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Answered

Photoshop tool icons are missing

Forum|Forum|3 years ago
June 27, 2023
124 replies
41122 views

Recenlty my Photoshop tool icons simply do not appear on the toolbar. they function fine but it is troublesome to find the right tool. The only way I could solve this is to reinstall photoshop but I cannot possibly do that every day.

Windows

Correct answer Sameer K

Hey, @Stefan31701036zdnm. Welcome to the Photoshop Community. I'll help you figure this out.

What version of Photoshop are you working on? Moving this to discussions for now.

Try this:

Go to the following location on Windows 10/11: Users/[user name]/AppData/Roaming/Adobe/UXP/PluginsStorage/PHSP
Press Windows + R & type this is the Run Window - %APPDATA%\Adobe\UXP\PluginsStorage
In the PHSP Folder, rename the 26 folder by adding a .old at the end. ('26' > Rename > '26.old')

These changes will give a refresh to panels in Photoshop. Let me know how it goes.

Thanks!

Sameer K

Show previous replies

J

Jeff-Artfully-Graphic

Participant

When I open Photoshop, the left toolbar icons become grayed out, blank, or partially invisible. The tools appear to still be there, but the icons do not display correctly and the toolbar becomes difficult to use. At the same time, my Creative Cloud Libraries panel also loads slower.

This happens even when I create a brand-new untitled document, so it does not seem to be related to one specific PSD file.

Troubleshooting already attempted:

Restarted Photoshop
Restarted the computer
Reset the workspace
Restored toolbar defaults
Renamed/reset the Photoshop 2026 Settings folder in AppData/Roaming
Tested with a brand-new untitled document
Checked whether the issue was tied to a specific file

The issue still continues after these steps.

Expected result:
The Photoshop toolbar should display all tool icons normally, and Creative Cloud Libraries should load correctly.

Actual result:
Toolbar icons appear gray, blank, or missing, and Creative Cloud Libraries fail to load or stop working at the same time.

This appears to possibly be related to Creative Cloud Libraries, Adobe sync/background services, or a Photoshop 2026 UI rendering issue.

I can provide screenshots showing the toolbar issue, as well as my Help > System Info details if needed.

Moved to Photoshop by a moderator Forum

Ged_Traynor

Community Expert

@Snowdrop_1 I replied to your other post, see if the correct answer in the link I posted helps with this issue as well

Snowdrop_1

Participating Frequently

I click on the link, and it tells me there's no such page. I just started using the forum. I click on the message in the notification. Is there some way to show me this link again?

jane-e

Community Expert

@Snowdrop_1 wrote “Is there some way to show me this link again?”

Your post was merged with the longer thread that Ged linked to.

https://community.adobe.com/questions%2D712/photoshop%2Dtool%2Dicons%2Dare%2Dmissing%2D1183294?postid=7538645#post7538645

Scroll to the top of this thread to see the answer (highlighted in green) that is marked Correct — or use this link:

https://community.adobe.com/questions-712/photoshop-tool-icons-are-missing-1183294?postid=4842421#post4842421

Jane

Ged_Traynor

Community Expert

@Snowdrop_1 have a look at the correct answer in this thread to see if it helps

Snowdrop_1

Participating Frequently

Thank you, the icons on the toolbar are now visible.

Snowdrop_1

Participating Frequently

The icons in the Adjustments window aren't showing up. I've been struggling with this for about six months now. All the icons in this window have disappeared, and I don't understand why. I've tried completely uninstalling Photoshop and reinstalling it, but nothing helps. Can you help me with this problem? It's incredibly inconvenient. I use this window very often, but due to some error, I have to endure it.

Unfortunately, my interface language is in Russian, and I can't change it to English.

Snowdrop_1

Participating Frequently

When I first launch Photoshop, the toolbar icons don't appear. If I restart the program, they may appear, but they may not, forcing me to restart it again.

I've tried completely uninstalling Photoshop and reinstalling it, but nothing works. The program has the latest updates.

theheredia

Participant

This actually worked for me. I’ve tried many other suggestions. Thanks for your help.

I renamed the 27 folder, and everything works now.

Claire H.

Community Manager

@theheredia glad to hear the solution worked for you! Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any other questions or encounter any issues. Happy editing! ^CH

Ged_Traynor

Community Expert

@nguyenkt08 have a look at the correct answer in this thread to see if it helps

N

nguyenkt08

Known Participant

ver 27 or above, cannot even start photoshop, and have to restart the PC

Pete.Green

Hi all,

We’d love to address this one, but currently haven’t been able to reproduce. So a few questions:

Are you still seeing this in the latest builds/versions of Photoshop? (latest as of this question is Ps 27.4)
Do the instructions from Sameer resolve it for you?
Does turning off (unchecking) “Enable Modern User Interface) in Preferences > Technology Previews and restarting Photoshop make a difference?
Does resetting the toolbar in Edit > Toolbar… help?
1. Bring up the Edit Toolbar dialog, then hold Option/Alt and click Reset
Does resetting the Photoshop preferences help?
1. Recommend the Manual reset process so you can save and restore your preferences if it doesn’t make a difference

Let us know if any of the above help, or if you have more details on how to get into a state like this.

Thank you!

Regards,

Pete

Snowdrop_1

Participating Frequently

Please let me know how you managed to fix this issue in the end; I just can’t seem to solve it. I’ve been struggling with these icons for half a year now. The company is integrating AI into its product, but fixing the issue with how the icons are displayed is proving to be quite a challenge.

B

Birdwoman

Known Participant

I’m leaving this reply because I haven’t found where to start a NEW issue. If possible, please forward:

I just began using the latest Photoshop 2026 Version.
Keyboard shortcuts for Sharpen Edges and Sharpen More are missing. I need those shortcuts.

Kami