Adobe Photoshop Elements 22 doesn't work correctly with Mac OS Monterey (new OS released 2 days ago)

[Jean5E45]

Hi

Adobe Photoshop Elements 22 doesn't work correctly with Mac OS Monterey (new OS released 2 days ago).

Other members in the same case ?

Thank you for your answers. Jean.

[Davej0611]

This mornings update to Montery has sadly made the situation much worse PSE 21 now will not load at all

[Thonic61]

I can confirm that Photoshop Elements 2022 will no longer start with macOS Monterey 2.1  :o(

[Alan22240457hsm7]

I have exactly the same problem.   I upgraded to Monterey and suddenly the PSE 2021 died.   
Thinking Adobe wouldn't allow incompatibility with the new 2022 I purchased this 'upgrade' only to find that PSE 2022 was no different.  
This is really poor customer support. 
Somebody at Adobe needs hauled over the coals for this and why don't they tell you straight away in bold lettering prior to purchase that it doesn't work with OS Monterey. 
I'm seeking an alternative imaging editor that must allow 'file info' function.   
Anyone got any suggestions?

Thanks

[Thonic61]

I've been working with Luminar AI and Affinty Photo for a few weeks now. So far I like everything very much and personally I don't see any reason why I should extend my Adobe Photo subscription in May.

[Glenn 8675309]

"why don't they tell you straight away in bold lettering prior to purchase that it doesn't work with OS Monterey. ..."

Well they did: It's in the OS requirements.  Apparently no one bothers to read that anymore before they make a purchase.

https://helpx.adobe.com/photoshop-elements/system-requirements.html

[mrubell]

Shutting down and rebooting in Safe Mode is a work-around. It's awful but
at least you can slowly work on photo projects.
I agree - hot coals sounds like a great idea.

[Armaan69]

Hi there, anyone have any idea about the timeline for the fix.  My PSE 2021 purchased 3 months ago is not working properly on my new Mac following the update to Monterey.  Adobe won't give me a refund but upgraded my licence to PSE 2022 free of charge.  They then uploaded the 2022 version to my mac through remote access but it suffers from the same issue as PSE 2021.  However, both Adobe and the vendor I purchased the software from are refusing refund, even though the software have a 12 Months Warranty.

Do I have a case for chargeback from my credit card company?  It's not too much to expect PSE 2021 to working on 2021 Mac OS.  Although Adobe may have legally covered themselves by putting OS 10 and 11 in the system requirements, to sell a product advertised for the year 2021 or 2022 that is incompatible with Mac OS of the same year is misleading in terms of the trades description and fit for purpose legislations?

Any ideas about the timeline in the fix would be really helpful as I don't want to pursue the chargeback route with credit company if this will be fixed soon.

[MASewall]

I saw a post this morning that says that PSE 2022 (presumably also 2021) won't start up at all with Monterey 12.1. I have received a refund and no longer have any version of PSE installed. I'd appreciate it if someone with an M1 Mac can confirm that PSE 2022 won't startup at all in 12.1. My surmise all along is that something in PSE's startup routines does something to the working copy of the OS that 1) prevents future starups of the app if it is quit without a restart of the Mac, and 2) regardless of whethe PSE remains open or is quit, installs an error in Rosetta 2 on an M1 Mac that will subsequently lead to a spontaneous restart. If PSE 2022 will not execute at all on an M1 Mac with OS 12.1, that would mean that Apple has modified OS code and Rosetta code to prevent whatever PSE's startup was doint that it should not be doing (a single app should never be able to bring down the entire OS).

If my inference is correct, then Adobe now has a powerful clue pointing to exactly what the PSE startup bug is. Apparently, whatever PSE is trying to do at that point has some importance attached to it; so, Adobe may have to puzzle some to find an alternative way to do what they think must be done. Solving that riddle without sewing the seeds of some future disaster may take awhile--how long awhile is anyone's guess without more detail regarding what the software architects are up against.

Can someone with an M1 Mac and PSE 202 installed please report on what happens when PSE 2022 is launched with OS 12.1 installed?

[Special Case]

I had PSE 2022 installed in my iMac M1 running OS 12.1 since the end of Oct 2021. I wasted probably over 100 hours trying to get it to launch reliably. If I did a full uninstall/reinstall it would open if I used the Adobe Photoshop Elements 2022 launcher. It would never open using Finder > Open with... or double clicking the PSE 2022 editor app. After awhile it would just stop opening at all and I'd have to uninstall and reinstall again to get it to launch. When I found this Adobe Community thread I gave up on PSE 2022 and reverted to PSE 2021 which so far today is working normally (knock on wood). I've check it doubleclicking the PSE Editor app, opening from the PSE 2022 Launcher, and using Finder > Open With... on photo files. Hope this helps you solve your situation.

BTW I'm having the same PSE 2022 launching problem on my MacBook Air 2019 running OS12.1.

I think my next step is to try to get a refund for PSE 2022.

[Special Case]

Need to add: the Macbook Air 2019 has an Intel CPU

[MASewall]

The issue is pretty much the same whether your Mac is Intel or M1 EXCEPT PSE 2022 will corrupt Rosetta 2 and lead to an eventual spontaneous restart. That potentially is a clear to the part of the OS that PSE is in conflict with. Adobe doesn't say, but if they are any good at all at quality control, they already know where the bug is. The problem likely is that PSE is trying to do something that Adobe thinks is important (perhaps validating some element of PSE's registration or something of that ilk). Assuming PSE is doing something that matters wrongly, then the problem is how to get it to do what is necessary that works and doesn't create other glitches. There's enough code involved that providing the solution is nontrivial even when the source of the problem is identified.

My complaints are two-fold. First why is Adobe's public face one of surprise. They should have identified the problem months ago. Second why did the label Mac Software that is not compiled fo Apple Silicon (i.e., M1) 2022?

