Skip to main content
H
Hayley Rabbit
Known Participant
January 12, 2022
Question

Photoshop 23.1 runs very slow on M1 Mac

  • January 12, 2022
  • 3 replies
  • 9554 views

I previously posted about the extreme slowdown in PS after the update to 23.X on my M1 macbook pro(32GB HD, plenty of free space, latest OS).  I tried all types of troubleshooting and feel sure it is the build.  I didn't really get any resolution but want to know if the engineers are aware and if so, in what update would it be addressed.  Unfortunately, big changes like this, like however PS is reading layers to make it chug like this, especially when zooming in out/changing tools, etc, only gets revised in the yearly major update rather than the incremental ones.

 

 

{Thread title edited by moderator}

    This topic has been closed for replies.

    3 replies

    paulf40782745
    paulf40782745
    Inspiring
    January 21, 2024

    I have similar issue. Photoshop also takes an age to save what seems like a relatively low size file. Activity monitor says that it's using 600% CPU. I have a Mac Studio M1 Max 64 GB running OSX 14.2.1 (23C71) . Photoshop 25.3.1. 

    renderitthefirst
    renderitthefirst
    Participant
    October 14, 2024

    Through frustration I tried a counter-intuative approach.

     

    I was running like 75% memory allocation on a Mac Studio with 128GB ram.

     

    I REDUCED it to 50% and voila! Works faster than snot!

    D Fosse
    Community Expert
    D FosseCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    October 14, 2024

    With 128 GB installed, you'd think 75% should leave enough for the rest of the system. A complicating factor with Apple silicon is that the GPU uses shared system memory, and the GPU can use a lot. It's possible that you have some sort of GPU memory leak. Is there a way in MacOS to monitor GPU memory use?

    Shot8un1
    Shot8un1
    Participating Frequently
    November 23, 2022

    Also the same issue here: M1 MBP, 32gb ram.  I've gone through all the troubleshooting and everything is as it should be.  Its so slow in photoshop its painful.

    G
    gavin27329359uhhb
    Participating Frequently
    November 30, 2022

    Me also, just switched from a 2015 MBP with Photoshop CS5 to a new M1 MBP (16GB) with Photoshop 2023 and the old one was noticeably faster performing. I get constant rainbow wheel-spinning when i am opening, saving, or even just dragging layers from one file to another, and it's crashed a few times while I'm working, plus when the files open they often have a geometric distortion of the image,  usually a random section of the image will repeat multpile times within the original image and I have to switch a layer on and off or something to get it to appear normally. 

      nikunj.m
      Community Manager
      nikunj.mCommunity Manager
      Community Manager
      January 12, 2022

      Hi,

       

      We're sorry about the trouble with Photoshop 23.1 on your M1 Mac. It would be helpful if you could go to the Help menu in Photoshop, then System info & share the info with us here.

       

      Please ensure that Photoshop has the necessary permissions on your Mac by following the steps mentioned below:

      1. Go to the System Preferences for your Mac, then Security and Privacy, then select the Privacy tab.

      2. Then select Accessibility from the list to the left & check if Photoshop is added to the list with a check mark in front of it.

      3. If Photoshop is not a part of the list, please add it by unlocking the window first using the lock at the bottom left, then clicking the + icon & navigating to the Applications folder.

      4. Also, grant permissions to Photoshop under Full disk access located in the same list as Accessibility.

      5. Once done, restart the Mac & check if it helps.

       

      You can also try optimizing the preferences of Photoshop using the steps suggested here: https://helpx.adobe.com/photoshop/kb/optimize-photoshop-cc-performance.html

       

      Let us know if it helps!

      Regards,

      Nikunj

      H
      Hayley RabbitAuthor
      Known Participant
      January 19, 2022

      I've already responded to this same post saying that PS is checked here.  This is not a trouble shooting issue.

      lch photographys
      lch photographys
      Participant
      February 23, 2022

      I have the same issue..since last 2 or 3 updates, PS work very slow...Even if I work with small files and all I want to do is to position a logo on top and move it across the image...becames very lazy and keeps on freezing...
      iMac 2017 8Gb Video card and 32GB ram memory (SSD inside also)...
      Befor PS 23 update, everything was fine!

        Terms & ConditionsAccessibility statement
        Using the community Terms of use Privacy Cookie preferences Do not sell or share my personal information ad choicesAdChoices