🔎 Quick Tip: How to Reset Photoshop preferences

[Pattie-F]

Reset your Photoshop Preferences to default values

Did you know you can easily reset your Photoshop preferences to their default values?  Many troubleshooting documents include a step that suggests resetting preferences.  If you need to reset your preferences, learn how from the video and steps below. **Be sure to back up your preferences before resetting them because resetting will replace all settings with default settings.

❶ Backup your preferences in case you want to restore them later

• Quit Photoshop
•  
• Copy the entire Adobe Photoshop [Version] Settings folder and save it on your computer or backup storage. You can find the folder here :
  macOS: Users/[user name]/Library/Preferences/Adobe Photoshop [version] Settings
  Windows 10: Users/[user name]/AppData/Roaming/Adobe/Adobe Photoshop [version]/Adobe Photoshop [version] Settings
  

❷ Open Photoshop Preferences

• macOS: Photoshop > Preferences > General
• Windows: Edit > Preferences > General

❸ Select the option

• Click Reset Preferences On Quit and then OK.
  

When you quit photoshop and then reopen it, the preferences will be at their default value and saved in the usual location listed in step 1 above.

An alternate method to reset preferences (not shown in video)  is to hold down command + option + shift on macOS or ctrl + alt + shift on Windows while launching Photoshop and then select Yes in the dialog that asks "Delete the Adobe Photoshop Settings file?"

❹ Restore Photoshop preferences from a backed-up copy

You may want to restore preferences from a previously backed-up copy. To do this, follow these steps:

• Quit Photoshop

• Navigate to Photoshop's Preferences folder. You can find the folder here :

  macOS: Users/[user name]/Library/Preferences/Adobe Photoshop [version] Settings

  Windows 10: Users/[user name]/AppData/Roaming/Adobe/Adobe Photoshop [version]/Adobe Photoshop [version] Settings

   

  Note: If the user Library folder is hidden (macOS), see How to access hidden user library files.

• Save the current Adobe Photoshop [Version] Settings folder on the desktop or somewhere safe if you want to save a back-up of those settings.

• Copy the desired version Adobe Photoshop [Version] Settings folder from your backup location to the Preferences folder listed above. 

Related links:

Preferences

Photoshop User Guide

Check out other Photoshop Quick Tips 

[Boston KC]

Pattie-F

Brilliant! Works a treat once again! Thanks for helping!

Boston KC