Photoshop 22.4 Will Not Recognize Graphics Processor On Macbook Pro

[Frank J Benz]

Have tried several times now to install and uninstall PS 22.4 only to find that this version will not recognize the graphics processor on my MacBook Pro. With the GPU not being found there are several things that will not work and among the most problematic for me is the inability to set the Pen Tool line color and weight. The Pen Tool is used by me every single day and on almost every project that I am involved with.

I have had to go back to PS 22.3 again where the graphics processor is recognized and I am able to use the Pen Tool in a normal manner as long as I continue to maintain a Work Path. It sure would be nice to be able to just open Photoshop up and go to work without having so many different problems to contend with.

I am running Mac OS Catalina 10.15.7 and the Graphics Card that can not be seen in PS 22.4 is a Nvidia GeForce GT650M Open GL Engine graphics processor which is working perfectly in PS 22.3. The MacBook Pro also has the Intel HD Graphics 4000 processor and in the system preferences I do not have automatic switching turned on, I have it set to only use the higher performace Nvidia GT650M processor. I truly long for the day when these problems get resolved as I know that I am not the only person having so many difficulties with the current versions of Photoshop, however at this point I am certainly not going to be holding my breath.

Frank

[davescm]

The GT 650M is a 9 year old graphics card that does not meet the minimum specification for the current version of Photoshop.

https://helpx.adobe.com/photoshop/system-requirements.html

Some background and something you can try.

1. Adobe are updating the core graphics functions in Photoshop. This is driven by the operating systems of Apple and Microsoft in which the old Open GL functions are being removed in the case of Apple, or deprecated in the case of Microsoft. This means that the graphics functions that have worked for years must be rewritten to use Metal and Direct X. At the same time, Adobe are sensibly updating those core functions to deliver the additional speed we require to handle the very large files of today.
2. Led by the changes being made above, Adobe introduced new GPU checks in 23.3.1. Unfortunately, these caused issues and have therefore been revised for v22.4. That means that many GPUs that incorrectly did not work in 22.3.1 will now be seen in 22.4 and will function.
3. Unfortunately, the move to update the core graphics functions will mean that some older GPUs will no longer be suitable. If you are using 22.4 and your GPU is still not recognised (and you only have a single GPU enabled – conflicting GPUs remain an issue) then you could try and force Photoshop to use your older GPU by creating a file PSUserConfig.txt containing the lines:
# Force GPU On
GPUForce 1
Save that text file to :
Windows: [InstallationDrive]:\Users \ [UserName]\ AppData\ Roaming\ Adobe\ [Photoshop_version]\[Photoshop_version]Settings\
macOS: //Users/[UserName]/Library/Preferences/[Photoshop_version]Settings/
Note though that this is requires 22.4 and is not officially supported by Adobe, so may cause other issues such as instability or crashes – so you do it at your own risk

Dave

[P1papaul]

oh my god you saved me SO much time! thanks a lot!

[Daisensei]

You are a genius, thank you sooo much!!!!