When clicking the title bar, window instantly goes into resize mode.

[W4tsup]

While photoshop is open, clicking on the title bar will instantly toggle the maximize/resize button while using a tablet pen. I am using windows 11.

This is reproducable by maximizing the window, creating a new canvas, clicking anywhere on the canvas with your pen, then clicking on the title bar. The window will instantly go into an unmaximized state.

If you don't open a canvas first, it will also pop around when clicking the title bar, and I've seen it happen by clicking on other windows, then clicking back into photoshop by tapping the title bar once.

I do not experience double click events or have the pen set to double click with any other action.

[CShubert]

Hi @W4tsup the normal maximise function will happen if you double click the top header bar, so if a single click is doing this it is possible your tablet is set in a way that Ps is thinking you are double clicking?

If you use a normal mouse or trackpad, what happens if you single click, does the same thing happen?

[W4tsup · Accepted solution]

I've done some more research on this and it seems to be a feature for windows 11 and pens, if you touch the title bar with a mouse nothing happens, if you touch any title bar with a pen it instantly goes into move mode even with no pen movement. Any tiny movement any this will unmaximize the window. Extremely annoying, but not really anything adobe can do about it.

I've reported it on the windows feedback hub.

[ralph.arvesen]

I don't know the details, but I feel like this is an Adobe problem, not  Windows. I don't have this issue with any other apps / windows running on Windows 11 (desktop, not using pen).

[fazzaan]

So this actually happens with a mouse too, and I don't have a touchscreen or tablet or any other input types.

I do sometimes connect a tablet to my laptop as an external screen, which activates touch features of Win 11.

However, those features do not get enabled until I attach the tablet after bootup - and I haven't done so during this boot.

No other windows of other apps are experiencing this effect. Additionally, no other apps show this behaviour with the mouse even when the tablet screen is attached.

It seems to me to be a bug in Photoshop itself.

And it is EXTREMELY annoying, because I habitually click the titlebar to reactivate any window of any app, to ensure that I don't click any other active elements. I do see that Photoshop ignores first-click in the rest of the app window, but the titlebar does not follow this behaviour - including the Menu (File Edit Image etc).

(I don't have other Adobe apps to test it with.)

I'm using Photoshop 2024, and I believe this is new behaviour. I've been using Photoshop for at least 12 years, and have used previous versions on Windows 11 too.

[W4tsup]

Yeah, nothing I've tried has fixed this and no windows updated have solved it either. I'm not sure if it's just a photoshop bug at this point, but it's annoying to say the least.

[fazzaan]

Something interesting to add, which (to me) reinforces the idea that it's an Adobe UI toolkit or Photoshop bug:

The unmaximize behaviour is different.

Steps to demonstrate:

1. Unmaximize the window.
2. Resize the window so that it is clearly smaller than the screen.
3. Maximize the window. 
4. Unmaximize the window using the window control button. The window will restore to the same size that you resized it to in Step 2.
5. Maximize the window again.
6. Click on the titlebar, causing it to unmaximize. The window will assume a size slightly larger than the screen. This is also of special importance, because standard windows are disallowed from being larger than the maximum screen resolution.
7. To see that more: Drag the window to one side and resize the window horizontally, you'll see that you can make the Photoshop window as large as you want.

AND, 

double clicking the titlebar when it is maximized causes the window to unmaximize and then immediately re-maximize.

I've also noticed that simply moving the Photoshop window around with the mouse cursor has become noticeably jankier in the last few versions. Resizing the window is crazy but that's not too surprising given that Photoshop is doing a lot of CPU and GPU stuff. Could be improved but let's focus on the simpler symptoms for now. However, they do indicate fundamental issues in how Adobe is choosing to interface Photoshop with Windows. (And I do recall it being similarly laggy on OSX/macOS too so maybe they just don't make good apps period.)

There is definitely something funky in Adobe's latest code for managing the window state. 

Would be really nice if the window could just ... behave like a window.

[NB, colourmanagement]

@fazzaan @W4tsup 

Perhaps try a thorough reset of Photoshop preferences?

it has helped many users here to cure strange faults

here's some background info: https://helpx.adobe.com/ie/photoshop/using/preferences.html#Manually

(read this entire post before acting please)

Resetting restores Photoshop's internal preferences, which are saved when Photoshop closes.

If they become corrupt then various issues can occur.

Here’s some info on how to do that:

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

Manually removing preferences files is the most complete method for restoring Photoshop to its default state: 

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

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.

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 their original location.
   

Note re macOS: The user Library folder is hidden by default.

To access files in the hidden user Library folder, see here for how to access hidden user library files.

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

Unexpected behaviour may indicate damaged preferences. Restoring preferences to their default settings is a good idea when trying to troubleshoot unexpected behaviours in Photoshop. check out the video

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

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

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

And here’s an earlier forum discussion as an aid to understanding

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

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

Before you reset your preferences

https://helpx.adobe.com/ie/photoshop/using/preset-migration.html

in case of future issues, I suggest you make a copy as Adobe may need one to check problematic references. 

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.

  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 those on 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 that doesn't fix the issue:

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

Still hanging? 

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

Do you still have problems?

Here's a link from Myra Ferguson specificially for troubleshooting Photoshop if it crashes on launch (which includes resetting preferences) Troubleshoot crash or freeze in 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 though! It’s worth preserving them unless they are corrupted.)

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”.

I hope this helps

neil barstow, colourmanagement net  - adobe forum volunteer - co-author: 'getting colour right'

google me "neil barstow colourmanagement" for lots of free articles on colour management

Help others by clicking "Correct Answer" if the question is answered.

Found the answer elsewhere? Share it here. "Upvote" is for useful posts.

[W4tsup]

Hi, thanks for the assistance but I think this is beyond a simple settings reset - this has persisted through multiple OS formats on multiple systems at this point and at least 2 major yearly version updates of photoshop. Resetting photoshop has already been tried in many different ways.

Thanks for the reply!

[MVelazquez · Accepted solution]

For anyone who comes upon this:  I am running Windows 11 and the solution I came upon was turning off "Snap Windows" In System > Multitasking.  You can also jst search "Multitasking setting" in windows search bar as well and i shoudl take you there.

[ralph.arvesen]

Thank you! I was trying different things to solve this and did not come up with anything, but your suggestions fixes the problem. Hopefully Adobe fixes the problem at some point, since snap-windows would be nice to turn back on. Thanks again, wanted to let you know I appreciate it.

[teh_er1k]

Thank you so much! I had this deactivated with my last windows install but didn't change it back in my latest system.

It really became a habbit scrolling past all those Adobe employee and evangelist comments to find that one user who is actually concerned with helping people. Cheers, friend.

[dougd41658981]

It happens on my MacBook Air M1 Sequoia 15.2. Really, really annoying.

[Aleke]

Hey @dougd41658981!

Can you give me a bit more info? Are you working with a tablet pen or a mouse? Also, what version of Photoshop are you running? And just wondering—does the Snap Windows setting mentioned above help at all?

Thanks a bunch!

Alek