How-to · Photoshop for Mac
How to reset preferences in Photoshop on Mac: two methods for Photoshop 27.11 and older
To reset preferences in Photoshop on Mac, go to Photoshop > Settings > General, check Reset Preferences On Quit, then quit and reopen. If Photoshop will not open, quit it, hold ⇧⌘⌥ while you launch it, then click Yes on the prompt to delete the settings file.
Quick answer
- Use Photoshop > Settings > General, check Reset Preferences On Quit, then choose Photoshop > Quit and reopen the app.
- If Photoshop will not open, hold ⇧⌘⌥ while it launches, then click Yes on the prompt.
- A reset clears custom keyboard shortcuts, custom workspaces and color settings. Copy your settings folder first.
- Older guides say Photoshop CC > Preferences > General. Read the menu on your own screen.
- If freezing continues after a reset, turn off Multithreaded Compositing, then GPU Compositing.
What you need
- Photoshop desktop app installed on your Mac
- macOS 14.0 or later for Photoshop 27.11
- A few minutes to copy your settings folder first
- Access to macOS Privacy & Security, only if the launch reset still fails
How to Reset Photoshop preferences on a Mac in Photoshop on a Mac
Back up the settings folder
Quit Photoshop before you copy anything. In Finder, choose Go > Go to Folder, paste ~/Library/Preferences and press Return. Find the Adobe Photoshop [version] Settings folder for your version, then drag the whole folder to your Desktop.
Tip: Replace [version] with the name you see in Finder. Keep this copy until your settings look right.
Open Photoshop Settings
Open Photoshop, then choose Photoshop > Settings. On older builds the same dialog sits under Photoshop CC > Preferences. Both open the same General tab.
Tip: If your menu says Preferences, use that name instead.
Select the General tab
In the Settings dialog, select General. The reset checkbox lives on this tab.
Check Reset Preferences On Quit
Turn on the checkbox named Reset Preferences On Quit. Photoshop does not reset yet. It waits until you quit.
Tip: Photoshop Essentials says this option is available from Photoshop CC 2015 onward.
Confirm the reset
Click OK in the confirmation box. Astropad's heading says Yes, while its body says OK. Read the button on your screen and click the one that confirms the reset.
Tip: To cancel, uncheck the box before you quit.
Quit Photoshop to apply the reset
⌘Q
Choose Photoshop > Quit. The reset runs when the app quits, so use the menu and not the window close button.
Tip: Closing a document window does not quit Photoshop.
Reopen Photoshop
Open Photoshop from the Dock or the Applications folder. It starts with default preferences. Check your shortcuts and workspace before you open a file.
Tip: An unfamiliar workspace is expected after a reset.
Quit Photoshop before the launch reset
⌘Q
If Photoshop is open, quit it fully first. The launch method needs the app closed before you hold the keys. If it is frozen, choose Force Quit from the Apple menu.
Hold Shift, Command and Option while launching
⇧⌘⌥
Hold Shift, Command and Option together. While you hold them, open Photoshop from the Dock or the Applications folder. Keep holding until the prompt appears.
Tip: If the prompt never appears, see the Full Disk Access fix in the troubleshooting list.
Click Yes on the prompt
The prompt asks whether to delete the Adobe Photoshop Settings file. Click Yes. Photoshop then opens with default settings.
Tip: If you have not made a backup, stop before you click Yes.
What a Photoshop preferences reset clears
Photoshop keeps its settings in preference files inside your user Library on your Mac. A reset sends those settings back to defaults. The sources behind this guide name three things a reset clears.
- Custom keyboard shortcuts
- Custom workspaces
- Color settings
Those are the items you will miss first. Rebuilding a shortcut set or a workspace takes time. That is why the backup comes before any reset.
A reset helps most when Photoshop acts strangely in ways one setting does not explain. Freezing, a white border around images and a broken export are common examples. Start with the symptom, then pick the method that fits your launch problem.
Back up your settings before you reset
Make a copy first. Astropad's guide gives the folder as ~/Library/Preferences/Adobe Photoshop [version] Settings. It also says to drag the whole folder to your Desktop before you reset.
The [version] part changes with your install. Find the folder that matches your Photoshop version in Finder, and do not guess the name. If you see more than one matching folder, back up each one.
Method 1: reset on quit, when Photoshop still opens
Use this method when Photoshop opens and its menus respond. You turn on a checkbox. Photoshop resets itself the next time you quit. You do not delete anything while the app runs, so this is the gentler first try.
Menu names have shifted over the years. The Adobe Community expert reply gives Photoshop > Settings > General. Photoshop Essentials and Astropad, which cover older builds, say Photoshop CC > Preferences > General. Both paths lead to the General tab.
Photoshop Essentials says the option is available from Photoshop CC 2015 onward. If you cannot find the checkbox on your version, skip to the launch method below.
Mistakes people make with the quit reset
- They tick the box and never quit. The reset runs when Photoshop quits, so the checkbox alone does nothing yet.
- They close the window instead of quitting. Use Photoshop > Quit so the app shuts down the normal way.
- They click past the prompt without reading it. Guides disagree on OK or Yes, so read the button on your screen.
- They skip the backup. Once the settings rebuild, the old shortcut set is gone unless you copied it.
Method 2: reset at launch when Photoshop will not open
Use this method when Photoshop crashes on launch, or when the app never gets far enough to reach its menus. You hold three keys while the app starts. Photoshop then asks before it deletes anything.
The keys are Shift, Command and Option, written ⇧⌘⌥. An Adobe Community expert says holding them at launch deletes the current settings. Photoshop Essentials says the same prompt appears on any version.
