Participant

P: (MacOS26) Photoshop v27.5 & later extremely high GPU usage from the WindowServer process

Forum|Forum|5 months ago
April 19, 2026
34 replies
1262 views

I have several M1 Macs—from Mac mini to iMac—and they all have the same issue. Whenever I open Photoshop, Illustrator, or InDesign, even if I don’t do anything, WindowServer will jump to around 80–90% GPU usage. Once I start working with files, even just opening a single image, the whole system becomes choppy and starts dropping frames, with GPU usage almost maxed out.

But : if I switch the app to full-screen with menu bar mode (press F), the window shadows disappear, GPU usage drops back to normal, and everything runs smoothly—even with large files open. This makes it pretty clear the issue is related to how window shadows are being handled in macOS 26 and how it interacts with Adobe apps.

It’s been months since Adobe 26 came out, and I’ve been waiting for updates to fix this, but even the latest versions still haven’t solved it. At this point, I’m wondering if it’s even fixable.

M1 Macs are not that old—most Mac minis and iMacs from around 2021–2022 are still M1, so they’re definitely not outdated. It shouldn’t be the case that running basic Photoshop functions causes this level of lag. Mac and Adobe are supposed to be a perfect combination.

Even though macOS 26 seems to put more load on the GPU, Apple’s own apps don’t have this issue at all. For example, Final Cut Pro runs large projects smoothly without any problems like this caused by window shadows.

I really hope this gets fixed. Or is it just impossible to solve, meaning the only options are either upgrading to the newest Mac or back to macOS Sequoia?...

Pinned Reply By Sameer K

Hey, All! Thank you for your patience and for adding these details. The team is aware of this behavior, and we will announce the fix here once it is available to try.

Workarounds for now:

Set the monitor refresh rate to 60hz in macOS Settings
Diable Photoshop’s appication frame from Window menu > Application Frame

(Mentions for recent merge: @philippe642 @Petar26655212pizq & @tomzag)

osvaldoc8392292

Participant

Same issue here on macOS 27.0.1 (26A434) with Photoshop 27.10.0, so it is still present after the 27.0.1 update.

Mac: MacBook Pro 16" (2021), M1 Max with 24-core GPU, 32 GB RAM. Displays: built-in Liquid Retina XDR + Sony TV 1080p over HDMI.

Measured with Photoshop idle (no documents open, not even the front app):
- Application Frame ON: WindowServer GPU stays at 32-38% the whole time, while Photoshop's own GPU use is 0%.
- Hiding Photoshop (Cmd-H) drops WindowServer to about 3% within 3 seconds; showing it again brings it straight back.
- Turning off "Use Graphics Processor" in Photoshop does not change it.
- Switching the display from 120 Hz to 60 Hz lowers overall GPU from about 64% to about 49%, but does not fix it.
- Application Frame OFF (Window > Application Frame): WindowServer GPU about 3% and overall GPU about 0%, with Photoshop's GPU setting back on. This workaround works for me.

powerful_yogic4e2

Participant

I am experiencing the same issue on macOS Golden Gate 27.0 with Photoshop 27.10.0.

My setup:

Mac mini (2024)
Apple M4
16 GB RAM
macOS Golden Gate 27.0

ASUS ProArt PA279CV
27-inch 4K external display
Direct USB-C connection
60 Hz
HDR off
HiDPI/scaled resolution

Important: my display is already running at 60 Hz, so the first suggested workaround does not resolve the issue in my case.

During normal Photoshop work I have observed WindowServer reaching approximately 58.4% GPU usage and 43.6% CPU usage, while Photoshop itself may remain at very low CPU/GPU usage.

The Mac becomes noticeably warmer during this workflow.

The same Mac, monitor and workflow worked normally on macOS Sequoia.

I previously upgraded to macOS Tahoe and experienced similar performance/heating behavior. After approximately three days I rolled back to Sequoia, and the problem disappeared.

After upgrading to macOS Golden Gate 27.0, the issue has returned.

I also tested changing from my normal HiDPI/scaled resolution to a non-scaled display mode. WindowServer GPU usage dropped substantially, from approximately 58% to approximately 20% in one test, but the issue was not completely eliminated.

Changing display scaling is not a practical workaround because the same HiDPI configuration worked normally on Sequoia.

So in my case:

- 60 Hz is already enabled
- the issue still occurs
- Sequoia worked normally
- Tahoe showed similar behavior
- Golden Gate 27.0 shows the problem again

This appears to be a persistent WindowServer / macOS display compositing issue affecting Photoshop on external 4K HiDPI displays.

Ersin Aydın

Participant

Is there a solution to this problem? I am still experiencing this issue.

Petar26655212pizq

Participant

Regarding the refresh rate and some other things I’ve noticed:
Just having Photoshop running on my external monitor leads to ~60% GPU usage

At 60Hz when doing image manipulations, GPU usage jumps to 85-90% but the operations are smooth. So the 60Hz recommendation kinda works.
At 120Hz when doing image manipulations, GPU usage jumps to 100% and things lag

However with Application Frame disabled (everything still rendered on my external monitor):

At both 60Hz and 120Hz, GPU usage is at 0%. When doing operations at 120Hz, GPU usage jumps to 45% and everything is smooth.

So the problem does seem to come from something related to the Application Frame.

udderball

Inspiring

Regarding Sameer’s response, has setting monitor refresh rate to 60hz been successful for anyone?

Sameer K

Pinned

Community Manager

Hey, All! Thank you for your patience and for adding these details. The team is aware of this behavior, and we will announce the fix here once it is available to try.

