Photoshop 2026/27.x Freezes During Editing on Windows 11 with RTX 4070 Ti — GPU and Clean Driver Reinstall Didn't Help

Hi everyone,

I'm experiencing persistent freezing and severe performance issues in Photoshop 2026 on Windows 11, and I'm hoping someone can help me identify the cause.

System specifications

• OS: Windows 11 Home, build 26300

• CPU: Intel Core i7-13700KF

• GPU: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti (12 GB VRAM)

• RAM: 32 GB

• NVIDIA driver: 617.42

• Photoshop: 2026 (27.x)

The problem

The New Document window sometimes freezes immediately after opening. If I wait long enough, it may eventually become responsive and allow me to create a document.

The problem also occurs while editing existing PSD files. Photoshop may work initially, but after a while the interface becomes extremely sluggish or freezes temporarily. Sometimes Windows reports that Photoshop is not responding, but it can recover after waiting. This makes it very difficult to work normally.

I also experienced similar sluggishness with Photoshop Beta. Rolling back to an earlier Photoshop version improved the situation slightly, but did not resolve it. I previously experienced similar issues with Adobe Acrobat, although I cannot confirm that the cause was identical.

What I have tried so far

• Disabled and re-enabled GPU acceleration. This appeared to help temporarily, but the problem returned.

• Performed a clean NVIDIA driver reinstall using DDU.

• Tested Photoshop Beta and an earlier Photoshop release.

• Reset Photoshop preferences.

• Cleared the Photoshop font cache.

• Changed the Windows power plan and disabled Intelligent Standby List Cleaner (ISLC).

• Investigated installed fonts and possible virtual display drivers.

None of these steps has permanently fixed the issue.

Additional observations

During one diagnostic session, Photoshop's memory usage increased rapidly to approximately 15–16 GB of working-set memory, while its private memory reached approximately 23 GB. Total system RAM usage rose to around 78%. Photoshop's responsiveness temporarily changed to “Not Responding” and later recovered.

The GPU temperature remained around 46–49°C, and VRAM usage was nowhere near the card's 12 GB capacity. I have not found evidence of the GPU or disk reaching maximum utilization during the observed freezes.

I have also used several Windows gaming/FPS optimization tweaks, including service and registry changes. I'm unsure whether any of them could be contributing to the problem.

My questions

1. Has anyone experienced similar Photoshop freezing or UI responsiveness problems on Windows 11 with an NVIDIA GPU, particularly in Photoshop 2026/27.x?

2. Could this be related to GPU compositing, OpenCL, Windows graphics components, memory management, or Windows optimization tweaks?

3. Are there any specific diagnostic logs or tests that could help identify the underlying cause?

I would appreciate any suggestions beyond the usual steps of reinstalling Photoshop, resetting preferences, or reinstalling the graphics driver, as I have already tried these.

Thank you!