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beng97268695
Known Participant
August 14, 2025
Question

26.9 Remove Tool now insanely slow.

I've seen multiple posts on this problem for previous Ps versions (specifically 26.2). 

 

I've never experienced it until upgrading to 26.9 on an M4 MBP w 128GB of RAM.  

 

Remove Tool will take so long that it seems to have frozen - like 10 seconds or more sometimes. Doesn't matter if Generative AI is on / off / auto. Doesn't matter if brush size is big or small. Creating a 50% grey overlay layer then retouching on another layer over it doesn't solve this. 

 

Anyone else having this?

Might have to go back a version again to be able to use the program like I need to...

2 replies

Sameer K
Community Manager
Sameer KCommunity Manager
Community Manager
August 15, 2025

Hey, @beng97268695. Welcome to the Photoshop Community. Please share the system info from Photoshop Help > System info > Copy and paste into a text document > Upload and attach here.

 

Does this happen with a specific document after you've created a structure of layers? Do you have any clipped layers? 

In this case, you can begin by resetting the Remove tool itself. Right-click on the Remove Tool icon in the Toolbar menu and select Reset Tool.

 

SameerK_0-1689016920310.jpeg

 

Also, please test and confirm if the issue exists with Photoshop (Beta). You can get Photoshop (beta) from the Creative Cloud > Apps tab > Beta Apps section. 

 

Thanks! 
Sameer K

(Type '@' and type my name to mention me when you reply)

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beng97268695Author
Known Participant
August 17, 2025

@Sameer K  Thanks for the response! 

I'd downloaded Beta to check out the Harmonize feature (which shows promise). I didn't notice the Healing Tool being significantly faster in Beta. 

 

I tried Resetting the tool, and that did not work. Resetting made the Tool progress bar go from stalling out halfway through it's function, to not even showing any progress. 

 

Here's my unscientific theory as to what's happening:  I'm just overtaxing the tool. I'm noticing it when I'm working on big files - 10GB + , with large dimensions (from medium format cameras).  Everything else runs smoothly, even with the huge files - filter run quickly, and even Generative fill when expanding canvas is suitably fast. 

Just something about the Healing Tool that's bogging down Ps massively. 

An interesting note - when I cancel the Healing Tool function if it's stalled out in progress, then try to quit Ps, it takes a long time for the application to close - as if Ps is still working on the Healing function in the background (even though I cancelled it) before quitting Ps. 

 

I can restart my M4 MBP, or sometimes just restart Ps, and on smaller files, the Healing Tool works as it should - almost like I've reset things. 

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