Workarounds for now:

Set the monitor refresh rate to 60hz in macOS Settings
Diable Photoshop’s appication frame from Window menu > Application Frame

(Mentions for recent merge: @philippe642 @Petar26655212pizq & @tomzag)

D Fosse

Community Expert

What immediately jumps out is that you have very little RAM. Remember - Apple silicon uses shared system memory, and the GPU will use large chunks of it. With a 5K display, a memory shortage (or even conflict between system and GPU) seems like a likely explanation.

With Apple silicon, the general rule of thumb is to double the amount of RAM you would “normally” need. 32 GB should be considered the absolute minimum, but 64 GB a more realistic amount, especially with a 5K display.

Now, I see you have dialed down PS memory allocation to 20%. While it’s important to not set that too high (a common mistake), you can probably safely increase to 45-50%. But you don’t have a lot of scratch disk space either - 150 GB is already pushing it. My general recommendation is 250 - 500 GB. To minimize the impact on the scratch file, reduce history states to, say, 10-20.

In short, you don’t have a lot of hardware resources here, and you may hit performance limitations.

Petar26655212pizq

Participant

I don't think memory pressure explains the specific behavior I'm reporting here. macOS shows memory pressure as green - the system is not under heavy load.

The important part is that the problem is reproducible based on the display/window configuration, without changing the Photoshop document or workload.

Most importantly, display and HiDPI configuration performed normally on previous versions of macOS. This behavior appeared after upgrading macOS to version 26/27, which is why I believe this is a regression rather than simply the machine reaching its normal hardware limits.

Also I'm reproducing this with an extremely simple document:

1000 × 1000 px canvas
One image layer
One text layer

Also - Photoshop's window mode has a major effect on performance.

Switching Photoshop to Full Screen Mode, or disabling Window > Application Frame, significantly improves canvas responsiveness and reduces WindowServer GPU usage.

And the Adobe Illustrator team seem to have identified a similar issue in the Illustrator program and have released a fix in their Beta. So this is not something unique to my system or even Photoshop.

Petar26655212pizq

Participant

I have submitted a more detailed report for the same issue here:

Petar26655212pizq

Participant

Photoshop has severe interactive canvas/UI performance issues when running on an external 4K or 5K display using macOS HiDPI scaling on macOS 26/27.

Operations that should be fluid become visibly choppy and appear to run at a low frame rate. This is particularly noticeable when:

Moving an image or layer around the canvas
Using Free Transform to resize a layer
Moving or resizing the Crop tool
Other operations involving continuous canvas redraws

External display / HiDPI behavior

The issue occurs when Photoshop is displayed on my external 4K or 5K monitor with HiDPI scaling enabled.

Changing the monitor refresh rate between 60 Hz and 120 Hz makes no difference.

The only display-related workaround I have found is running the monitor at:
2560 × 1440 with HiDPI disabled

With HiDPI disabled, Photoshop performance improves substantially.
This is an important distinction because macOS renders these two configurations at very different internal resolutions:

2560 × 1440 with HiDPI enabled:
macOS internally renders the desktop at approximately 5120 × 2880 before scaling it to the display.

2560 × 1440 with HiDPI disabled:
macOS renders at 2560 × 1440.

The Photoshop performance problem therefore appears to correlate with the much higher internal render resolution used by macOS HiDPI scaling.

However, the higher HiDPI render resolution by itself should not cause this level of Photoshop performance degradation.

The same display configuration and HiDPI scaling did not exhibit this problem on previous versions of macOS.

This appears to be a regression introduced with macOS 26/27 or an interaction between recent macOS WindowServer/compositing changes and Photoshop.

Steps to reproduce

Connect an external 4K or 5K display.
Configure macOS to use 2560 × 1440 HiDPI scaling.
Launch Photoshop and place its main window on the external display.
Open an image.
Perform an interactive canvas operation, for example:
- Move a layer around the canvas
- Resize a layer using Free Transform
- Resize/move the Crop tool
Observe the choppy/low-frame-rate Photoshop interaction.
Observe WindowServer GPU utilization.
Change the external display to 2560 × 1440 with HiDPI disabled.
Repeat exactly the same Photoshop operation.

So far I have found:

External 4K/5K display + HiDPI: issue occurs
60 Hz: issue occurs
120 Hz: issue occurs
2560 × 1440 HiDPI (~5120 × 2880 internal render): issue occurs
2560 × 1440 non-HiDPI (2560 × 1440 internal render): performance improves substantially
Previous macOS versions using the same HiDPI configuration: issue was not present

Additional workaround / diagnostic finding

Switching Photoshop to Full Screen Mode or disabling Window > Application Frame
substantially reduces WindowServer GPU utilization and improves Photoshop responsiveness.

However this is not a solution to the issue but a temporary workaround.

System configuration

Mac: Macbook Air M5 10 core GPU
Memory: 24GB
macOS: macOS Tahoe 26.6.1 / macOS Golden Gate 27 Beta 5
Photoshop: 27.11.0 20260812.m.3635 1bbb32d  arm64 (beta, PublicBeta)

External display: Samsung Odyssey G8 G80HF 5K
Connection: USB-C to DisplayPort
Scaled resolution: 2560 × 1440 HiDPI
Approx. internal render resolution: 5120 × 2880
Refresh rates tested: 60 Hz and 120 Hz

Full Photoshop > Help > System Info output attached below.

