Favorite fonts repeatedly disappear in Photoshop CC & Beta

[TechByter]

Photoshop forgot all of my favorite fonts recently, so I selected them again. When I restarted Photoshop, the Favorites were once again missing.

Note that this is NOT a case of the typefaces being uninstalled. They are still present, but they are no longer marked as being Favorites.

FURTHER OBSERVATION (26 February 2023 at 17:36:16):

I have tried running both Photoshop 24.2.0 and Beta as Administrator. The problem persists.

[J E L]

Hi @TechByter, I'm sorry to hear about the trouble with your favorite fonts not sticking. It's strange, alright, since it's happening in Beta, too. I can't duplicate this issue using Windows 10, Photoshop 24.2.0 Release. To test, I changed favorites, closed and started Photoshop several times, made a mix of cloud and system fonts as you have done, but my favorites remain as they should. Thanks for confirming you are running as Administrator as one elimination.

It was suggested here that this is due to Preference settings. If you haven't done a manual Preferences reset, you might try that. Instructions are here: https://helpx.adobe.com/photoshop/using/preferences.html#Manually. If that doesn't make any difference, you can quit Photoshop and put the Settings folder back. Let us know if you have any luck.

Other than this fix, some people reporting this problem said they waited a few minutes or even days, and they magically started sticking again, lol. Maybe?

[TechByter]

Thanks! I had tried resetting preferences last night:

• Renamed Adobe Photoshop 2023 Settings as _OLD_Adobe Photoshop 2023 Settings.
• Started Photoshop, opened an image, marked one typeface as favorite, saved the image, and closed Photoshop.
• Opened Photoshop.
• No favorite fonts.
• Closed Photoshop, deleted Adobe Photoshop 2023 Settings, and renamed _OLD_Adobe Photoshop 2023 Settings as Adobe Photoshop 2023 Settings.

I guess I'll have to wait for the magic to occur.

[Weblett1971]

I have had the same issue. Tech Support refuses to acknowledge this could be a potential bug in recent patch/version/whatever, so they won't even take it seriously, let alone fix it. 

If you go on Google and search, there are dozens/hundreds of help inquiries about this, with no resolution in sight.

I'm glad Adobe believes in magic rather than coding. Sigh.

[TechByter]

I still haven't found WTF (where the fonts), but I did clean the computer by reinstalling Windows. I had hoped that the problem with disappearing Favorite fonts was something dumb that Microsoft had done, but it turns out that it's something stupid Adobe has done. 😞

[J E L]

@TechByter, that's too bad. Well, you can rule out Windows at least. @J453 from Adobe confirmed that font favorites are stored with Photoshop's preferences at that link I shared. So, this is an Adobe feature that isn't working for some users for some reason. If resetting Preferences doesn't fix it, you could try using the Adobe Creative Cloud Cleaner tool and then reinstall Photoshop. https://helpx.adobe.com/creative-cloud/kb/cc-cleaner-tool-installation-problems.html.

By the way, did fonts ever stick as favorites for you with any previous Photoshop version? If you use InDesign, Illustrator, or another Adobe app with fonts, will your favorites stick?

[TechByter]

Because I just reinstalled Windows, the PS installation is new and the problem persisted. This feature did work previously and other Preferences are being maintained. I tried creating a Favorite in Illustrator and that is retained after closing and re-launching PS.

[Trevor.Dennis]

Font favourites are reset (lost) when you reset Preferences. So are your other Preference changes sticking? 

We know that custom shortcuts, menus and Toolbars can be saved with custom Workspaces.  It doesn't mention fonts, but I would experiment to eliminate it as a factor.

But most important is to check that Preferences changes are being saved.  If not, then check permisions.

Photoshop preference file functions, names, locations (adobe.com)

[TechByter]

The other preferences are sticking and Favorites works in Illustrator.

I added a couple of Favorites and they were still present when I reopened Photoshop. So then I added the dozen or so favorites. When I restarted Photoshop, they were all gone.

Might it be a specific font, I thought rehetorically, so I started adding faces one at a time. On the second addition (one that had been retained previously) all Favorites disappeared after I closed Photoshop.

So it seems that Photoshop sometimes retains Favorites and sometimes loses Favorites with little or no predictability.

