Is Photoshop doing something strange that you just can't figure out? Then it may be time to trash the Preferences file and start over with the default factory settings.
But
that doesn't mean you have
to
lose all your custom settings — if you learn how to "recycle" your
Preferences file. Few things can be as big a headache as
a misbehaving Photoshop. Thankfully, replacing Photoshop's Preferences
file can
do wonders
when the program
is acting up. Think of it as "Photoshop Aspirin."
Here's
how to do it, and a tip that makes it easy to do regularly.
The
Preferences File
The Preferences file is where Photoshop stores all of your settings.
The selections you make in Photoshop's eight sets of preferences.
You'll find the Prefs under the Edit menu, except when using
Mac OS X in which case it's under Photoshop> Preferences.
As you can see, the Prefs dialog box is similar in Windows (see
figure 1) and
Mac (see figure 2).
Figure 1
Figure 2
The file can become corrupted,
leading to all sorts of mysterious and unusual Photoshop behaviour.
If you delete the file, it
forces Photoshop to create a replacement file the next time
it runs.
Without a Preferences file available when it starts up, Photoshop
uses
the factory-set defaults.
Among the clues that the Preferences
file has gone bad are:
- Freezes and crashes.
- Unusual tool behaviour.
- Menu commands unexpectedly
not available.
- Missing or blacked-out icons in the Toolbox.
- Unusual
colours for interface items.
The Preferences file records
more than just the selections you've made in Photoshop's Preferences.
Ever notice how
Photoshop remembers
the size of the new document you created that last time?
And your last brush for each of the painting tools? Even
where
you left
each palette? (You can, of course, turn off that behaviour.
in the Preferences.)
These are just some of the other things that are recorded
in the Preferences file.
So what happens? How does it
get corrupted? The Preferences file is rewritten every time you
quit Photoshop. One
way to try to
minimize the possibility of corrupting Photoshop's
Preferences file may
be to allow sufficient time for the program to quit.
While I've not
been able to develop reliable testing data, it seems
that interrupting the Photoshop shutdown by starting
another
program or beginning
another operation may be a possible source of problems.
Where
Do I Find the Preferences file?
The Preferences file is accessed differently according
to operating system and software version.
Photoshop CS5:
Look for the file named: Adobe Photoshop CS5 Prefs.psp
- MacOS: Users/[Username]/Library/Preferences/Adobe Photoshop CS5 Settings
- Windows: Documents and Settings/[Username]/Application Data/Adobe/Adobe Photoshop CS5/Adobe Photoshop CS5 Settings
Adobe CS5 Help page
Photoshop
7:
look for the file named Adobe Photoshop 7.0 Prefs, as follows:
- Mac OS X: Users> [username]> Library> Preferences> Adobe
Photoshop 7.0 Settings
- Mac OS 9: System Folder> Preferences> Adobe
Photoshop 7.0 Settings
- Windows XP and Windows 2000:
Documents and Settings\<username>\Application
Data\Adobe\Photoshop\7.0\Adobe Photoshop 7.0
Settings (see figure 3
below)
- Windows NT: Win NT\profiles\<username>\Application
Data\Adobe\Photoshop\7.0\Adobe Photoshop 7 Settings
- Windows 98:
Windows\Application Data\Adobe\Photoshop\7.0\Adobe Photoshop
7 Settings
Figure 3
Note that in Windows XP, you must
have hidden files visible to find the Prefs file. Here's how
to do that:
- Choose Tools> Folder Options and then
click the View tab.
- Select "Show hidden files and folders" in
the "Hidden
files and folders" section, and
then click OK.
Photoshop 6:
For Both
Windows and Mac, you're looking for the file named
Adobe
Photoshop
6 Prefs.
Here's
where it
hides:
- Mac OS: System> Preferences> Adobe
Photoshop 6 Settings> Adobe
Photoshop 6 Prefs
- Windows 98: Windows\Application
Data\Adobe\Photoshop\6.0\Adobe Photoshop
6 Settings
- Windows NT: Win NT\profiles\<username>\Application
Data\Adobe\Photoshop\6.0\Adobe Photoshop
6 Settings
- Windows 2000: Documents and Settings\<username>\Application
Data\Adobe\Photoshop\6.0\Adobe Photoshop
6 Settings.
How Do I Replace The Preferences File?
