Why can't I not remobe backgrounds in photoshop 2026

[Fearless_Light1855]

I just updated my Adobe Photoshop to Adobe Photoshop 2026 on my HP Envy x360 2 in 1 labtop 14. I realized quickly I can't remove backgrounds or select a subject. For when I select subject the text comes up saying: " Couldn't find a a subject to select, there might not be prominent objects in the image", even though clearly there is a subject. For the when I want to use remove background it says: "Couldn't find background when there is clearly a background.

[Stephen Marsh]

I haven't tested, however, I can see that you're working on a smart object layer.

Try double-clicking to edit the smart object, then remove the background from within the edited image and close/save to return to the parent layered document.

P.S. Although you could rasterize the smart object layer at it's placed size and then remove background, my preference would be to do so on the original pixels.

[Fearless_Light1855]

Sadly Stephen, it didn't work, Double clicked and everything. I tried on the previous version of photoshop and it worked so maybe it's a bug or something on my end

[Stephen Marsh]

Sadly Stephen, it didn't work, Double clicked and everything. I tried on the previous version of photoshop and it worked

By @Fearless_Light1855

I'm confused. So editing the smart object file worked, when editing the smart object layer didn't?

[Fearless_Light1855]

Yeah

[Stephen Marsh]

Yeah

By @Fearless_Light1855

So, problem solved and you have an answer! If you think it's an issue with this version, you can reset the program preferences/settings to see if that resolves the issue (first backing up *unsaved* actions and custom presets like brushes, gradients etc)

[charley_7964]

I have the same issue. A workaround that I am using is using the "object selection" tool.

[zac_ly]

I had to change Settings>Image Processing>Select subject and Remove Background From "Device" to "Cloud". Not ideal but a good temp fix

[Divine_difference6012]

Estou tendo o mesmo problema.

[Kerry Abshire]

Same issue with me.  Even removing the smart object and just having it as a layer....it still won't select either the subject or the background...and then sometimes when you remove the background it generates a new one...I'm getting frustrated and I keep trying to research this but can't find a definitive answer.  I've tried seting image processing to Cloud and to Device....nothing is working correctly.

[Claire H.]

Hi @Fearless_Light1855, welcome to the Adobe Photoshop Community Forums! Are you still experiencing this issue? If so, have you tried manually resetting your Photoshop preferences as suggested by chance? https://adobe.ly/4r4Coet

Remember to back up your settings before doing the preference reset!

https://adobe.ly/4p0EYAs

If you're still experiencing the issue, we can continue to troubleshoot. Let me know how things are going. ^CH

[tiffany_2028]

I have the same laptop with the same problem... Have you resloved this yet?

[Aleke]

Hi @tiffany_2028, welcome to the community!
Could you share a few screenshots of the issue so we can take a closer look? It would also be great if you could include your System Info.
You can find it in Photoshop under Help > System Info. Just copy the details into a text file and attach it to your response, or share it through Google Drive, WeTransfer, or any other file-sharing platform.
Thanks so much!
Alek