Color picker stays in gray scale

Question

I'm having a weird problem and Googling it isn't helping. My color picker is suddenly only picking up colors in gray scale.

The three common solutions I've encountered do not apply to me. My document is in RGB mode, I'm not targeting a mask, and I'm not in quick mask mode. Any other ideas what could be causing this?

I'm using Photoshop CC on Windows 10.

EDIT: I just realized the problem is more specific. The color picker just isn't picking up any colors at all. No matter what I select, it always gives the exact same color and shade: #535353. (Or, R 83 G 83 B 83) This is even weirder.

Peru Bob · Accepted Answer

Try resetting the tools and/or preferences.
To restore preferences quickly using a keyboard shortcut:

Press and hold Alt+Control+Shift (Windows) or Option+Command+Shift (Mac OS) as you start Photoshop. You are prompted to delete the current settings. The new preferences files are created the next time you start Photoshop.
Note: Using the keyboard shortcut, preference files for custom shortcuts, workspaces, and color settings will also be reset to default.

from here:

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

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