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ChristianrumbleGmbH
ChristianrumbleGmbH
Participant
April 16, 2026

Photoshop 2026 Layer Move Uses CPU Instead of GPU on macOS Tahoe

  • April 16, 2026
  • 2 replies
  • 49 views

GPU not utilized during layer move — 200% CPU on M3 Max (macOS Tahoe)

System info
Photoshop version: 2026 (latest)
OS: macOS Tahoe
Hardware: MacBook Pro M3 Max
 

Issue description
When moving a layer using the Move tool, Photoshop uses 200%+ CPU while GPU utilization remains at approximately 1%. This causes severe performance degradation and makes the application feel unresponsive during basic layer operations. The GPU is recognized by Photoshop but is not being utilized for compositing or rendering during layer movement.
 

Steps to reproduce
1. Open any document in Photoshop 2026
2. Select a layer and use the Move tool to drag it
3. Monitor CPU and GPU usage via Activity Monitor — CPU spikes to 200%+, GPU stays at ~1%
 

Expected behavior
GPU should handle layer compositing and rendering during move operations, keeping CPU usage at a reasonable level.
 

Actual behavior
All rendering is offloaded to the CPU. The M3 Max GPU (which has 40 GPU cores) is almost completely idle. This appears to be a Metal/GPU acceleration regression specific to macOS Tahoe, as the issue did not occur on earlier macOS versions.
 

Workarounds tried (none resolved the issue)
— GPU Compositing disabled in Advanced GPU Settings
— Deleted ~/Library/Application Support/Adobe/CameraRaw/GPU folder
— Reset Photoshop preferences (Option+Cmd+Shift on launch)
— Native Canvas deactivate option no longer present in Technology Previews (removed in PS 2026)


Additional notes
Cannot downgrade macOS due to IT policy. A patch for PS 2026 / macOS Tahoe compatibility would be the only viable fix. Other users on M3 Max + Tahoe appear to be affected by the same issue.

    2 replies

    Andrew Sender
    Community Manager
    Andrew SenderCommunity Manager
    Community Manager
    April 20, 2026

    Hi ​@ChristianrumbleGmbH ,

    My team and I work on GPU compositing in Photoshop. Thank you for taking the time to describe what you’re seeing and for flagging it for us.

    As ​@CMass  mentioned, could you please paste your full Help → System Info (Help → System Info, copy all text) into a reply or attach it as a text file? That gives us the exact build, GPU driver context, and other details we need to investigate properly.

    To make sure we’re aligned on the behavior you’re reporting: are you comparing GPU usage before and after upgrading to macOS Tahoe (i.e., GPU utilization was noticeably higher on an earlier macOS version for the same kind of document and action), or are you asking that Photoshop make more use of the GPU during layer moves in general, even if you don’t have a clear “before Tahoe” baseline?

    One more constraint worth calling out: GPU compositing is currently supported only for RGB, 8‑bit/channel documents. If your file is in another mode (e.g., 16‑bit, 32‑bit, or CMYK), that can explain low or minimal GPU involvement for some operations even when a capable GPU is present.

    Thanks again — once we have your System Info and answers to the questions above, we can dig in more effectively.

    Best regards,
    Andrew

     

    CMass
    Community Manager
    CMassCommunity Manager
    Community Manager
    April 17, 2026

    Hey @ChristianrumbleGmbH

    Thank you for taking the time to share such detailed information—it's genuinely helpful for narrowing this down. I understand how frustrating it is not being able to see file locations, especially when you’re working with multiple versions of similar files.

    To help us investigate this more thoroughly, could you please share the exact version of Photoshop you're using? You can find this by going to Help > System Info. Once that window opens, copy all the information, paste it into a text file, and attach it to your reply.

    I wasn’t able to reproduce the issue on my end, but I’ve already passed your report along to the team so they can take a closer look and run additional tests. Your details will make a big difference in helping us pinpoint what’s going on.

    ^CM

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