Adobe Photoshop Version: 27.11.0 20260812.m.3635 1bbb32d  arm64 (beta, PublicBeta)
Number of Launches: 40
Operating System: Mac OS 27.0.0
System architecture: Apple M5, NEON, DOTPROD, HybridCPU(4:6)
Physical processor count: 10
Built-in memory: 24576 MB
Free memory: 2228 MB
Memory available to Photoshop: 19572 MB
Memory used by Photoshop: 20 %
Crash Handler: Adobe
DCX Version: 9.22.0
SAM SDK Version: 15.1.5
ACPL.next Status:
 - SDK Version: 5.11.6
 - Sync Engine Status: Reachable and compatible
 - Sync Engine Running: 4.0.0
 - Min Sync Engine Required: 4.0.0
Live Edit Client SDK Version: v6.1.1
Adobe Firefly: Please use any generative AI feature to view the latest version.
OpenColorIO version: 2.5.2
C2PA library version: Adobe CAI SDK: adobe_api/1.74.4
NGL Version: 1.42.0.5
Sophia Info:
 - Ps_Feature_Flag, Feature Flag URL (AEM) campaignID:2b16efe9-5fec-477e-a108-798ea38816f0#3edb1997-bf0a-435c-a254-129f5aa290ac::: variationID:b894f6b2-0826-4afe-a5d9-bba58ac7ffc9-0:::9b0a2dd4-58f8-4cf2-9c5c-88cc62ac1609#3edb1997-bf0a-435c-a254-129f5aa290ac, 076cba3e-6504-4d9e-ad3c-a86f15c0ff00#3edb1997-bf0a-435c-a254-129f5aa290ac, 9e51f07b-08e0-4321-9789-ede4b497a21e#7f680ed4-3a7f-4aac-93e0-beef42e28f49, 18e73f92-ba13-4e7b-b39c-853af2b2cb98#ddf8400b-3f21-4b8e-be2b-c9272c2bf749, c4021a25-0011-4e57-a37c-d0de4e51cae6#3edb1997-bf0a-435c-a254-129f5aa290ac, 03a5ef9f-0ebe-402c-87fb-47a5ed65e55b#5bca76c0-fbe2-4137-be08-92e2e3955633, 5932fa38-bca1-46ec-9fa9-f06957c1ff9f#67358097-7f36-483e-9330-2208641ad8bc, 1c87b4a4-fe61-4916-a07e-5714b16a96bd#ddf8400b-3f21-4b8e-be2b-c9272c2bf749, 45f19578-9e29-4556-aa8f-3e3c22c2e340#ddf8400b-3f21-4b8e-be2b-c9272c2bf749, eefe4a5c-fad2-4ad9-b412-674574c1c92a#b15682f8-8089-40e7-8ab3-aca419c0af37::::::a9cb78ec-f0d3-48f7-b084-a327189edd84
Precise Color Management for HDR Display: Enabled.
Alias Layers: Disabled.
Highbeam: Enabled.
Touch Bar Property Feedback: Enabled.
Image tile size: 1024K
Image cache levels: 4
Font Preview: Large
HarfBuzz Version: 11.0.0
TextEngine: ATE 7.11.0 (8034a1e)
 ======= GPU
Native API stable: True
OpenCL API stable: True
GPUDeny:               0
GPUForce:              0
useGPU:                1
useOpenCL:             1
isGPUCapable:          1
isGPUAllowed:          1
GPUName:               Apple M5
GPUVendor:             APPLE
Apple M5  UNKNOWN, APPLE
IsNativeGPUCapable:    1
IsOpenCLGPUCapable:    1
HasSufficientRAM:      1
  GPU accessible RAM:                19,069 MB
  Required GPU accessible RAM:        1,500 MB
UseGraphicsProcessorChecked:   1
UseOpenCLChecked:              1
Display: 1
  Display Bounds: (0, 0) -> (2940, 1912)
  Display scale: 2
  High DPI Monitor
  Main Display
  Display Type: WCG
Display: 2
  Display Bounds: (-776, -2880) -> (4344, 0)
  Display scale: 2
  High DPI Monitor
  Display Type: SDR
 ------- Sniffer output
[0 ms]
  Launch GPUSnifferThread

[0 ms]
  Start RunAllAPIs

[0 ms]
  /Applications/Adobe Photoshop (Beta)/Adobe Photoshop (Beta).app/Contents/MacOS/sniffer -baseTimeMS=222112792 -comment=Photoshop Version: Adobe Photoshop 27.11.0 20260812.m.3635 1bbb32d arm64

[0 ms]
  Start GetSnifferResult

[167 ms]
  Start sniffer 2026-08-15 16:30:33
  # Photoshop Version: Adobe Photoshop 27.11.0 20260812.m.3635 1bbb32d arm64
  sniffer -baseTimeMS=222112792 -comment=Photoshop Version: Adobe Photoshop 27.11.0 20260812.m.3635 1bbb32d arm64

  {48 ms}
  Start platform native
    # displays:                   2
    Display 0
      Display:                      1
      Main:                         TRUE
      Built in:                     TRUE
      Stereo:                       FALSE
      Bounds:                       (0, 0) -> (2,940, 1,912)
      Dimensions:                   (2,940 1,912)
      Display scale:                2
      Physical size:                (290.568 188.968)
      Pixel size:                   (0.0988327 0.0988327)
      Dynamic range:                (0 2)
      Attached Device:              (DeviceID name=Apple M5 index=0)

    Display 1
      Display:                      2
      Main:                         FALSE
      Built in:                     FALSE
      Stereo:                       FALSE
      Bounds:                       (-776, -2,880) -> (4,344, 0)
      Dimensions:                   (5,120 2,880)
      Display scale:                2
      Physical size:                (599.3 340.242)
      Pixel size:                   (0.117051 0.11814)
      Dynamic range:                (0 1)
      Attached Device:              (DeviceID name=Apple M5 index=0)

