Photoshop top bar not responding

[cassiealeman]

Hi - I have uninstalled photoshop and also restarted by computer but I find I am still having the same issue.  I use a Mac and the top bar in Photoshop does not seem to be responding at all.  I am unable to create a new artboard or open files from the drop down bar but I can save files that I have managed to open from the files destination.  I'm not sure what else I can try.  Please help! 

[Akash Sharma]

Hi there,

Sorry that Photoshop menu bar is not responding while you're working on your images.

Which version of Photoshop and the operating system you're working with? In Photoshop, you can check that by going to Help > System Info

Also, does the app stops responding while using a particular tool? 

Thanks,

Akash

[cassiealeman]

Thanks for getting back to me.  I'm using version 21.1.1.

In the program itself I can edit an image (mark up, change colour settings, crop) but I cannot save it.  When I click file > save as it just won't do anything.  Some of the options from the top bar will work, for example changing colour settings but if I am wanting to save the current file or create a new artboard it is like the program is not registering what I am selecting. 

Thank you, 

Cassie

[PECourtejoie]

Hello, which exact version of MacOS? Apple menu>About this Mac, give the version that starts with 10...

Did you try to reset the preferences by holding CMD+OPT/ALT+Shift as you start Photoshop?

[cassiealeman]

Hi there! 

My Mac is 10.15.4 and yep I have tried that command but it doesn't do anything 😞 

[Harish Meena_HM]

i face the same problem

[Aleke]

Hi @Harish Meena_HM! Welcome to the community!

I've noticed that this thread is a few years old. To ensure your issue gets the attention it deserves, could you create a new thread with all relevant details? This way, your comments won't get buried in this old thread. Thanks!

Alek

[LStinnettPhotography]

I am currently having this issue. I am unable to click anything from the menu bar at the top of my screen. 

[Trevor.Dennis]

Try resetting your workspace.  I have Essentials selected below, but reset whatever workspace you are using.

I would expect that to work, try a different workspace, and reset it if the Options bar is still not showing or responding.  

If still not working, do a manual Preferences reset.  Note: reinstalling Photoshop will not necessarily reset Preferences.

https://helpx.adobe.com/ie/photoshop/using/preferences.html#Manually

[LStinnettPhotography]

Thank you. I will try that. I had to completely force quit the app and reopen to be able to click "window."

[LStinnettPhotography]

None of these options fixed it. I created a new desktop as a last resort, and it's not working on the new one now. I deleted all unnecessary apps, and cleared plenty of space on my hard drive. I'm running behind getting my photos back to clients, bc I have to completely close the program before it will let me click the menu bar one time, and then stops working again. 

[Shruti347568587kj5]

Try switching to any 2024 version of PS. It might resolve your issue.

[Jeff Arola]

When the top menu bar is unresponsive, switch to another Adobe application like Adobe Bridge and then back to Photoshop and see if the menu bar works again.

[LStinnettPhotography]

I tried all the suggestions above, and now this one. I still can't get the menu bar to respond. I tried switching to a different Adobe app, but it's still not working. 🥺

[Trevor.Dennis]

I tried all the suggestions above, and now this one. I still can't get the menu bar to respond. I tried switching to a different Adobe app, but it's still not working. 🥺

By LStinnettPhotography

There has to be something going on here.  I might have missed this, but have you tried resetting Preferences yet? Use a full manual reset as laid out in this link:

https://helpx.adobe.com/ie/photoshop/using/preferences.html#Manually

But before you do that, can you show us a screen shot of your full workspace.  You will need to have a file open and the layers panel viewable.  Make it full resolution.    

Do you have the beta version, or an earlier version of Photoshop installed?  It would be useful to compare.

If you are still stuck after all this, and it looks certain that there is a serious problem with Photoshop, reinstall again, but this time use the Cleaner tool.  One step at time though, and report back after each step.

https://helpx.adobe.com/nz/creative-cloud/kb/cc-cleaner-tool-installation-problems.html

[NB, colourmanagement]

@LStinnettPhotography 

Perhaps try a thorough reset of Photoshop preferences?

(read this entire text before acting please)

Unexpected behaviour of photoshop may indicate damaged preferences, which are saved when Photoshop closes.. Restoring preferences to their default settings is a good idea when trying to troubleshoot unexpected behaviours in Photoshop.

