Expert Photography lists the 27.x family as current and 26.x as the prior family. That article gives a date for the current claim that could not be verified, so open Creative Cloud and check the Updates page for the newest build.
Can Lazur check my Photoshop version for me?
Lazur does not click for you. Hold Option and Command together, ask where About Photoshop is, and Lazur circles it on screen. Open the box yourself, then ask Lazur what the number means if you are unsure.
Does Photoshop on the web have an About box?
This guide could not verify a version dialog for the web app, so it does not give steps for it. Check Adobe's help pages for the web app before you rely on any steps.
What if Photoshop says it can't update while processes are running?
Quit Photoshop and Adobe Bridge, then try again. If the error stays, restart the Mac. An Adobe Community moderator pointed to an Adobe article on closing conflicting processes.
Sources
- How to keep Photoshop always up to date · Photoshop Essentials · checked 2026-11-09
- Best Photoshop Version: Which One Should You Get? (2026) · Expert Photography · checked 2026-11-09
- Failure re Photoshop 27.3 update · Adobe Community · checked 2026-11-09
- Photoshop 2025 upgraded to Photoshop2026, but CC doesn't see either · Adobe Community · checked 2026-11-09
- Photoshop is unusable after updating to MAC OS TAHOE · Adobe Community · checked 2026-11-09
- Adobe Photoshop · Adobe · checked 2026-11-09
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