    # devices:                    1
    Device 0
      Name:                         Apple M5
      Preferred:                    TRUE
      Power Envelope:               DISCRETE
      Attachment:                   EMBEDDED
      # attached displays:          2
        1
        2
      GPU accessible RAM:               19,069 MB
      VRAM:                                  0 MB
      Dedicated System RAM:                  0 MB
      Shared System RAM:                19,069 MB
      API version:                  1.0 (1.0)
      Device version:               1.0 (1.0)
      Vendor name:                  APPLE
      Driver date:                  UNKNOWN
      Driver age:                   UNKNOWN
      Driver version:               UNKNOWN
  End platform native
  {119 ms}

  {119 ms}
  Start platform OpenCL
    # displays:                   0

    # devices:                    1
    Device 0
      Name:                         Apple M5
      Preferred:                    TRUE
      Power Envelope:               INTEGRATED
      Attachment:                   UNKNOWN
      # attached displays:          0
      GPU accessible RAM:               19,069 MB
      VRAM:                             19,069 MB
      Dedicated System RAM:                  0 MB
      Shared System RAM:                     0 MB
      API version:                  1.2 (OpenCL 1.2 (Aug  3 2026 22:02:46))
      Device version:               1.2 (OpenCL 1.2 )
      Vendor name:                  APPLE
      Driver date:                  UNKNOWN
      Driver age:                   UNKNOWN
      Driver version:               UNKNOWN
      Bandwidth:                    5,098 GB / s
      Compute score:                15,499.1
      Device name string:           Apple M5    
      Device vendor string:         Apple       
      Platform name string:         Apple       
      Platform vendor string:       Apple       
  End platform OpenCL
  {166 ms}

  Exit code kExitNormal
  End sniffer 2026-08-15 16:30:33
[kStatusNormal, kExitNormal]

[167 ms]
  Finish RunAllAPIs

[168 ms]
  Finish GetSnifferResult

 ------- Sniffer output
 ======= GPU
License Type: Subscription
Serial number: 90970490387307083177
GUIDBucket: 
Composite Core GPU (comp_core_gpu): on 
Composite Core Threads (MultithreadedCompositing): on 
Composite Core UI (CompositingDocumentTabUI): off 
Composite Core Feature Prefs (CompCoreFeaturePrefs): off 

Application folder: /Applications/Adobe Photoshop (Beta)/
Photoshop scratch has async I/O enabled
Scratch volume(s):
  Startup, 460,4G, 153,3G free
Required Plugins folder: /Applications/Adobe Photoshop (Beta)/Adobe Photoshop (Beta).app/Contents/PlugIns/Required/
Primary Plugins folder: /Applications/Adobe Photoshop (Beta)/Plug-ins/

Installed components:

   dvametadata.framework   dvametadata   25.2.0.1   
   AdobeXMPScript.framework   AdobeXMPScript   79.d20e46630   79.d20e46630
   libdynamic-napi.framework   Torq Native   local   
   ICUUnicode.framework   ICUUnicode      14.3.3.9087c7c
   ICUConverter.framework   ICUConverter      14.3.3.9087c7c
   AdobeCrashReporter.framework   AdobeCrashReporter   26.5.0.202506262105_e77ab42   
   boost_system.framework   boost_system   1   
   AdobeACE.framework   AdobeACE   7.0.0   79.b43643c9ce.
   dvanet.framework   dvanet   25.2.0.1   
   AdobeOwl.framework   AdobeOwl      
   MediaCoreIF.framework   MediaCoreIF   25.2.0.1   
   dvascripting.framework   dvascripting   25.2.0.1   
   dvatemporalxmp.framework   dvatemporalxmp   25.2.0.1   
   dvaappsupport.framework   dvaappsupport   25.2.0.1   
   AdobeAXE8SharedExpat.framework   AdobeAXE8SharedExpat   7.0.0   79.6094326.
   AIDE.framework   AIDE   7.0.1   79.48fd1d04
   dynamiclink.framework   dynamiclink   25.2.0.1   
   dvaaccelerate.framework   dvaaccelerate   25.2.0.1   
   dvametadataui.framework   dvametadataui   25.2.0.1   
   AdobeARE.framework   AdobeARE      
   AdobePDFPort.framework   AdobePDFPort      
   dvaevefactory.framework   dvaevefactory   25.2.0.1   
   dvastorage.framework   dvastorage   25.2.0.1   
   ICUInternationalization.framework   ICUInternationalization      14.3.3.9087c7c
   boost_filesystem.framework   boost_filesystem   1   
   dvaworkspace.framework   dvaworkspace   25.2.0.1   
   AdobeBIB.framework   AdobeBIB   5.0.0   79.b43643c9ce.
   AdobeXMPFiles.framework   AdobeXMPFiles   79.d20e46630   79.d20e46630
   AdobeLinguistic.framework      17.1.1.69ef127   
   dvaplayer.framework   dvaplayer   25.2.0.1   
   filterport.framework   filterport   30.0.0.2   
   PlugPlugOwl.framework   PlugPlugOwl   12.0.0.14   
   dvaaudiotoolkit.framework   dvaaudiotoolkit   25.2.0.1   
   AdobeAGM.framework   AdobeAGM   8.0.0   79.b43643c9ce.
   dvaadameve.framework   dvaadameve   25.2.0.1   
   AdobeSVGRE.framework   AdobeSVGRE   9.3.0   "79.3845ac5."
   AdobePDFL.framework   AdobePDFL   18.0.0   79 . 410aeb5b
   dvavulcansupport.framework   dvavulcansupport   25.2.0.1   
   dvacore.framework   dvacore   25.2.0.1   
   aiport.framework   aiport   30.0.0.2   
   AdobePIP.framework   AdobePIP   8.2.0.16   
   AdobePDFSettings.framework   AdobePDFSettings   1.7   
   AdobeAXEDOMCore.framework   AdobeAXEDOMCore   7.0.0   79.6094326.
   dvatransport.framework   dvatransport   25.2.0.1   
   xerces.framework   xerces   3.2.3.0   
   exo.framework   exo   25.2.0.1   
   AdobeXMP.framework   AdobeXMPCore   79.d20e46630   79.d20e46630
   AdobeJP2K.framework   AdobeJP2K   5.0.0   79.5526fbf
   dvaaudiodevice.framework   dvaaudiodevice   25.2.0.1   
   LogSession.framework   LogSession   8.2.0.16   
   PlugPlugExternalObject.framework      12.0.0.14   
   utest.framework   utest   1   
   AdobeSVGAGM.framework   AdobeSVGAGM   4.0.0   79.1f3cd5c.
   dvametadataapi.framework   dvametadataapi   25.2.0.1   
   AdobeBIBUtils.framework   AdobeBIBUtils   5.0.0   79.b43643c9ce.
   CloudAILib.framework   CloudAILib   30.0.0.2   
   SPBasic.framework   SPBasic   30.0.0.2   
   dvacaptioning.framework   dvacaptioning   25.2.0.1   
   AdobeCoolType.framework   AdobeCoolType   11.0.0   79.b43643c9ce.
   boost_regex.framework   boost_regex   1   
   boost_program_options.framework   boost_program_options   1   
   dvamediatypes.framework   dvamediatypes   25.2.0.1   
   AdbePM.framework   AdbePM   1   
   boost_date_time.framework   boost_date_time   1   
   dvauxpui.framework   dvauxpui   25.2.0.1   
   dynamic-torqnative.framework   Torq Native   local   
   AdobeMPS.framework   AdobeMPS   10.0.0.58905   79.a87a049d
   dvaui.framework   dvaui   25.2.0.1   
   dvauxphost.framework   dvauxphost   25.2.0.1   
   MacMemory.framework   MacMemory   30.0.0.2   
   boost_thread.framework   boost_thread   1   
   AILib.framework   AILib   30.0.0.2   
   ICUData.framework   ICUData      14.3.3.9087c7c
   dvamarshal.framework   dvamarshal   25.2.0.1   
   aifm.framework   aifm   30.0.0.2   
   Unified Extensibility Platform  uxp-9.4.0-2-8a11466
   UPIC  2.6.0


