P: Dialog boxes / error messages pop up invisibly - macOS

[leaderz]

When an error or alert occurs the dialog box is invisible. Some examples of the alerts include but are not limited to: "No pixels were selected because the layer is empty" or "Do you want to save the document before closing?" Clicking anywhere on the screen prompts an audible error noise (as though you tried to click outside of the dialog box you've been prompted to respond to). The box is not appearing on a different monitor or behind other windows, it is simply invisible and cannot be interacted with unless you press Enter or Escape on the keyboard. Upon pressing the Escape key to close the dialog box, the box becomes visible for a fraction of a second before closing—revealing its location. This has hindered my workflow, especially when trying to close a document I don't want to save changes to because then I must force Photoshop to quit. Running on Mac. Version 23.2.2

[Marco Basile Images]

Yes, this is still happening for me. Seems to happen after having several (4-5) photos open. The Save As box does not appear, whether using Save As, Save As Copy, legacy, etc...

[Marco Basile Images]

Something I noted that may be contributing - when I close files in Photoshop 24.0.1 it does not release the memory. So if it was using 27GB before with 5 photos open for ex. , it does not go back to 2.5gb after I close all open files. Only if I restart does it release the memory back to the mac...

[Lorraine Mc]

jmvdigital, I guess Adobe didn't like the acryom in my last reply, my post has gone.

Updated to v24 and it got worse. Now it's happening in Lightroom too.

What are we paying for? I won't use the acroymn again as it appears to upset Adobe, but *** Adobe! Fix this mess!

[PECourtejoie]

@Marco Basile Images That seems to be normal behavior, Photoshop still has all your presets in memory, and might keep some memory at the ready. I know it sounds counter-intuitive, but a former Ps engineers explained me that it was to avoid memory fragmentation (Photoshop works better if the memory is in a single chunk)

[songofeireann]

Several times today Photoshop has acted like the window was suddenly inactive, and made the Mac alert sound when I attempted to click on it or perform any function. Unsaved progress is lost, and the only way to proceed is to force quit from the task manager. It seems to happen after some instances of using the touchpad three finger sweep to change from some other window back to Photoshop. 

Photoshop version 23.5.3

MacOS Monterey 12.6

[songofeireann]

I posted this as a standalone question but it was merged here by someone - does this mean my particular issue is also this invisible window and I need to press escape or enter?

[CShubert]

Hi @songofeireann yes, it was moved here because it appears to be an issue that the team is working on.

Thank you,

Cory

[songofeireann]

That's good news, thank you!

[Noriko98A2]

Just don't get your hopes up..they've been "working on it" for a while now.

[teodorac48712377]

Just updated to Photoshop 24.0.1 as someone suggested...BAD IDEA!!! Before, it used to do the hidden window thing from time to time, now it does it ALL THE TIME, even when not necessary!!! I open PS documents, don't do anthing to them (so nothing to save), when I try to close the document, the hidden window thing happens. This is a nightmare!! This error has been going on for way too long now!! PLEASE FIX IT!!!!!!!!!!!

[TheDigitalDog]

You just updated to 24.0.1 or 24.1 which was released today?

[teodorac48712377]

Literally Photoshop 24.0.1 is an absolute disaster!!!! The past two hours i've spent more time forcefully saving (no choice, hidden window, can only click enter and hope for the best) and restarting Photoshop, than I did actual work. The program is unusable!!!!!!!!!!

[teodorac48712377]

Pffft...it was Photoshop 24.1...Didn't realize a new version came out today...Anywaaaays...still no excuse...the update is a complete nightmare...I have a deadline for tomorrow and I will probably end up not sleeping tonight because I am fighting with Photoshop...

[TheDigitalDog]

You have a deadline; consider rolling back to whatever version worked for you (then turn off auto update in Adobe Creative Cloud.)

Do you want to go back to previous versions?

In Adobe Creative Cloud, select the product you wish to roll back, click on the three dots and select "Other Versions".

When not on a deadline, maybe update and test. 

[teodorac48712377]

Just downgraded to 24.0.1 (THANK YOU!!). So far so good. Already seems to have fixed one major issue I was having. 

[Israel Alemu]

FOR ANYONE STILL STRUGGLING WITH THIS: I HAVE A "SOLUTION" 

This has to be the most annoying problem i've faced in my photoshop career specially when you think all your problems are behind you with M1. If you're exeperiecing this, I feel your pain -- you're not alone! 

