Since the latest update Phjotoshop needs three or four tries to start

[xanathon]

Since the last update (26.10.0) Photoshop is very reluctant to start on Windows 11, it takes three or four tries to get the splash screen to show up. Also "open with Photoshop" is very hit and miss in this version, often nothing at all happens and this also takes multiple tries until it works if you are lucky.

[AxelMatt]

Try first resetting the preferences of Photoshop using the steps described here:

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

It's recommended to backup your settings before resetting the preferences.

See here:  https://helpx.adobe.com/photoshop/using/preferences.html#backup-photoshop-preferences

Is your system up-to-date? Do you have installed all recent updates and patches for the operating system and the device drivers, especially the graphic driver. If you have a NVidia graphic card installed, make sure that you are using the recent Studio version of the driver, not the Game Ready version.

Please provide a copy of your 'System Info'. This can be get from the Photoshop menu item Help > System Info. There's a copy button in the System Info dialog. Press this button and paste the info into your next forum post.

[xanathon]

I know all these usual "catch all" snake oil answers that are usuially given since I work with Photoshop for over 20 years. I certainly will not loose my user preferences by resetting them. I need to work with Photoshop not to take hours to beat it back into working shape after an update.

[D Fosse]

@xanathon 

Resetting preferences is not a "snake oil answer".  

• Preferences are rewritten in full on every application exit. That makes them vulnerable to corruption by irregular shutdowns and crashes - as opposed to read-only program files. Errors accumulate.
• Preferences contain a whole lot more than your own user settings. It's the complete application configuration, including lots of hidden and system-dependent parameters. 
• Corrupt preferences usually look like application bugs, and are frequently mistaken for that. For any inexplicable and odd behavior, corrupt preferences is the prime suspect.

[AxelMatt]

I know all these usual "catch all" snake oil answers that are usuially given since I work with Photoshop for over 20 years. I certainly will not loose my user preferences by resetting them. I need to work with Photoshop not to take hours to beat it back into working shape after an update.

By @xanathon

As @D Fosse wrote the Photoshop preferences are vulnerable for corruption and can caused several issuse in Photoshop.

I understand that you don't like to loose your settings, but if the preferences are faulty there's no other chance. I've also post a link how you can backup your settings before doing a reset.  So you can restore settings like workspaces or all settings if the reset doesn't help.

In another post you wrote: "Looks like yet another buggy update to me." 

I can say the recent version of Photoshop (26.10) on a Windows 11  machine is working for me without any issues. So it seems that there are local issues or incompatibilities on your system. For these reasons we ask for the system information and ask you to check whether the system is up to date. If you don't give us any informations about your system, all proposed solutions are a look into the crystal ball.

[RealXanathon]

Since I extensively searched the web on this topic I would say from user reports I saw so far  that Photoshop 26.10 is as massively buggy as all Photoshop versions, if not worse. These increased instabilities started when Adobe rewrote major parts of the program to shove AI slop down our throats.

[xanathon]

I have similar problems so I doubt this is s system problem. In addition the keyboard shortcut "export for web" no longer works since the last update. It's still there in the shortcut settings but does nothing. Looks like yet another buggy update to me.

[Ged_Traynor]

@xanathon just tested with Photoshop version 26.10 and that shortcut is working fine on my Windows PC

As for the resetting the preferences, you can just rename this folder from Adobe Photoshop 2025 Settings to Adobe Photoshop 2025 Settingsold, you'll find it in this location C:\Users\username\AppData\Roaming\Adobe\Adobe Photoshop 2025

If the reset doesn't work, just delete the nearly created folder and rename the old one back to Adobe Photoshop 2025 Settings

[RealXanathon]

I already did that and it did not resolve the problem, as I already expected. What I wanted two write above (and for what reasons ever I am not able to edit posts here) is that I have the same problem on a second Windows (10) computer in another location, so I doubt it's a system or local problem. "Works for me" always is a very bad support answer, since it does not prove anything.

[Ged_Traynor]

@RealXanathon "Works for me" always is a very bad support answer, since it does not prove anything." I don't work for Adobe, I'm just a normal user like yourself, and volunteer my time to try and help people.

I have tested on 2 of the PC's that I have Photoshop installed on and cannot replicate your issue.

[RealXanathon]

It's not Photoshop. Version 24 also does no longer work and that has a different set of preferences. Windows Event Viewer report s that CreatrivCloud crashes when I try to start Photoshop and that prevents the start of Photoshop.

Das Programm Creative Cloud.exe Version 6.7.0.278 hat aufgehört mit Windows zu interagieren und wurde geschlossen.

I do not know how the exact wording in english is, but the translation is

The program Creative Cloud.exe version 6.7.0.278 has stopped interacting with Windows and has been closed.

[AxelMatt]

@RealXanathon  Restart your computer and make sure the CC client is running. then try the following steps. check if it's work after each step. 

Logout from the Creative Dektop Client and relogin with the Adobe ID that you've used for the subscription.

If this failed reset the Creative Cloud desktop app. Make sure it's in the foreground, then press:

• Win: Ctrl + Alt + R
• Mac: Cmd + Opt + R

If this doesn't help, try to repair the client:  https://helpx.adobe.com/download-install/kb/creative-cloud-install-stuck.html

If this also doesn't help go uninstall/reinstall decribed in the link above.

[tomaszk31291165 · Accepted solution]

I had the same problem, Photoshop was running in the background but wouldn't start. A complete reinstallation of the Nvidia app and the latest drivers helped. 

[Bruce AB]

I believe I am seeing the same problem as you. Photoshop 26.10 is running in the background --at least I see it in the task manager-- but no gui so nothing on the desktop. I can get two instances of Photoshop running by clicking on the desktop icon a second time, but again, nothing on the desktop. My graphics board is Nvidia based, but the confusing thing is that every other app including Lightroom and Bridge work, and because of that I don't see how a video driver update can fix the problem. Just to confirm... does this sound like what you saw? You say you reinstalled the video driver and it helped --meaning it fixed the problem?

[tomaszk31291165]

Exactly, reinstalation of Nvidia app and video drivers fixed the problem. 

[Bruce AB]

Success! Thank you very kindly! Updating the video driver did indeed fix the problem! I have no idea about the cause and effect, I just know it is working now. You must be one sharp guy to have figured this out!

[Bruce AB]

Well, not success as it turns out. Bottom line: unpredictable erratic behavior, but Photoshop does start running in the foreground after a several minute delay.

When I start Photoshop it is in the background but no display on the monitor. When I run the task manager utility I see "Adobe Crash Processor" running as a background task, and also "Adobe Photoshop 2025". Then I wait about 5 minutes and things go back to normal -- the PS gui is displayed on the screen and the task manage is showing  "Adobe Photoshop 2025" as a foreground task ("Adobe Crash Processor" continues to run in the background -- not sure if that is normal). 

[Bruce AB]

When I try to start Photoshop (26.10.0 on Windows 11) the system starts it in the background so no user interface display, plus there is a task running called "Adobe Crash Processor" also in the background. If I click the Photoshop icon a second time, I get two copies of Photoshop running in the background. After about 5 minutes, Photoshop starts in the foreground, ie I can see the user interface displayed on my screen (Adobe Crash Processor is still running in the background). Updating the video driver seemed to solve the problems but only for a short while. There is something unstable going on because the behavior is erratic and unpredictable. It is clear to me the problem is with the current version of Photoshop because all other apps on my system run without problems, and that includes Adobe Bridge and Lightroom., etc, as well as non-Adobe apps.