Required plugins:

   Accented Edges 27.11.0, © 1991-2026 Adobe. All rights reserved. - from the file “Filter Gallery.plugin”
   Adaptive Wide Angle 27.11.0, © 2014-2026 Adobe. All rights reserved. - from the file “Adaptive Wide Angle.plugin”
   Angled Strokes 27.11.0, © 1991-2026 Adobe. All rights reserved. - from the file “Filter Gallery.plugin”
   Average 27.11 © 1993-2026 Adobe. All rights reserved. - from the file “Average.plugin”
   Bas Relief 27.11.0, © 1991-2026 Adobe. All rights reserved. - from the file “Filter Gallery.plugin”
   BMP 27.11.0, © 2003-2026 Adobe. All rights reserved. - from the file “Standard Multiplugin.plugin”
   Camera Raw 18.5 (2673), Copyright © 2026 Adobe Systems Incorporated - from the file “Camera Raw.plugin”
   Camera Raw Filter 18.5 (2673), Copyright © 2026 Adobe Systems Incorporated - from the file “Camera Raw.plugin”
   Chalk & Charcoal 27.11.0, © 1991-2026 Adobe. All rights reserved. - from the file “Filter Gallery.plugin”
   Charcoal 27.11.0, © 1991-2026 Adobe. All rights reserved. - from the file “Filter Gallery.plugin”
   Chrome 27.11.0, © 1991-2026 Adobe. All rights reserved. - from the file “Filter Gallery.plugin”
   Cineon 27.11 © 2002-2026 Adobe. All rights reserved. - from the file “Cineon.plugin”
   Clouds 27.11 © 1993-2026 Adobe. All rights reserved. - from the file “Clouds.plugin”
   Color Halftone 27.11.0, © 2003-2026 Adobe. All rights reserved. - from the file “Standard Multiplugin.plugin”
   Colored Pencil 27.11.0, © 1991-2026 Adobe. All rights reserved. - from the file “Filter Gallery.plugin”
   Conté Crayon 27.11.0, © 1991-2026 Adobe. All rights reserved. - from the file “Filter Gallery.plugin”
   Craquelure 27.11.0, © 1991-2026 Adobe. All rights reserved. - from the file “Filter Gallery.plugin”
   Crop and Straighten Photos 27.11 © 2003-2026 Adobe. All rights reserved. - from the file “CropPhotosAuto.plugin”
   Crop and Straighten Photos Filter 27.11.0, © 2003-2026 Adobe. All rights reserved. - from the file “Standard Multiplugin.plugin”
   Crosshatch 27.11.0, © 1991-2026 Adobe. All rights reserved. - from the file “Filter Gallery.plugin”
   Crystallize 27.11.0, © 2003-2026 Adobe. All rights reserved. - from the file “Standard Multiplugin.plugin”
   Cutout 27.11.0, © 1991-2026 Adobe. All rights reserved. - from the file “Filter Gallery.plugin”
   Dark Strokes 27.11.0, © 1991-2026 Adobe. All rights reserved. - from the file “Filter Gallery.plugin”
   De-Interlace 27.11.0, © 2003-2026 Adobe. All rights reserved. - from the file “Standard Multiplugin.plugin”
   Dicom 27.11 © 2003-2026 Adobe. All rights reserved. - from the file “dicom.plugin”
   Difference Clouds 27.11 © 1993-2026 Adobe. All rights reserved. - from the file “Clouds.plugin”
   Diffuse Glow 27.11.0, © 1991-2026 Adobe. All rights reserved. - from the file “Filter Gallery.plugin”
   Displace 27.11.0, © 2003-2026 Adobe. All rights reserved. - from the file “Standard Multiplugin.plugin”
   Dry Brush 27.11.0, © 1991-2026 Adobe. All rights reserved. - from the file “Filter Gallery.plugin”
   Entropy 27.11 © 2006-2026 Adobe. All rights reserved. - from the file “statistics.plugin”
   Export Color Lookup Tables 27.11 © 2012-2026 Adobe. All rights reserved. - from the file “Export3DLUT.plugin”
   Extrude 27.11.0, © 2003-2026 Adobe. All rights reserved. - from the file “Standard Multiplugin.plugin”
   Fibers 27.11.0, © 2003-2026 Adobe. All rights reserved. - from the file “Standard Multiplugin.plugin”
   Film Grain 27.11.0, © 1991-2026 Adobe. All rights reserved. - from the file “Filter Gallery.plugin”
   Filter Gallery 27.11.0, © 1991-2026 Adobe. All rights reserved. - from the file “Filter Gallery.plugin”
   Fresco 27.11.0, © 1991-2026 Adobe. All rights reserved. - from the file “Filter Gallery.plugin”
   Glass 27.11.0, © 1991-2026 Adobe. All rights reserved. - from the file “Filter Gallery.plugin”
   Glowing Edges 27.11.0, © 1991-2026 Adobe. All rights reserved. - from the file “Filter Gallery.plugin”
   Grain 27.11.0, © 1991-2026 Adobe. All rights reserved. - from the file “Filter Gallery.plugin”
   Graphic Pen 27.11.0, © 1991-2026 Adobe. All rights reserved. - from the file “Filter Gallery.plugin”