When you're having this problem and no key seems to give you a successful result but beep. YOU MUST HOLD OPTION and double click the PHOTOSHOP app icon: should bring the error dialog to the front. Works everytime for me.

Best of luck!  

[teodorac48712377]

@Israel Alemu dude!! DUDE!!! GOD BLESS YOU!!! ALL THE GOOD KARMA an all that!!!!! I've been repeatedly saying this and thinking of u since u posted this, just didn't get to write in here. IT FRIGGIN WORKS!!!! Every time. You just saved me 2 hours of work just now (and countless other hours before today). And you probably saved my computer from an angry punch...or at least my mouse. And my neighbours can now sleep peacefully without me waking them up in the middle of the night swearing at my computer. Cheers to you!!

[Jοhn Lоve-Jensen]

For Photoshop version 23.2.2 or later, running on Macintosh (Intel or ARM) under the current macOS Ventura 13.2.1, is this problem of invisible/behind dialog boxes, invisible/behind save dialog, invisible/behind open dialog, or invisible/behind popup messages still happening?

From the replies in the discussion — for the Macintosh related replies — one common factor appears to be macOS Monterey 12.x and macOS Big Sur 11.x.

I am interested in whether anyone is still experiencing this problem under macOS Ventura 13.x.  And if so, whether Spaces or Mission Control is somehow involved.

Also, thank you to the community for finding the Option+Click on the running Photoshop icon in the Dock to pull forward invisible/behind dialogs interim workaround.

Senior Computer Scientist - Digital Imaging - Photoshop

[courageous_youth15A7]

Ventura 13.2.1 here, hasn't happened with 24.2 nor with current beta.

[Dennisat]

What a shame, the PS is one of the most popular software and still is bleeding with UX bugs!!!

[robertw44482386]

Here to report that with 24.4.1 this problem has become much more prevalent again. 

Studio M1 Max 64GB RAM dual displays
Monterey 12.6.4

In recent versions it was an "afternoon" issue occasionally. It is now a "morning" issue reliably. Restarting the app cures it but with several open windows and an invisible dialog box for many of them required to close them, this is getting to be a big time waste again. Annoying. Restarting the app works every time but bosses looking over shoulders get sick of hearing this explanation.

Can't update to Ventura until IT oks it. Understandably they are skeptical.

[CShubert]

@robertw44482386 sorry to hear this.  Would it be possible for you to share a video of your screen and what you are seeing, the team needs some steps to reproduce this before they can solve it.

It may help if we could see your Photoshop System Info. Launch Photoshop, and select Help >System Info...and copy/paste the text in a reply.  

[robertw44482386]

Thanks for replying, yes I could post a video but there is nothing new to report, it is exactly as described by dozens of us over the past year in this long thread. It would seem you are treating this as an unknown new thing but it is over a year since it has been brought to the attention of this forum.

The video posted on 30 Apr, 2022 by mariussteffen.de is as perfect as any video I could upload. Moreover the option-clicking the dock icon, suggested in later pages of this thread restores the dialog box temporarily. So I don't think there is anything to gain by me uploading.

[MarkDS]

Photoshop 24.4.1. in Mac OS Monterey 12.6 in Mac Studio Ultra M1 2022 computer.

I send a large file from Lightroom to Photoshop using "Edit In..." in the Lightroom Photo menu. I create layers in Photoshop. That with the rendering results in a file that exceeds the TIFF default I use for saving files edited in Photoshop that are TIFF-compatible. BUT, before straying to Save, one cannot see in Photoshop when the sie of the document exceeds the TIFF limit. I try to Save in the usual way, so that it will reappear in Lightroom with the PS edits in place. If the file size is too large for TIFF, one is supposed to get a notification of the need to use PSB. HOWEVER - here's the bug - this notification does not appear on my display, so the application is stuck because I can't action anything. I need to push ESC multiple times to get rid of what is supposed to be a notification; Then the program clears allowing me to access all the menus again. Then I guess that the problem was too big a file for TIFF, so I do a "SAVE AS" and select the PSB format. The bug is that the notification is not showing so it prevents me from moving on to do this SAVE AS unless I press ESC enough times to unfreeze everything. This is not normal behaviour.

[nathanh33920683]

Running 2021 16" M1 Macbook Pro, 64GB RAM, Ventura 13.4
Still having this same problem intermittenly. Will attempt to apply an effect, edit an existing effect, etc and the app acts as though the dialogue pop-up is active, but there is nothing visible. ESC key cancels the dialogue and brings me back into the main interface. Sometimes restarting works, sometimes not.