Legend

Answered

Stop Photoshop from stealing focus when starting?

Forum|Forum|9 years ago
December 13, 2016
8 replies
5330 views

When I first launch Photoshop CC 2017 it reaches a point where it steals the focus on Windows 10 and puts Photoshop as the active application. While this is a bit annoying it's not unusual for apps to do this when they're first launched. However, when I go back to the app I was on, Photoshop will steal focus at least 3-5 more times. Even minimizing Photoshop after the first instance doesn't do anything because it goes back to fullscreen and puts its self as the currently active app each time.

Is there anything that can be done to stop this behavior or at least force Photoshop to only grab focus when it's fully loaded and ready to go?

Correct answer Sahil.Chawla

Hi Michael,

This is a known issue, I encourage you to follow the link mentioned below and cast your vote by clicking on me too, Our engineering team is aware and are working on a fix.

Photoshop: When launching Photoshop it recurringly takes focus from another application/task (Windows) | Photoshop Famil…

Regards,

Sahil

S

simond93328584

Participant

This is still an issue in 2025. The link provided by the Adobe employee respondent no longer functions. Really Windows should have the option to stop any/all applications from focus stealing, but Adobe is the worst offender by miles. Photoshop steals focus multiple times. For god's sake, Adobe, please stop all R&D on AI and direct your efforts here until this issue is fixed.

AxelMatt

Community Expert

@simond93328584

Rather than reactivating an old thread that is seemingly similar, you are posting to a new thread with fresh, complete information.

Please include system information, a detailed description of the problem and if it's possible a step-by-step instructions for reproduction. Also includes the steps that you've done by your own to solve the issue.

If the issue is really the same, we will merge you back into the appropriate location.

This thread will be locked.

Thank you!

My System: Intel i7-8700K - 64GB RAM - NVidia Geforce RTX 3060 - Windows 11 Pro 25H2 -- LR-Classic 15 - Photoshop 27 - Nik Collection 8 - PureRAW 5 - Topaz Photo

H

help!!!!!!!!!!

Participating Frequently

It is now the end of 2020 and PS CC is still stealing focus from lightroom everytime I send something over to it. Even when I swtich batck to lightroom it will take focus away again. This is very irritating and slows down my productivity. Can't someone just add a feature to turn this function off?

dugfresh36

Participating Frequently

I feel like this has been fixed in the latest version of CC 2018.

PS CC 2018 v 19.1.3
Win 7 SP1; Intel Xeon @ 2.4GHz; 64GB RAM

I was just updated at my company, and the behavior of Photoshop opening is perfectly in line with how a program should open in the background—it stays in the background, does not interrupt anything, and flashes the icon in the taskbar...in other words, it no longer steals focus!

This is glorious. However, the update did come with a downside: my filetype association was obliterated; it was still pointing to CC 2017, which had been uninstalled. A quick registry hack and that was taken care of, so all in all, this update was pretty good.

W

WhatsAFoote

Participating Frequently

I am still getting this bug in CC 20.0.4 as of April 16, 2019.

Nearly a year later and this bug persists, anyone have a fix?

Trevor.Dennis

Community Expert

WhatsAFoote wrote
I am still getting this bug in CC 20.0.4 as of April 16, 2019.
Nearly a year later and this bug persists, anyone have a fix?

You definitely have the latest version?

Help > About Photoshop

What operating system are you using?

You'll have noticed that the last post to this thread before yours, was a year ago. It stopped being an issue for me with Windows 10, from the update that was said to fix it.

timl2197392

Participant

This frustrates me completely. I like to open photoshop and then continue working while it loads but it won't let me.

Sahil.ChawlaCorrect answer

Adobe Employee

Hi Michael,

This is a known issue, I encourage you to follow the link mentioned below and cast your vote by clicking on me too, Our engineering team is aware and are working on a fix.

Photoshop: When launching Photoshop it recurringly takes focus from another application/task (Windows) | Photoshop Famil…

Regards,

Sahil

P

Pin_Drop

Participating Frequently

This is so annoying. When will this issue be resolved? I can't work like that. It has been close to half a year since this is known.

M

michalhrabovec

Participant

so nice to know that i'm not the only one who is driven nuts by this ...

this seems like one of those small design annoyances that becomes bigger the more you use the products

please adobe fix this

E

eikonoklastes

Legend

Yes, this has become more noticeable recently. It is annoying to switch away from Photoshop as it loads as it steals focus back every 2 seconds or so until it is fully loaded.