Photoshop CC Won’t Open: How to Fix
It’s frustrating losing all of your work in Adobe Photoshop due to a crash. But it can be equally terrifying when Photoshop won’t open at all! After all, when inspiration strikes or you have a block of time to work, it is frustrating when you have to spend that time troubleshooting your software.
Before you give up or take any drastic measures, see if Photoshop opens via any of the normal methods:
- Double-clicking the icon on your desktop
- Clicking the icon in the Start menu
- Double-clicking the .exe file in the installation directory
- Opening the app from the Creative Cloud desktop application
- Trying to open an existing Photoshop file
If none of these methods work, there is still hope. Here are some of the common reasons Photoshop CC won’t open and how to fix them.
General Fixes
If you can’t identify the exact problem immediately, there are a few things that may fix your issue without having to pinpoint the cause.
- Restart your computer! A restart will often fix odd issues that you run into.
- Right-click the icon and select Open As Administrator.
- If all else fails, you can uninstall and then reinstall Adobe Photoshop CC.
A Photoshop Process is Already Running
Sometimes when Photoshop doesn’t open, it actually has opened, it just didn’t display on your screen for one reason or another. If this happens, you can force close any active instances. Open up Task Manager on your computer, look for a Photoshop CC process, then end the process. Now try opening Photoshop again and hopefully it opens right up.
Try Opening Without Plugins
If Photoshop CC won’t open, it could be the fault of a third-party plugin. While opening Photoshop, hold down the Shift key on your keyboard while opening it, then select “yes” on the prompt that comes up asking if you want to open without loading third-party plugins. If Photoshop opens, you’ll know that a plugin is likely causing the issue.
Use the Creative Cloud Cleaner Tool
The Creative Cloud Cleaner tool can be used to clean up corrupted installations. It can fix any strange errors you might be having. However, you should try reinstalling Photoshop first.
