Pinch to Zoom not working Photoshop 2025

[Cirrus Systems, Inc.]

Seeking assistance for a zooming issue. I have already checked and unchecked enable gestures and scroll to zoom, ensured that photoshop is using my systems graphics processor and the issue persists. I am able to zoom by pinching on other applications so it is not a hardware issue. The left-right scrolling also seems to be inverted. I have also uninstalled, reinstalled both photoshop 2024 and 2025. Any assistance would be much appricated as this has entirely derailed my workflow

[mglush]

Hi!

We are sorry you are having this problem!

Have you tried turning off your Graphics Processor to see if the issue persists? Go to Preferences>Performance and then unchecked use Graphics Processor? Then restart Photoshop and see if the issue still happens. I was unclear in your imformation if you had done that as well as unchecking Enable Gestures. Please let us know if that makes a difference? If not, you can go back to Preferences and turn it back on. 

Michelle

[Cirrus Systems, Inc.]

Hello!

I have tried turning the graphic processor off and restarting photshop. I also turned enable gestures off and did the same. After restarting photoshop both times the issue still persists, even after turning them both off and back on again.

[mustafa_hu1]

Hello,

I have the same problem with Photoshop 2025. I did all the aforementioned as well, still didn't fix the pinch to zoom and right-to-left inverted scroll problem. Did you find any solution for these two problems since then? I hope you share if you did as I really struggling with this.

Thanks 

[mustafa_hu1]

Hello,

I’m experiencing two issues with Photoshop 2025. Despite enabling gestures and performing the recommended fixes (like enabling "Animated Zoom," "Use Graphics Processor," and confirming system settings for pinch-to-zoom), the pinch-to-zoom feature on my trackpad does not work in Photoshop. Instead, it moves the canvas left to right (and vice versa) when I attempt to zoom in or out.

I’m wondering if anyone has found a solution to these two problems:

1. Pinch-to-zoom not functioning properly.
2. Right-to-left inverted scroll behavior on the trackpad.

I’d appreciate it if you could share any fixes or insights, as I’m really struggling with this.

Thanks!

[Jeff Arola]

In the Photoshop under Edit>Preferences>Tools do you have Zoom with Scroll Wheel checked?

If so, see if unchecking it makes any difference.

[mustafa_hu1]

Checking and unchecking it does what the feature used for. When I use the mouse scroll and alt, it does the zoom. But when I want to use the TouchPad instead of the mouse and pinch to zoom, it doesn't do it. It only moves the art board to the sides. 

I saw a video in which the person used the TouchPad for zooming with no problem. 

I'm wondering if I can make mine work too, or the newer update (2025 PS) doesn't include pinch to zoom. 

Thanks for replying and instructions 

[Aleke]

Hi @mustafa_hu1! How often do you encounter the problem? Does it happen intermittently or constantly? Could you also share your System Info? You can find it under Help > System Info. Just copy the info to a text file and attach it to your response. Thanks!

Best, Alek

[mustafa_hu1]

Hello,

Thank you for your response!

The problem occurs consistently, not intermittently. Every time I use the trackpad to pinch-to-zoom, it doesn’t zoom but instead moves the canvas left-to-right or right-to-left, depending on the gesture. Additionally, the touchpad scroll behaves in an inverted manner when scrolling horizontally.

I have already performed the following troubleshooting steps:

• Enabled "Animated Zoom" and "Use Graphics Processor" in Edit > Preferences > Performance.
• Confirmed that Enable Gestures is checked under Edit > Preferences > Tools.
• Tested enabling and disabling Zoom with Scroll Wheel under the same Tools menu. The setting worked as expected for the mouse scroll wheel but didn’t affect the touchpad gesture behavior.
• Checked my system touchpad settings to ensure pinch-to-zoom and scrolling gestures are enabled.

To clarify:

• Using the mouse with the scroll wheel and holding Alt works for zooming.
• Using the touchpad for pinch-to-zoom moves the canvas instead of zooming.
• I’ve also seen videos where others were able to use the touchpad for zooming with no issues, which leads me to wonder if this could be related to the newer Photoshop 2025 update.

• Regarding the System Info, Unfortunately, I’m unable to attach the text file of my System Info directly to this post. Instead, I will attach a link that contains the text file from which you can download the file. 
• I can't copy-paste the info here because it is too long, if there is specific info you need from me, I can send them happily.
• These are some basic information I assumed you would need: 
• Adobe Photoshop Version: 26.2.0 20241207.r.140 bc85906 x64
  Number of Launches: 8
  Operating System: Windows 11 64-bit
  Version: 11 or greater 10.0.22631.4602
  System architecture: Intel CPU Family:6, Model:10, Stepping:3 with MMX, SSE Integer, SSE FP, SSE2, SSE3, SSE4.1, SSE4.2, AVX, AVX2, AVX-VNNI, HybridCPU(6:8), HyperThreading
  Application folder: C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Photoshop 2025\
  Temporary file path: C:\Users\Mers\AppData\Local\Temp\

---

Note:

Currently, I use these keys for performing zooming and moving in Photoshop:

• Zooming In and Out: Hold Alt and use the mouse scroll wheel.
• Moving Horizontally (Right to Left): Hold Ctrl and use the mouse scroll wheel.
• Moving Vertically (Up and Down): Use the mouse scroll wheel without holding any keys.
• Faster Actions: Hold Shift along with the above actions to perform them faster.
• Touchpad Scrolling: Scrolling with the touchpad is inverted: swiping right moves the canvas left, and swiping left moves the canvas right.