   Halftone Pattern 27.11.0, © 1991-2026 Adobe. All rights reserved. - from the file “Filter Gallery.plugin”
   Halide Bottlenecks 27.11 © 2024-2026 Adobe. All rights reserved. - from the file “HalideBottlenecks.plugin”
   HDRMergeUI 27.11, Copyright © 2002-2026 Adobe. All rights reserved. - from the file “HDRMergeUI.plugin”
   HSB/HSL 27.11.0, © 2003-2026 Adobe. All rights reserved. - from the file “Standard Multiplugin.plugin”
   IFF Format 27.11.0, © 2003-2026 Adobe. All rights reserved. - from the file “Standard Multiplugin.plugin”
   Ink Outlines 27.11.0, © 1991-2026 Adobe. All rights reserved. - from the file “Filter Gallery.plugin”
   JPEG 2000 27.11 © 2001-2026 Adobe. All rights reserved. - from the file “JPEG2000.plugin”
   Kurtosis 27.11 © 2006-2026 Adobe. All rights reserved. - from the file “statistics.plugin”
   Lens Blur 27.11.0, © 2002-2026 Adobe. All rights reserved. - from the file “Lens Blur.plugin”
   Lens Correction 27.11.0, © 2002-2026 Adobe. All rights reserved. - from the file “Lens Correct.plugin”
   Lens Flare 27.11.0, © 2003-2026 Adobe. All rights reserved. - from the file “Standard Multiplugin.plugin”
   Liquify 27.11.0, © 2001-2026 Adobe. All rights reserved. - from the file “Liquify.plugin”
   Matlab Operation 27.11 © 1993-2026 Adobe. All rights reserved. - from the file “ChannelPort.plugin”
   Maximum 27.11 © 2006-2026 Adobe. All rights reserved. - from the file “statistics.plugin”
   Mean 27.11 © 2006-2026 Adobe. All rights reserved. - from the file “statistics.plugin”
   Measurement Core 27.11 © 1993-2026 Adobe. All rights reserved. - from the file “MeasurementCore.plugin”
   Median 27.11 © 2006-2026 Adobe. All rights reserved. - from the file “statistics.plugin”
   Mezzotint 27.11.0, © 2003-2026 Adobe. All rights reserved. - from the file “Standard Multiplugin.plugin”
   Minimum 27.11 © 2006-2026 Adobe. All rights reserved. - from the file “statistics.plugin”
   Mosaic Tiles 27.11.0, © 1991-2026 Adobe. All rights reserved. - from the file “Filter Gallery.plugin”
   Multiprocessor Support 27.11 © 1990-2026 Adobe. All rights reserved. - from the file “MultiProcessor Support.plugin”
   Neon Glow 27.11.0, © 1991-2026 Adobe. All rights reserved. - from the file “Filter Gallery.plugin”
   Note Paper 27.11.0, © 1991-2026 Adobe. All rights reserved. - from the file “Filter Gallery.plugin”
   NTSC Colors 27.11 © 1993-2026 Adobe. All rights reserved. - from the file “NTSC Colors.plugin”
   Ocean Ripple 27.11.0, © 1991-2026 Adobe. All rights reserved. - from the file “Filter Gallery.plugin”
   OpenEXR 27.11.0, © 2003-2026 Adobe. All rights reserved. - from the file “Standard Multiplugin.plugin”
   Paint Daubs 27.11.0, © 1991-2026 Adobe. All rights reserved. - from the file “Filter Gallery.plugin”
   Palette Knife 27.11.0, © 1991-2026 Adobe. All rights reserved. - from the file “Filter Gallery.plugin”
   Parametric Filter 21.0 © 2019 Adobe. All rights reserved. - from the file “MaterialFilter.plugin”
   Patchwork 27.11.0, © 1991-2026 Adobe. All rights reserved. - from the file “Filter Gallery.plugin”
   Paths to Illustrator 27.11.0, © 2003-2026 Adobe. All rights reserved. - from the file “Standard Multiplugin.plugin”
   PCX 27.11 © 1989-2026 Adobe. All rights reserved. - from the file “PCX.plugin”
   Photocopy 27.11.0, © 1991-2026 Adobe. All rights reserved. - from the file “Filter Gallery.plugin”
   Picture Package Filter 27.11 © 1993-2026 Adobe. All rights reserved. - from the file “ChannelPort.plugin”
   Pinch 27.11.0, © 2003-2026 Adobe. All rights reserved. - from the file “Standard Multiplugin.plugin”
   Pixar 27.11 © 1989-2026 Adobe. All rights reserved. - from the file “Pixar.plugin”
   Plaster 27.11.0, © 1991-2026 Adobe. All rights reserved. - from the file “Filter Gallery.plugin”
   Plastic Wrap 27.11.0, © 1991-2026 Adobe. All rights reserved. - from the file “Filter Gallery.plugin”
   Pointillize 27.11.0, © 2003-2026 Adobe. All rights reserved. - from the file “Standard Multiplugin.plugin”
   Polar Coordinates 27.11.0, © 2003-2026 Adobe. All rights reserved. - from the file “Standard Multiplugin.plugin”
   Portable Bit Map 27.11 © 1989-2026 Adobe. All rights reserved. - from the file “PBM.plugin”
