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dencon
Known Participant
May 6, 2026

Save for Web disappears. Works for first image, then it's gone "system cannot find the path specified"

  • May 6, 2026
  • 4 replies
  • 22 views

Using either Beta or the latest version of Photoshop, the Save for Web feature is sometimes there, but mostly not. It might be there for the first image, but after that, there’s a pop-up “...system cannot find the path specified”. Using ctr/alt/shift/save doesn’t open the dialog box and  it’s missing in the dropdown menu.  

Windows 11

    4 replies

    dencon
    denconAuthor
    Known Participant
    May 7, 2026

    Thanks for your help, so far!  Well, I reset preferences (AND restarted PC) — bupkis! Same result. First Save to Web OK, Second Save to Web “can’t find path specified”. It doesn’t matter whether a psd, tiff or jpg.

    By the way, I don’t use actions either. Full disclosure, I’m no longer working for clients. Just me, and every image is treated somewhat differently…in Photoshop, that is. As I mentioned, most of the work is done (with masking mostly) in Camera Raw.  

    And this inability to Save to Web (a quick process I’ve used for, dare I say, a decade, which I use to downsize for emails mostly) is a must to get back.

    For now, I’ll blame Windows. Or the erratic weather. 

    Is IS a puzzlement!  (Am I dating myself?)

     

    dencon
    denconAuthor
    Known Participant
    May 7, 2026

    At this point, I can only guess it’s a Windows issue. When isn’t it? I can “Save to Web” once. Then I have to close Photoshop, reopen, and Save to Web once again, etc. Maddening. Might have to reset preferences on an old version and see what shakes. 

    Stephen Marsh
    Community Expert
    Community Expert
    May 6, 2026

    I have never used scripts ...ever.

     

    I understand, personally, I couldn’t use Photoshop without scripts (or even actions).

     

    Here is a script from Adobe’s Jeff Tranberry, which converts the current file to sRGB, opens Save for Web, then steps back in history to the step before converting to sRGB.

     

    // https://www.tranberry.com/photoshop/photoshop_scripting/scripts/sRGBs4w.jsx

    // enable double clicking from the Macintosh Finder or the Windows Explorer
    #target photoshop

    // in case we double clicked the file
    app.bringToFront();

    main();

    function main() {
    if ( app.documents.length <= 0 ) {
    alert("You must have a document open to Save For Web");
    return;
    }

    // Convert the Profile to sRGB
    app.activeDocument.convertProfile("sRGB IEC61966-2.1", Intent.RELATIVECOLORIMETRIC);



    // Run Save for web and fix the document state
    try {
    RunSaveForWeb();
    PreviousState();
    }
    catch (error) {
    if (error.number != 8007) // Don't report user cancelled errors.
    alert (error); // + ":" + error.line);
    }




    // This is a function that restores the document to the original profile
    // by stepping back a step in the history palette
    function PreviousState() {
    var id50 = charIDToTypeID( "slct" );
    var desc7 = new ActionDescriptor();
    var id51 = charIDToTypeID( "null" );
    var ref1 = new ActionReference();
    var id52 = charIDToTypeID( "HstS" );
    var id53 = charIDToTypeID( "Ordn" );
    var id54 = charIDToTypeID( "Prvs" );
    ref1.putEnumerated( id52, id53, id54 );
    desc7.putReference( id51, ref1 );
    executeAction( id50, desc7, DialogModes.NO );
    }


    // This is a function that calls the Save For Web Dialog
    function RunSaveForWeb() {
    var id637 = charIDToTypeID( "slct" );
    var desc89 = new ActionDescriptor();
    var id638 = charIDToTypeID( "null" );
    var ref21 = new ActionReference();
    var id639 = charIDToTypeID( "Mn " );
    var id640 = charIDToTypeID( "MnIt" );
    var id641 = charIDToTypeID( "Svfw" );
    ref21.putEnumerated( id639, id640, id641 );
    desc89.putReference( id638, ref21 );
    executeAction( id637, desc89, DialogModes.NO );
    }
    }

     

    Instructions for using this code:

     

    1. Copy the code text to the clipboard
    2. Open a new blank file in a plain-text editor (not in a word processor)
    3. Paste the code in
    4. Save as a plain text format file – .txt
    5. Rename the saved file extension from .txt to .jsx
    6. Install or browse to the .jsx file to run (see below)

    https://prepression.blogspot.com/2017/11/downloading-and-installing-adobe-scripts.html

    Stephen Marsh
    Community Expert
    Community Expert
    May 6, 2026

    Have you tried resetting preferences (first backing up custom actions, brushes and other presets)?

    dencon
    denconAuthor
    Known Participant
    May 6, 2026

    Not yet. I’ve downloaded an older version  27.0 just to see. It’s odd. It works for the first image I save for web, but no subsequent. I’ll look into resetting preferences. I can’t remember the last time I saved a Photoshop preference — most everything I do is in Camera Raw.  

     

    Stephen Marsh
    Community Expert
    Community Expert
    May 6, 2026

    Offhand the only other thing that I can think of is too see if calling Save for Web via a script works, as that is accessing the command in a different way.