Downgrading Photoshop to CS6. Recent updates are the worst

You are a windows user. So if you have a perpetual licences for CS6 you should be able the remove all creative cloud software and the use Adobe cleaner to wipe out all traces of Photoshop.  You should then bt able to re-install  your  perpetual Photoshop CS6 13.0  and activate it.  Then be sure you update CS6 13.0 to CS6 version 13.0.1.3.  Also  install ACR 9.1.1.   CS6 need its update to 13.0.1.3 for CS6 is very unstable  without its  updates.

CS6 works well bnut lack the good improvement like the latest  ACR and Content aware features and selections.  You will have a stable Photoshop for some time and need not be concerned about  what Adobe may do to Photoshop.

Photoshop has many enhanced and new features.... but pretty much has all of the old features as well, and you have the ability to remove panels, move panels, and save your workspace anyway you wish. ASnd some of the perhaps somethings annoying features like showing the little icon animation in the tools panel can be turned off. It pretty much works the same as it always did, with the addition of new features that can speed up the way you used to and still can do things.

".........With these new rearrangments I'm actually thinking of moving on.........."

Which new "rearrangements" concern you the most. Some changes are optional and can be reveretd to legacy in Preferences.

Dave

CS6 is ten years old and dead. It already won't run in MacOS, and Windows will probably follow soon.

FWIW, I have zero problems, performance or otherwise, and that goes for most of us here. But for those who do have problems, most of it is GPU-related, and some of those users have outdated and/or underpowered cards that won't cut it anymore. Not saying that's the case here; just pointing out that it's a real consideration.

Photoshop's GPU code has been based on the OpenGL and OpenCL interfaces, once the industry standard. Neither is supported in newer versions of MacOS and Windows, so that means the entire GPU code has to be rewritten for Metal in MacOS and DirectX in Windows. That's everything related to putting anything up on screen; a monumental job that is still in progress. You could say Apple and Microsoft pulled the rug from under Adobe.

Just FYI.