   Poster Edges 27.11.0, © 1991-2026 Adobe. All rights reserved. - from the file “Filter Gallery.plugin”
   Radial Blur 27.11.0, © 2003-2026 Adobe. All rights reserved. - from the file “Standard Multiplugin.plugin”
   Radiance 27.11 © 2003-2026 Adobe. All rights reserved. - from the file “Radiance.plugin”
   Range 27.11 © 2006-2026 Adobe. All rights reserved. - from the file “statistics.plugin”
   Render Color Lookup Grid 27.11 © 2012-2026 Adobe. All rights reserved. - from the file “Export3DLUT.plugin”
   Reticulation 27.11.0, © 1991-2026 Adobe. All rights reserved. - from the file “Filter Gallery.plugin”
   Ripple 27.11.0, © 2003-2026 Adobe. All rights reserved. - from the file “Standard Multiplugin.plugin”
   Rough Pastels 27.11.0, © 1991-2026 Adobe. All rights reserved. - from the file “Filter Gallery.plugin”
   Save for Web 27.11.0, © 1999-2026 Adobe. All rights reserved. - from the file “Save for Web.plugin”
   Save for Web Drover 27.11.0, © 1999-2026 Adobe. All rights reserved. - from the file “Save for Web Drover.plugin”
   ScriptingSupport 27.11, © 2002-2026 Adobe. All rights reserved. - from the file “ScriptingSupport.plugin”
   Shear 27.11.0, © 2003-2026 Adobe. All rights reserved. - from the file “Standard Multiplugin.plugin”
   Skewness 27.11 © 2006-2026 Adobe. All rights reserved. - from the file “statistics.plugin”
   Smart Blur 27.11.0, © 2003-2026 Adobe. All rights reserved. - from the file “Standard Multiplugin.plugin”
   Smudge Stick 27.11.0, © 1991-2026 Adobe. All rights reserved. - from the file “Filter Gallery.plugin”
   Solarize 27.11 © 1993-2026 Adobe. All rights reserved. - from the file “Solarize.plugin”
   SP Substance Suite 21.0 © 2019 Adobe. All rights reserved. - from the file “MaterialSuite.plugin”
   Spatter 27.11.0, © 1991-2026 Adobe. All rights reserved. - from the file “Filter Gallery.plugin”
   Spherize 27.11.0, © 2003-2026 Adobe. All rights reserved. - from the file “Standard Multiplugin.plugin”
   Sponge 27.11.0, © 1991-2026 Adobe. All rights reserved. - from the file “Filter Gallery.plugin”
   Sprayed Strokes 27.11.0, © 1991-2026 Adobe. All rights reserved. - from the file “Filter Gallery.plugin”
   Stained Glass 27.11.0, © 1991-2026 Adobe. All rights reserved. - from the file “Filter Gallery.plugin”
   Stamp 27.11.0, © 1991-2026 Adobe. All rights reserved. - from the file “Filter Gallery.plugin”
   Standard Deviation 27.11 © 2006-2026 Adobe. All rights reserved. - from the file “statistics.plugin”
   Substance 3D Viewer 0.25.1 © 2024-2025 Adobe. All rights reserved. - from the file “Substance3DViewerForPs.plugin”
   Sumi-e 27.11.0, © 1991-2026 Adobe. All rights reserved. - from the file “Filter Gallery.plugin”
   Summation 27.11 © 2006-2026 Adobe. All rights reserved. - from the file “statistics.plugin”
   Targa 27.11.0, © 2003-2026 Adobe. All rights reserved. - from the file “Standard Multiplugin.plugin”
   Texturizer 27.11.0, © 1991-2026 Adobe. All rights reserved. - from the file “Filter Gallery.plugin”
   Tiles 27.11.0, © 2003-2026 Adobe. All rights reserved. - from the file “Standard Multiplugin.plugin”
   Torn Edges 27.11.0, © 1991-2026 Adobe. All rights reserved. - from the file “Filter Gallery.plugin”
   Twirl 27.11.0, © 2003-2026 Adobe. All rights reserved. - from the file “Standard Multiplugin.plugin”
   Underpainting 27.11.0, © 1991-2026 Adobe. All rights reserved. - from the file “Filter Gallery.plugin”
   Vanishing Point 27.11.0, © 2003-2026 Adobe. All rights reserved. - from the file “VanishingPoint.plugin”
   Variance 27.11 © 2006-2026 Adobe. All rights reserved. - from the file “statistics.plugin”
   Water Paper 27.11.0, © 1991-2026 Adobe. All rights reserved. - from the file “Filter Gallery.plugin”
   Watercolor 27.11.0, © 1991-2026 Adobe. All rights reserved. - from the file “Filter Gallery.plugin”
   Wave 27.11.0, © 2003-2026 Adobe. All rights reserved. - from the file “Standard Multiplugin.plugin”
   Wind 27.11.0, © 2003-2026 Adobe. All rights reserved. - from the file “Standard Multiplugin.plugin”
   Wireless Bitmap 27.11 © 1989-2026 Adobe. All rights reserved. - from the file “WBMP.plugin”
   ZigZag 27.11.0, © 2003-2026 Adobe. All rights reserved. - from the file “Standard Multiplugin.plugin”

