P: PS 26.5 Droplets Could not complete the Create Droplet command because the file was not found.

[hadi_9157]

When I create a droplet in Photoshop 2025, it creates a folder instead of an EXE file. What is the solution?

[struffsky]

Please also bear in mind that the Droplets are still Intel code and may no longer work after the end of Rosetta 2 next year. More than just repairs will be needed.

[ront88495709]

following thread for needed resolution

[nineth1rteen]

I'm having the exact same issue. I was running 26.8 and was having the problem could not create a droplet and had the same 2 error messages. I just upgraded to 26.9. Still not fixed. I'd love if we could cut back on jamming in all these gimmicky AI features. I'd really just like all of the basic aspects of the program to function as they should. 

[Christopher3440329747o5]

Adobe needs to fire their programmers and get back the ones who started Adobe. 

Why do we pay for a product that doesn't work? 

[ExUSA]

Adobe will be releasing new versions of everything at Adobe MAX in October, probably around the timeframe that macOS Tahoe is released. Its possible that droplets are removed as a feature, or that we see a fix then. There are workarounds available if you read through this thread.

[estrix1968]

Bevor ich hier jetzt den ganzen Verlauf durchlesen muss wäre es toll eine Lösung direkt zu bekommen.

Welche Lösungen gibt es den um ein funktionierendes Droplet zu bekommen? Freue mich auf eine Antwort 😉

[Aaron Tipton]

Currently the only way to create a droplet is with macOS 15.3 or earlier. As of macOS 15.4 the Droplet creation process is broken and the resulting folder cannot be fixed.

[Scott_BFAR]

No, there are no workarounds to this issue. The suggestion of using Bridge etc are not acceptable workarounds and this functionality is in fact crippled at this time. 

[M-H]

No, there are no workarounds to this issue. 

By @Scott_BFAR 

Yes there are, what's your aim by confusing users on purpose? Droplets are self-contained actions for batching with "1 click drag-n-drop". Even without them you still got ways to batch images using same actions you would use to create droplets, it's just going to be 4 clicks instead of 1 - in my opinion its not the end of the world but I would also prefer if it was just working as intended.

[ExUSA]

What YOU may consider acceptable and what others may be ok with might differ. Please don't spread misinformation.

For anyone else reading, there have been multiple workarounds posted in this topic.

[Christopher3440329747o5]

Can you go into PS and create a droplet and PS not give you an error. NO!

We pay for an app to work, not to have to research workarounds. MAYBE ADOBE NEEDS TO DO A BETTER JOB!

[ExUSA]

Yelling about it doesn't get the bug fixed any faster. 

[Christopher3440329747o5]

IT HASN'T WORKED FOR A VERY LONG TIME!

SORRY BUT WHEN I PAY FOR SOMETHING - I WANT IT TO WORK!

[Scott_BFAR]

I am not confusing users and resent that comment. Batching is not a replacement for droplets. With droplets you can specifiy save as and location and other perameters which have to be manually entered every single time with batch. Droplets are broken and there is not a sufficient workaround. Period. 

[ExUSA]

So when a road is closed for construction do you scream endlessly about it and then go home and sulk, or do you drive around like everyone else? Life has detours. Adobe is working on a fix. SMDH.

[Christopher3440329747o5]

So this road has been closed for MANY YEARS! 

Adobe - just remove it from the app since you can't get it fixed. 

DEI!

[Aaron Tipton]

This might be an ACTUAL WORKAROUND for some of you that I found in the User Guide if you have access to a Windows PC. Apparently you can create a Droplet in Windows and convert it to use on a Mac with a few exceptions…

Tips for cross-platform droplets

When creating droplets for both Windows and Mac OS, keep the following compatibility issues in mind:

After moving a droplet created in Windows to Mac OS, you must drag the droplet onto the Photoshop icon on your desktop. Photoshop updates the droplet for use in Mac OS.

When creating a droplet in Mac OS, use the .exe extension to make droplets compatible with both Windows and Mac OS.

References to filenames are not supported between operating systems. If an action step references a file or folder name (such as an Open command, Save As command, or adjustment command that loads its settings from a file), execution pauses and the user is prompted for a filename.

[Christopher3440329747o5]

That's GREAT!

So now I need to go get a PC. HAHA!

[Aaron Tipton]

Or if you have an Intel mac you could go through the trouble of creating a BootCamp partition and install Windows there. But I haven't tested this workaround so I'm not sure the Win to Mac conversion would even work. It could run into the same issue for all I know. If anyone has a both set up to try it we'd love to hear the results.

[Christopher3440329747o5]

Or...

Wait for it...

Wait for it...

ADOBE CAN DO THEIR JOB THAT WE PAY THEM FOR AND FIX THESE ISSUES!

[Scott_BFAR]

It's a Mac issue. Our office does have one windows machine because one of our editors really likes windows. So it is a Mac issue. On windows you'll get permissions issues but you can still give droplets the needed permissions to run. 

[Aaron Tipton]

Hey @Scott_BFAR could you test this Windows workaround for us then? Make the Droplet in Windows then try this and see if it runs. The guide entry says some file naming actions or settings might not work right, so this might still be too limited for some.

After moving a droplet created in Windows to Mac OS, you must drag the droplet onto the Photoshop icon on your desktop. Photoshop updates the droplet for use in Mac OS.

[M-H]

@Aaron Tipton you cant just "convert" .exe to .app, the two are fundamentally different container formats (Windows executables vs. macOS bundles)

@Scott_BFAR what other parameters you can set only in droplet other than save path? Bridge has also Image Processor where you can specifiy destination path quite easily "per batch". Personally I'd create save step in JavaScript with paths either in the code or sourced from an external txt file. ChatGPT/Github Copilot spits out scripts like that in seconds. If you cant be asked Im happy to create one for you.

@Christopher3440329747o5 Photoshop droplets are working fine on Windows 10/11 and are also working fine on Mac OS 15.3 or earlier, how do you read that as Photoshop issue and not something wrong with latest Mac OS? Also no one is forcing you to a paid subscription, if you prefer other free solutions just go for it! Try how good Gimp's droplets are...

Question for Mac OS 15.4 users, is the issue aftecting each version of Photoshop or just 26.x? Have you tried using older 25.x or 22.x versions?

[Aaron Tipton]

@M-H  yes I'm aware of that. I quoted those instructions about conversion from Windows to Mac from the Photoshop User Guide, just asking if someone can test to see if it still works.

[M-H]

@Aaron Tipton this is what happens when I drag-n-dropped .exe on top of Photoshop.app: