Skip to main content
Inspiring
March 28, 2023
Answered

Single click on empty area in layer panel opens layer effects

  • March 28, 2023
  • 5 replies
  • 732 views

There seems to be a bug in the layer panel. If I click on a random area that is not a thumbnail or text, the layer effects panel opens. I can click in the same place the next time and nothing happens at first, then after X number of clicks the panel opens. This is absolutely intolerable, and disrupts the workflow tremendously - every time I try to rearrange a layer, or click one pixel outside the text, the layer effects panel opens instead.

I expect this panel to open on double-click, not single-click.

 

I am using Photoshop v24.2.0 on a MacBook Pro M1, MacOS v13.2.1.

This topic has been closed for replies.
Correct answer diverse_namn

So is your »Double-Click Speed« closer to »Slow« or »Fast« in the Preferences? 

 

Does anything similar ever happen in other applications or the Finder itself? 


I did some testing with different double-click speeds, and it solved the problem in MacOS in general, but only halfway in Illustrator/Photoshop. There I can still click once and then again some 0.5-1 sec later, and it registers as a double-click. However, I still can't rule out that something else is causing the problem.

5 replies

Inspiring
March 29, 2023

I just discovered that this problem is not isolated to Photoshop (although that's where it was most noticeable), so it's most likely some local problem with my computer/peripherals. I apologize for my unfounded irritation and for taking up your time.

c.pfaffenbichler
Community Expert
Community Expert
March 29, 2023

What are your  > Sytem Settings > Mouse settings? 

Inspiring
March 30, 2023

can't see anything there that stands out. It seems that double-clicks are handled extremely slowly in macOS in general. I can't imagine who would want such a setting, but maybe it's some Accessibility setting I missed that is turned on by default.

(I recently switched from PC to Mac, which ironically is more complicated than when I did the reverse a couple of years ago).

Inspiring
March 29, 2023

Hello again. I tried to reset the settings, but unfortunately the problem remains.

CShubert
Community Manager
Community Manager
March 28, 2023

Thank you for the update @diverse_namn to be sure, this continues after the preference restore?

Feel free to send the video to shubert@adobe.com

 

 

Inspiring
March 28, 2023

Hi, and thanks for the quick reply. I have a USB-C to USB hub that I connect my mouse and tablet to. But the error persists even if I unplug the stuff and use the mouse pad on the computer.
I tested some more and noticed that if I click once, and then again in the same place, the layer effects panel opens. It seems that Photoshop registers the first click and sees the second as a double click - even if there are seconds between clicks.
I have made a video but could not see any way to attach it here.

CShubert
Community Manager
Community Manager
March 28, 2023

Hi @diverse_namn could you share a video of what you are seeing? Testing here shows that if you double click on the layer area, not the icon or text, the layer options window shows as expected.

 

Curious if you are using a trackpad or mouse, if trackpad, do you have it set to tap as a click?

 

Let's make sure we're in a default state and there are no stale settings somewhere: 

Restore your preferences using this manual method:  

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

Does it work correctly? 

If that doesn't solve it, you can quit Photoshop and put the Settings folder back.