Optional and third party plugins: NONE


Duplicate and Disabled plugins: NONE


Plugins that failed to load: NONE

Unified Extensibility Platform - Extensions:

   Home Screen (Loaded) 10.11.0.95 - from Required folder
   CmdN: 1.34.14
   CmdN Redesign: 1.0.107
   FMS: 1.20.4
   UAM: 1.40.0
   UAB: 2.18.0-17
   UAB4: 5.235.2
   SAM.js: 10.0.697
   AXT: 1.0.8
   PTF: 0.11.0
      Loaded at: 58 ms - launch time impact: 120 ms
   ccx-timeline (Prepared) 3.1.12.0 - from Required folder
   CCX Commenting UXP Webview (Loaded) 30.20.1.0 - from Required folder
      Loaded at: 1557 ms - launch time impact: 0 ms
   Adobe Stock (Prepared) 4.1.0.15 - from Required folder
   Beta Feedback (Prepared) 1.15.5.0 - from Required folder
   CCX Sharesheet UXP (Prepared) 30.37.17.0 - from Required folder
   CC Libraries Panel (Prepared) 4.14.50.0 - from Shared CEP folder
   CAPTURE: 2.0.41  STOCK: 4.2.7
   Unified Account Menu (Loaded) 1.50.0.0 - from Shared UXP folder
      Loaded at: 63 ms - launch time impact: 0 ms
   Share Panel (Loaded) 1.0.35.0 - from Required folder
      Loaded at: 63 ms - launch time impact: 0 ms
   In app notifications (Loaded) 10.0.1016.0 - from Required folder
      Loaded at: 64 ms - launch time impact: 0 ms
   Content Credentials (Loaded) 0.59.28.0 - from Required folder
      Loaded at: 1420 ms - launch time impact: 0 ms
   Parametric Filter (Prepared) 1.0.0.0 - from Required folder
   Photoshop Adjustments Panel (Loaded) 2.3.31.0 - from Required folder
      Loaded at: 1557 ms - launch time impact: 1 ms
   Photoshop UXP Export-As (Prepared) 5.12.20.0 - from Required folder
   Photoshop In App Messaging (Loaded) 5.0.1.0 - from Required folder
      Loaded at: 1558 ms - launch time impact: 0 ms
   Information Alert (Prepared) 0.5.0.0 - from Required folder
   Photoshop Selection Feedback (Prepared) 0.5.0.0 - from Required folder
   Plugins Panel (Prepared) 1.6.9.0 - from Required folder
   Substance 3D Viewer Plugin for Photoshop (Prepared) 1.0.0.0 - from Shared UXP folder
   IC popup message (Loaded) 1.0.0.0
      Loaded at: 1421 ms - launch time impact: 0 ms
   Multilayer Protection (Loaded) 1.0.0.0
      Loaded at: 1421 ms - launch time impact: 0 ms
   Discover Panel (Loaded) 2608.148.0.503 - from Required folder
      Loaded at: 1648 ms - launch time impact: 10 ms
   Neural Filters (Registered) 1.15.0.109 - from Required folder
   Scan time: 0 ms - entries: 31 

Installed TWAIN devices: NONE

GPU compatibility check:

Pass:    Metal available
Pass:    Above required VRAM (19069 MB of 1500 MB required)
GPU Detected: Apple M5 (APPLE)

Related report

This appears related to the existing report regarding high WindowServer GPU usage on macOS Tahoe:

https://community.adobe.com/bug-reports-711/high-windowserver-gpu-usage-on-macos-tahoe-same-issue-as-illustrator-fixed-in-illustrator-beta-30-8-72-1635569

Video Recordings

2560x1440 HiDPI enabled (layer free transform)
https://youtu.be/RfQ7yWjY5W0
2560x1440 HiDPI disabled (layer free transform)
https://youtu.be/RgE94mEDm8E
2560x1440 HiDPI enabled [2]
https://youtu.be/Z4j7qAGQ9Zw
2560x1440 HiDPI disabled [2]
https://youtu.be/M7SEzC6HzO8

Petar26655212pizq

Participant

Looks like the issue has not been resolved. On my Macbook Air M5:
When Photoshop is opened on my external 4K or 5K monitor, GPU usage is at 80% and PS is very laggy. Moving PS to the laptop’s display or entering fullscreen with F improves the situation somewhat.

This is on both macOS 26 and 27 and on both PS 2026 and PS 2026 Beta

tomzag

Inspiring

I agree. Marking that comment as the "Correct Answer" is misleading, since it suggests the issue is resolved, it isn't. The suggested change (Window > deselect "Application Frame") also significantly alters the look and feel of Photoshop. It works as a workaround, but it's not a solution.

Thomas Zagler | Plugin Developer (Pixelsucht)

Show more replies

External display / HiDPI behavior

Steps to reproduce

Additional workaround / diagnostic finding

System configuration

Related report

Video Recordings

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