I’m not sure if this is the default behavior in Photoshop instead of pinch-to-zoom, or if it’s related to the issues I’m facing. I’ve shared these in case they might help others with zooming or moving actions.

Thank you for your assistance!

Best regards,
Mustafa

[mustafa_hu1]

I will send the System Info file link or its text content to your Direct Message, along with the link to this topic for reference.

Please check your messages—just click on my profile and navigate to my message. I’m using the same account to send the message, so you should be able to access it easily.

[Aleke]

Hey @mustafa_hu1! Thanks for sharing the System Info.

Just to make sure, is this trackpad issue only happening with Photoshop 26.2? No problems with other apps or previous versions, right?

There are some GPU driver updates available. Could you visit the manufacturer's website and update them? https://adobe.ly/3CeBpnv

Also, have you tried resetting your preferences? Sometimes, it helps with various issues in the app. You can follow the steps here:

https://adobe.ly/40P683M

Let me know how it goes. Thanks a lot!

Alek

[Nicole_Forny0873]

Hallo

Ich bin gerade von Mac auf Windows umgestiegen. Auf meinem MacBook konnte ich früher mit Zwei-Finger-Bewegungen auf dem Touchpad meines Laptops zoomen, auf Windows funktioniert das nicht mehr, jedoch nur im Photoshop und Indesign. Welche Einstellungen muss ich änderne damit das wiedere funktioniert? Danke

[Ged_Traynor]

@Nicole_Forny0873 try enabling these 2 options in the preferences, as mentioned in this thread

https://community.adobe.com/t5/photoshop-ecosystem-discussions/pinch-and-zoom-feature-not-working-in...

[Trevor.Dennis]

Hello

I just switched from Mac to Windows. On my MacBook, I used to be able to zoom with two-finger gestures on my laptop's touchpad, but it doesn't work on Windows anymore, but only in Photoshop and Indesign. What settings do I have to change to make it work again? Thank you

By Nicole_Forny0873

I'm guessing that you know about Enable Gestures in Preferences seeing as you used them on your Mac?

I have an Intuos 5 Touch with Windows 11.  The touch functions did not work by default.  I had to add Photoshop as an Application, and check the settings below.  The gestures all worked OK then.  So I am wondering if your device has setting for the Touch Pad that need setting?

I actually dislike gestures, and only enabled them to answer your question, and will be disabling them directly.

Viel Glück

[Nicole_Forny0873]

danke aber das bewirkt dass die zweifingergeste für rauf-runter und seitwärts nicht mehr funktioniert. sprich nun zoomt diese geste anstatt auf der oberfläche zu navigieren. der zoom wäre zwei-finger auseinander und wieder zusammenführ gehste. 

[Nicole_Forny0873]

danke dir ich hab von dem reinen laptoparbeiten gesprochen und nicht vom tablet. ich hab nun tatsächlich die lösung für diejenigen die auch auf das problem stossen.  mit hilfe dem zusatztool powertoys ändert man die tastenzugehörigkeit von ctrl zu alt. also werden alle befehle wie auf dem mac nun wie gehabt mit alt ausgeführt. ich weiss nicht warum genau aber nun funktioniert auf dem laptop auch wieder die zweifinger zoom funktion.

[mustafa_hu1]

Hi Alek,

Thank you for your response and suggestions.

1. The problem only occurs in Photoshop, but it’s not exclusive to the current version (26.2). I previously used Photoshop 2021 before updating to the 2025 version, and the issue was present back then as well.

2. I found a topic on Adobe Community from 2017 where another user described having the same problem. Here’s the link to the post. The user mentions that the issue occurred just a few days before that post, which suggests that this problem may have started with the 2017 Photoshop version.

3. Regarding operating systems, this problem may be limited to Windows PCs, though I’m not entirely certain. My friend's Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 also faces the same issue with Photoshop, even in previous versions.

4. On MacOS, I posted about this issue on the Reddit Photoshop community, and responses varied:

One user reported that pinch-to-zoom works fine on their MacBook with Photoshop 2025.

However, another user mentioned that they are experiencing the same issue as me. Here’s the link to the Reddit post.

5. I have already updated my GPU drivers and reset Photoshop preferences as you suggested, but unfortunately, the problem persists. Considering the examples I shared from other users, it seems this is not just related to my settings or PC.

I hope this information helps in diagnosing and fixing the issue.

Thanks again for your support!

Best regards,

Mustafa