Restore shortcuts and workspaces after a reset
You have two ways back. You can rebuild shortcuts and workspaces by hand. Or you can copy the backup folder into ~/Library/Preferences while Photoshop is closed. Copy only a backup you trust.
| Item | Cleared by a reset | Best way back |
|---|---|---|
| Custom keyboard shortcuts | Yes | Rebuild by hand, or copy the backup folder back |
| Custom workspaces | Yes | Rebuild by hand, or copy the backup folder back |
| Color settings | Yes | Set them again before you open important files |
Test one item at a time after you restore. Open a file, run the tool that gave you trouble, then check your most used shortcut. One failure tells you exactly what to undo.
Problems a reset may not fix on macOS Tahoe
An Adobe Community thread from April 2026 covers Photoshop on macOS Tahoe 26.4.1 after an update. The thread reports freezing mostly with the Crop tool, a white border around images, Blur Gallery trouble with three or four layers, and Quick Export As that works only sometimes.
The expert reply in that thread lists fixes beyond the reset. Those include removing the preferences folder by hand and giving Photoshop Full Disk Access in macOS Privacy & Security. Restart Photoshop after you change access.
If the freezing continues, start with Multithreaded Compositing under Preferences > Performance. If hanging still happens, turn off GPU Compositing under Advanced Settings.
When to use the Creative Cloud Cleaner tool
Treat the cleaner as a last resort. The expert reply places it after an uninstall that uses the remove app preference option. Run Creative Cloud Cleaner, then reinstall Photoshop.
During the reinstall, uncheck Import previous settings and preferences. If that box stays on, the old settings can come back with the new install. Try the lighter fixes before you reach this step.
Photoshop on the web and the latest release
This guide covers the desktop app on macOS. The Photoshop web app is a separate product. The sources did not confirm a full preferences reset there, so check the web app's own help before you copy these steps.
The latest desktop release we found is Photoshop 27.11. CG Channel reported it on October 6, 2026, and says Adobe's documentation calls it the September 2026 release. It needs macOS 14.0 or later.
27.11
Latest Photoshop desktop release we found, dated October 6, 2026
CG Channel: Adobe releases Photoshop 27.1114.0
Minimum macOS version for Photoshop 27.11, per CG Channel
CG Channel: Adobe releases Photoshop 27.11What to do after Photoshop opens with defaults
Open a file you know well. Check its colors, run the export you use most, and press the shortcut you rely on. Each check shows whether the reset fixed the problem or only moved it.
If the problem returns, keep the first backup and make a second one before you try another fix. Settings change over time. A dated copy lets you step back one change at a time.
Photoshop shortcuts for this on Mac
| To do this | Press |
|---|---|
| Quit Photoshop before any reset | ⌘Q |
| Launch with the reset prompt (Photoshop fully closed) | ⇧⌘⌥ while opening |
If it does not work
- The Reset Preferences On Quit checkbox is missing
- Look under Photoshop > Settings > General first. Older builds use Photoshop CC > Preferences > General. If neither shows the checkbox, use the launch reset with ⇧⌘⌥.
- Photoshop freezes with the Crop tool
- Turn off Multithreaded Compositing under Preferences > Performance. If hanging still happens, turn off GPU Compositing under Advanced Settings. Test after each change.
- Photoshop will not open, even with the launch reset
- Give Photoshop Full Disk Access under macOS Privacy & Security, then try the launch reset again. The April 2026 Adobe Community expert reply suggests this.
- Shortcuts and workspaces are gone
- Quit Photoshop, then copy your backup folder back into ~/Library/Preferences. Do this only if the backup was made before the problem started.
- Settings change back or do not stick
- Quit Photoshop with Photoshop > Quit before you test. Resets apply when the app quits, so closing a window may not finish the job.
- Nothing in this guide helps
- Use the Creative Cloud Cleaner tool as a last resort. Uncheck Import previous settings and preferences when you reinstall, so the old settings do not return.
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Questions people ask
Will resetting Photoshop preferences delete my documents?
The sources behind this guide name shortcuts, workspaces and color settings as what a reset clears. They do not list documents. Still, keep copies of important files before you change anything.
Is the menu called Settings or Preferences?
Current guides from Adobe Community say Photoshop > Settings > General. Older guides from Photoshop Essentials and Astropad say Photoshop CC > Preferences > General. Read the name that matches your screen.
Which button should I click in the confirmation box?
Photoshop Essentials says OK. Astropad's heading says Yes, but its body says OK. Read the label on your screen and click the one that confirms the reset.
Can I reset Photoshop preferences without quitting?
No. The quit method applies the reset when Photoshop closes. The launch method needs Photoshop fully closed before you hold the keys.
Does this work on Photoshop 27.11 on macOS 14?
CG Channel says Photoshop 27.11 needs macOS 14.0 or later. The menu names come from older guides and an Adobe Community expert, so confirm them on your own screen.
Will a reset fix freezing on macOS Tahoe?
Maybe, but not always. The April 2026 Adobe Community thread reports freezing mostly with the Crop tool. Try the compositing settings before you reinstall.
Does the reset apply to the Photoshop web app?
This guide does not confirm that. Check the web app's own help before you follow these desktop steps.
Sources
- How To Reset Photoshop Preferences · Photoshop Essentials · checked 2026-11-09
- Resetting Photoshop · Adobe Community · checked 2026-11-09
- There are MANY issues with the latest Photoshop Update and MacOS · Adobe Community · checked 2026-11-09
- Reset Photoshop Preferences: A Step-by-Step Guide · Astropad · checked 2026-11-09
- Adobe releases Photoshop 27.11 · CG Channel · checked 2026-11-09
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