When preferences become corrupt, then various issues can occur.

Here’s some info from Adobe about preferences:

Learn how to access and modify Photoshop preferences and customise per your frequent workflows

https://helpx.adobe.com/photoshop/using/preferences.html#reset_preferences

According to Adobe, manually removing preferences files is the most complete method for restoring Photoshop to its default state. This method ensures all preferences and any user presets which may be causing a problem are not loaded. More here: https://helpx.adobe.com/photoshop/using/preferences.html#Manually

the process:

1. Quit Photoshop.
2. Navigate to Photoshop's Preferences folder.
   macOS: Users/[user name]/Library/Preferences/Adobe Photoshop [version] Settings
   Windows: Users/[user name]/AppData/Roaming/Adobe/Adobe Photoshop [version]/Adobe Photoshop [version] Settings
    
   Note: The user Library folder is hidden by default on macOS. To access files in the hidden user Library folder, see How to access hidden user library files.
3. Drag the entire Adobe Photoshop [Version] Settings folder to the desktop or somewhere safe for a back-up of your settings
   
4. Open Photoshop.
    New preferences files will be created in the original location.
   

You may want to backup your settings and custom presets, brushes & actions before restoring Photoshop's preferences.

Here is general info about that:  https://helpx.adobe.com/photoshop/using/preferences.html#BackupPhotoshoppreferences

And here’s an Adobe Quick Tips link as an aid to overall understanding

https://community.adobe.com/t5/photoshop-ecosystem-discussions/quick-tips-how-to-reset-photoshop-pre...

Thanks to Digitaldog for this quick and simple method:

Press and hold Alt+Control+Shift (Windows) or Option+Command+Shift (macOS) immediately after launching Photoshop. You will be prompted to delete the current settings.

You can also reset preferences on quit, if Photoshop is running, by going into General Preferences>General>Reset on Quit.

This action only affects the items found in the preferences dialog box. Numerous program settings are stored in the Adobe Photoshop Preferences file, including general display options, file-saving options, performance options, cursor options, transparency options, type options, and options for plug‑ins and scratch disks. Brushes (and lots of other setting) are not affected by the above instructions for deleting preferences.

You may wish to make a screen capture of the settings in the Preferences dialog to reset them prior to deleting of this file. 

Before you reset your preferences, in case of future issues, I suggest you make a backup copy as Adobe may need one to check problematic preferences. 

Quit Photoshop.
Go to Photoshop's Preferences folder

Preferences file locations: https://helpx.adobe.com/photoshop/kb/preference-file-names-locations-photoshop.html\

  [on MacOS see: Users/[user name]/Library/Preferences/Adobe Photoshop [version] Settings

  Note for those on macOS: - be aware that the user Library folder is hidden by default on macOS. More on that here:

  https://helpx.adobe.com/x-productkb/global/access-hidden-user-library-files.html

  In the Finder, open the “Go” menu whilst holding down the Option (Alt) key.

  Library will now appear in the list - below the current user's “home” directory. ]

Now you can drag the entire Adobe Photoshop [Version] Settings folder to the desktop or somewhere safe as a back-up of your settings.

Note for macOS:

Preference preservation is affected by macOS permissions,

you’ll need to allow Photoshop ‘Full Disk Access’ in your Mac OS Preferences/Security and Privacy

If resetting preferences doesn't fix your issue:

Go to Preferences > Performance... and uncheck Multithreaded Compositing - and restart Photoshop.

Is Photopshop still hanging? 

Go to Preferences > Performance... click Advanced Settings... and uncheck "GPU Compositing" - then restart Photoshop. 

It may even be time to reinstall Photoshop.

It’s recommended that you use the Adobe CC cleaner tool to remove all traces first.

(See above about preserving preferences firstn though! It’s worth preserving them unless they are corrupted.)

How and when to use the Creative Cloud Cleaner tool | Advanced steps

https://helpx.adobe.com/creative-cloud/kb/cc-cleaner-tool-installation-problems.html

Uninstall Photoshop BUT make sure to choose the option “Yes, remove app preference”.

Once that process finishes, start the installation process and look into the “Advanced Options”. Uncheck “Import previous settings and preferences” and choose to “Remove old versions”.

neil barstow - adobe forum volunteer,

colourmanagement consultant & co-author of 'getting colour right'

See my free articles on colour management

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