The longer customers use Affinity or Acorn the greater the opportunity cost to Adobe in lost future repurchases. That's one of those creeping disasters that are discussed in business school courses after companies collapse or become a shell of their former selves (can you spell Lotus 1-2-3?).

[Special Case]

May I ask where one goes to request a refund? I found a webpage to chat with customer service and keep getting disconnected. Thanks.

[MASewall]

I was able to get the chat to process the refund. However, I went to Adobe.com, signed in and use the search function for "process a refund request." I got back

https://helpx.adobe.com/x-productkb/policy-pricing/return-cancel-or-change-order.html

Good luck.

[Special Case]

 👍

[Mike223106489p3q]

My PSE 2021 had the same problem of hanging on startup after I installed Monterey on my M1 MacBook Air. Rebooting permitted a successful start if attempted within a few minutes of the boot. This was true for each of the several accounts on my machine.

After I installed 12.1 PSE 2021 worked correctly (for the last 3 days and a dozen or more boots). This leaves everyone who has not upgraded to 12.1 in a quandry: It fixed the problem for me, but (reportedly) made it worse for others by completely preventing PSE from starting. Maybe it's different between 2021 and 2022.

[Armaan69 · Accepted solution]

Just to update people on here, in conjuction with 12.1 Update from Apple on my Mac, there was an update from Adobe too.  My PSE 2022 now appears to be working fine on my Mac. 

[Albert2235296627wy]

Adobe website still only gives MAC OS 10  and 11 as compatible with PS Elements 2022. No word on Monterey OS 12.

[acoleman121]

I haveupdated OS Monterey to 12.1 hoping that i can install Elements 2022 but now looking at the latest posts on this forum there is no fix for M1 and OS Monterey.

I purchased the box version of Elements and Premier from Amazon UK and am loath to try to install them as i will be breaking the seal and probably wont be able to return them which i am assuming i am gount to have to do as it looks like there will be no remedy in the near future from either Apple or Adobe. 

I heve been a long time customer of Adobe in various forms of Software and to be honest feel really let down by this issue.It will soon be time for 2023 version to be released and i wont have had the chance to even look at the 2022 version i have sitting on a shelf waiting to be unboxed. 

I think Adobe could at least give some sort of time frame or be honest and say we will get to use our software or not as it is fast approaching the time i am going to another brand and purchase something i can use properly. 

It needs to work properly without faffing around with restarts etc as that is no way to use a computer or any type of software.

A proper reply from someone at Adobe would be appreciated please. 

[acoleman121]

I have just been online with an Adobe tech support advisor regarding the issue and he has no idea 

of when there will be a remedy for this and as soon as there is it will appear on this page 

https://helpx.adobe.com/photoshop-elements/system-requirements.html#sa_src=web-messaging

I am not prepared to wait and wait any longer for this to be remedied so i am going to cut my losses and get

a refund for the software.

Apple have just introduced OS12.1 and it doesnt work on that so if it takes another Apple update to include a working solution when will the next one be or is it something Adobe will do without Apple having to ?

Either way i am done with PS Elements and i will buy something that works properly 

A shame as its a great piece of software when you can use it but no point having it sitting in a box 

I hope you all get it working at some stage in the near future 

[Davej0611]

You are lucky I spent 30 mins this morning being abruptly told several times it was Apples issue not Adobe . He would not take ownership of the issue and would not respond when I demanded a pro rata  refund for each month it isn't working .

[acoleman121]

Well i must be honest and say he wasnt that helpful and he did say to get a refund and then buy it again 

when its working properly. 

I went through four other people before being put through to the right person but he didnt seem to care and it was a case of "Like it or Lump it "  either wait or get a refund 

I am sure he will go far with an attitude like that or maybe they dont want to sell standalone software such as PS Elements & PS Premier any more and in my case i wont be buying either in future  

[MASewall]

I did what you plan to do and received a refund weeks ago. The canard that it's an Apple problem is entirely bogus. Keep in mind that employees in call centers are FAR from the top of any company's "food chain." They have canned soltutions for common questions, but they are out-on-a-limb when the complaint is bugs in the vendor's software. PSE 2022 is a monster marketing embarassment for Adobe that will cost the compajy noticeable sales and profit losses (sales and profits they could have had rather than visible "red ink") for years, but the it's not something call center employees care much about.

Meanwhile I'm getting more and more comforable figuring out how to get Acorn to do what I used to do with PSE. Acorn's menus are not very intuitive and the help function is terrible, but it's mostly just a question of finding the sub menu that brings up the function your looking for. I haven't used Affinity as much, but others report find it an acceptable alternative. Both Acorn and Affinity run native on M1, load Nikon raw files (my guess that they handle Canon raw files as well), HEIT, and evidently any known image format (including psd).

At this point, I think I'll wait until Adobe markets universal code before I consider repurchasing even if they manage to get it working in Moterey on both Intel and M1 with Rosetta 2. I don't know how long Apple will continue to support Intel apps, a year or two at least I guess, but when an OS update arrives that is Apple Silicon only, I don't want to have to purchase software that I bought after M1 existed.

[acoleman121]

I called Amazon and explained the situation and they gave me the full refund straight away so i printed off the return label and took the package to the local shop and now on its way to Amazon. 

I am glad to be rid of it so i don't have to keep checking back on this forum to see if there has been any success with a fix etc. 

Now to purchase some reliable software that i can actually use for my money and it certainly wont have an Adobe label on it 

[mrubell]

Great news for you! I'm curious - what software will you be looking into.
I'd love to ditch Adobe as well.

[acoleman121]

I have been looking at Affinty Photo by Serif and also DXO photolab 5 there is a free trial version of PL5 which i will try out first.