Stuck in Photosop 2025 with a tool I can't use. How do I move past the "Hand" tool?

[birckcmi]

After working in Adobe Photoshop 2020 for years, I decided to switch to a newer model, and upgraded to 2025. I know now that plenty of study will be required to familiarize myself with PS 2025, but knowledge of the Old Ways  has got me somewhere, at least. What I can't get past is the "Hand " tool. If I do something that the app considers "wrong",  I am left with only that one tool showing up onscreen. Nothing else is usable, and even the Hand tool is useless, beyond moving the application frame around on the monitor. So the only recourse I have is to save the file, close Photoshop, and try to figure out what I did wrong that brought everything to a halt. Any ideas?

[Trevor.Dennis]

Are you unable to Escape out of that situation? 

I wonder if you might find it easier with Spring Loaded Shortcuts disabled?

[Jqqerry]

https://community.adobe.com/t5/photoshop-ecosystem-bugs/p-completely-broken-hand-tool-ps24-5-hand-to...

Are you experiencing this specific bug?
If so, try updating or pressing the spacebar once more.
This has likely been a persistent bug for quite some time.

[LAMY2017]

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@birckcmi wrote:

After working in Adobe Photoshop 2020 for years, I decided to switch to a newer model, and upgraded to 2025. I know now that plenty of study will be required to familiarize myself with PS 2025, but knowledge of the Old Ways  has got me somewhere, at least. What I can't get past is the "Hand " tool. If I do something that the app considers "wrong",  I am left with only that one tool showing up onscreen.

Screenshot?

Nothing else is usable, and even the Hand tool is useless, beyond moving the application frame around on the monitor. So the only recourse I have is to save the file, close Photoshop, and try to figure out what I did wrong that brought everything to a halt. Any ideas?

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If I do something that the app considers "wrong", 

Pause here -- what action is "wrong"?

Nothing else is usable, and even the Hand tool is useless, beyond moving the application frame around on the monitor.

The application frame (View>Application frame) cannot be moved around; it's on or off, hiding/revealing the underlying desktop or app. I have experienced the situation where the hand won't let go, moving the document around. Closing Ps is not necessary.

So the only recourse I have is to save the file, close Photoshop, and try to figure out what I did wrong that brought everything to a halt. Any ideas?

the esc key releases the hand for me, or selecting another tool. The stickiness is something I have done accidentally, unintentionally, something I can't reproduce at will.

[birckcmi]

Larry, thanks for the reply, but the problem persists. When I said I did something "wrong", I was referring to the resulting problem with the Hand tool. And in spite of a supposed "cure" having arrived a few years back, the hand tool is not fixed. I'm using PS 26.2.0, and I CAN NOT GET RID OF THE HAND TOOL. I know no one believes me, but there you are. I would send screenshots if I could. They would consist of: Closeup shot of the Move tool, selected, with  the hand tool next to it; the Marquee tool selected, with the hand tool next to it, the Lasso tool selected, wth the hand tool next to it, etcetera, for every tool on the screen. If that isn't clear: Every Tool I Select Becomes the Hand Tool. I don't know what I can do about it. Can Adobe help?

[alexanderl16240166]

Is your spacebar stuck, by any chance?

[martir68364484]

This is awful beyond words. I rolled back to 26.1 and even that does not work. Object selection is completely useless and it will not let me switch between tools. I still get the slection. I have to close and not save changes and keep trying again over and over and over. BEYOND COMPLETELY USLESS.  

[martir68364484]

I believe it because this is the worst update yet. I can't even explainwhat is wrong. Its just like everything doesn't work normally anymore. I am very close to giving up on adobe completely.. This AI sucks and you will never gaslight me into believing it is good.

[pacolaf · Accepted solution]

Same problem with Photoshop 26.2.0, and I found a solution on Mac!

1. Restart the computer in Safe Mode. Instructions vary depending on your Mac: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201262

2. While in Safe Mode, launch Photoshop while holding Command + Option + Shift to delete the preferences file at startup.

3. The always-active Hand Tool was gone!

4. Then I restarted the computer normally, and the problem was completely solved.

Hope this helps someone else!