My user is the owner of "C:\Users\willi\AppData\Roaming\Adobe\Adobe Photoshop 2023\Adobe Photoshop 2023 Settings" and I have full control. The system also has full control, as does the Administrators group.

One more test:

1. I renamed Adobe Photoshop 2023 Settings as OLD_Adobe Photoshop 2023 Settings.
2. Then I copied Adobe Photoshop 2023 Settings from a backup. The Favorites were present.
3. I created a new document, saved it, and closed Photoshop.
4. When I opened Photoshop again, the Favorites were gone, but my workspace was still active.
5. I guess I could create a batch file to copy the preferences file into place each time I want to use Photoshop.

[TechByter]

Unfortuntely, copying the old directory doesn't realiably fix the problem. It works sometimes and fails sometimes.

This. Is. Nuts.

[Trevor.Dennis]

I was going to suggest looking at the fonts.  Is there a font tester for Windows?  I believe Mac OS versions have one.

There is a font troubleshooter for Photoshop

https://helpx.adobe.com/nz/photoshop/kb/troubleshoot-fonts-photoshop.html

Does the issue happen with specific fonts? i.e. can you reliably Fave Arial?

OK, I was thinking that I didn't remember seeing this issue before, but looking back it seems that plenty of other people have had the same problem

https://community.adobe.com/t5/adobe-fonts-discussions/all-favorited-fonts-suddenly-missing/td-p/123...

Well try tagging the people from that thread, including an Adobe employee @Molly Doane @Jack Brannen  

@jackbrannen_pl  @summerlover18  @blajblu  @jhannel   Blimey, there's a zillion of them.  Depending on how these people have notifications set, they will be notified and hopefully respond.  If Molly does not respond, PM her directly. 

It will be fixable if we keep at it.

[TechByter]

The Favorites are sticking now, but I don't know what fixed it because the steps I took make utterly no sense.

1. Uninstalled Photoshop and confirmed that the Preferences directory was empty.
2. Reinstalled Photoshop and set up the Favorites.
3. Closed Photoshop, opened Photoshop, and determined that the Favorites were not present.
4. Gave up for the day.
5. Decided to live with having to select faces manually, opened Photoshop, and noticed that the Favorites I had created yesterday (the ones that didn't stick then) were back.

Since then I have shut Photoshop down several times and reopened it. The Favorites have been there every time.

So far.

[J E L]

@TechByter “I guess I'll have to wait for the magic to occur.”

You waited for the magic and it happened, lol. So glad to hear favorites are sticking for you now!

[TechByter]

PROBLEM UNRESOLVED.

Eleven days later, Photoshop forgot all of my favorites. Again.

[Trevor.Dennis]

I have to say I thought you were tempting fate saying that the problem was resolved, and down right poking fate with a sharp stick by saying it in big bold red characters.  

We know that resetting Preferences loses font favourite.  Does it follow that Preferences is the only file involved in storing that information?  I'm inclined to say yes, but I would only be guessing.

Let's go back to basics and do a clean reinstall of Photoshop.

Go to C:\Users\[you]\AppData\Roaming\Adobe\Adobe Photoshop 2023  and make a copy of :

Adobe Photoshop 2023 Settings

.. so that you have your workspaces.

Do the same with the 

C:\Users\[you]\AppData\Roaming\Adobe\Adobe Photoshop 2023\Presets  folder so that you have yyour brush presets etc.

BTW  I notice there is font info in the location below, and the contents in mine are dated a few days ago.  

OK...

Uninstall from Creative Cloud.

Use the CC Cleaner Tool 

Check Appdata\roaming to see if anything has been left behind and delete it.  (I hope that is going to be OK)

Make sure the Preference file is gone.  (A normal reinstall does not remove the Preference file)

Photoshop preference file functions, names, locations (adobe.com)

Reinstall and see what happens.

[TechByter]

Sorry, Trevor.Dennis; I didn't see this until 5 Apr 2023. I had already uninstalled and reinstalled. Overall the problem is "resolved" except when the Favorites disappear. I've found that closing and reopening either the file I'm working on or Photoshop (sometimes several times) usually causes the Favorites to reappear from wherever they've gone. Sort of like playing peek-a-boo with a three year old.