P: Photoshop 26.7 can't be set as default app for JPGs or TIFs on MacOS

This actually sounds more like a macOS file association issue than a Photoshop issue itself.

A few people have reported that after updating Photoshop Beta, Adobe re-registers the Beta app as the preferred handler for PSD files, and macOS keeps reverting back even after using “Change All...”.

A couple things you can try:

• Fully quit Creative Cloud and Photoshop Beta before changing the default app

• Go to:

  • Finder → right click PSD file → Get Info

  • Select Photoshop 2026 manually

  • Click “Change All…”

• Then restart Finder or reboot the Mac immediately afterward

If it still switches back, the Beta app may be aggressively reclaiming file associations during launch/update.

You can also try:

• Opening Creative Cloud Desktop

• Disable auto-update for Photoshop Beta

• Or uninstall/reinstall the Beta version temporarily to reset associations

Another thing worth checking:
Sometimes the Beta and stable version have nearly identical bundle identifiers, which confuses Launch Services in macOS.

Advanced fix:
You can rebuild the macOS Launch Services database using Terminal commands, which often fixes stubborn default-app behavior.

A lot of users who keep both stable + Beta installed run into this exact annoyance unfortunately.

Install order matters. The latest installed, whatever it is, will take over file associations.

This is the way it has to work, otherwise the user would have to manually set file associations with every update. That would cause a ton of user complaints.

Now, as I understood, they recently added special code to the beta versions, to bypass this - but apparently not.

If changing associations manually doesn’t work, uninstall both versions in reverse order of install, then reinstall both, with the version you want to hold the associations installed last. 

Jeff, I have a similar interaction. But once I make Ps 2026 my default, it stays the default until the next Beta update. 

So, you change the default application, but do you change all the files ending in tiff, jpeg, png, psd, etc to Adobe Photoshop 2026.app? Hey, a stab in the dark, but just maybe…

-edit-

This “feature” just bit me! But it was providential, because it made me revisit my steps:

1. in Finder, right-click on a NEF (for example)
2.  select Open With
3. select Other…
4. select the app Adobe Photoshop 2026.app
5. click Always Open With

Suddenly, I’m having trouble changing the default Photoshop application I want my files to open with.

Whenever I update my Photoshop Beta version, it becomes the default Photoshop application and all files open in it when I double-click the file. However, I want to open the file in my regular Photoshop application by default. 

I know how to make the change globally by going to Get Info on the file, changing the default application to Photoshop 2026, then click on the button “Change All...” A popup appears asking me if I really want to change the default application. When I hit Continue, as I always have, I see that the default application goes back to Photoshop Beta. This just started happening last week. 

I personally hate when Photoshop Beta automatically becomes the default application. That being said, I wonder why when I try to change that, it goes back to the Beta. Any help?

Having this issue too on 27.1 running Seqoia 15.7.1, MacBook Pro M3 Pro

Same issue here. Photoshop cannot be assigned as default program except PSD files. I tried PS beta for the gen fill, but uninstalled it. Tried uninstalling PS as well, restarted, and reinstalled only PS ... and the problem persists. I feel like there's some stray file somewhere for PS beta that didn't get removed on the uninstall. 

@Aleke 

Hi all

There is some bug after update 26.11

we want to set to open Tif file default in Photoshop, but Get info on mac automatically roll back on adobe acrobat, for all other file formats works as usual. When we install all older Photoshop version works as usual.

pls help

Tnx

I had the same problem with 26.9 but it has been fixed since then. 26.10 works fine for me. 

Mac OS Tahoe 26 Beta 4