Photoshop CS5:
To estore all preferences to default settings, do one of the following:
- 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.
- (Mac OS only) Open the Preferences folder in the Library folder, and drag the Adobe Photoshop CS Settings folder to the Trash.
New Preferences files are created the next time you start Photoshop.
Photoshop CS2:
Quit Photoshop and then, holding down
Alt+Ctrl+Shift (Windows) or Cmd+Option+Shift (Macintosh), reach
Photoshop. When asked to reset the preferences click Yes. Photoshop
will delete the Preferences file, revert to the default settings,
and resume its launch.
To Re-create the Photoshop CS2
preferences file:
Re-create the Photoshop CS2 preferences file to eliminate problems
that a damaged preferences file might cause:
- Quit Photoshop CS2.
- Rename the Adobe
Photoshop CS2 Prefs.psp file (for example, to Photoshop
CS2 .old) in the Photoshop 9 folder which will usually
be located at C:\Documents and Settings\ [user name]
\Application Data\Adobe\Photoshop\9.0\Adobe Photoshop CS2 Settings
- Start
Photoshop CS2. Photoshop CS2 creates a new preferences
file.
If
the problem continues, the preferences file isn't the cause. To
restore custom settings, delete the new preferences file
and restore
the original name of the previous preferences file.
In Photoshop CS, 7, 6 and 5.5:
Immediately
AFTER launching
Photoshop, hold down (and keep held down) Command+Option+Shift
(Mac) or Control+Alt+Shift (Windows). (Don't hold down the modifier
keys
before you launch,
press them
immediately afterward and hold them down until you see the dialog
box.) You'll be asked if you want to
delete the "Adobe
Photoshop Settings File." This
replaces the entire Settings folder,
include
Colour Settings, Actions, Tool Presets,
and all of the other settings files.
Rather
than losing all of your settings, you
can manually replace just the Prefs
file:
- Quit Photoshop.
- Locate the Adobe Photoshop
Prefs file.
- Delete the file.
- Restart Photoshop.
- Reset your Preferences.
- Reload any custom
palettes.
Special Tip: Minimize Preferences Disruption
You
can prevent corruption of the Prefs file by making it a Read
Only (Windows) or Locked
(Mac)
file. Remember,
though,
that Photoshop
won't be able to update
the file, so make sure that all of your preferences,
palette
locations,
and tool
settings
are
just as
you want them before
securing the Prefs
file.
On the Mac, locate
the file and press
Command-I
to open
Show
Info (OS X)
or Get Info (earlier
versions). You'll
see a
check box that
allows you to lock
the file (see figure
4).
Figure
4
For Windows, right-click
on the Prefs file and
select Properties.
Check
the Read-only
box (see
figure 5).
Figure
5
If you want Photoshop
to be able to update
the Prefs,
don't
lock
the file.
Rather,
use this
tip, which
makes replacing
your Preferences
file less difficult.
To replace your Preferences:
- Quit Photoshop.
- Locate the Adobe Photoshop
Prefs file.
- Delete
the file.
- Restart Photoshop.
- Reset your own user preferences using the Preferences
panel (see above).
- Reload any custom
palettes.
- Immediately
quit Photoshop
again.
Don't do
anything that might
change
your preferences.
- Go
to the appropriate location on your hard drive to
find
your brand new,
freshly
customized Prefs file.
- Make
a copy of that new
file.
- Move
the copy to
a
location other
than
the
Adobe Photoshop
Settings
folder.
(I
recommend the next
higher
level,
the
folder in which
you
find the Settings
folder.)
- Rename
the
file to the
exact
name
of
the actual
Prefs
file.
- Next
time
you
need to fix
a
corrupt Prefs
file,
simply
delete
the
old one and
copy
the
file
you
just made
into
the
Settings folder.
Never
move
the file,
always
copy
it.
Keep
this
newly
created,
clean-as-a-whistle
Prefs
file
as a
backup.
Use copies
of
it to
replace
a
bad Prefs
file;
it
will
save
you the
trouble
of resetting
all of
the Preferences
each
time.
Note:
Remember
to
quit Photoshop
first.
The
program
rewrites
the
preferences when
you
quit. If
you
replace
the
Prefs file
while
Photoshop
is
running, the
old
corrupt preferences
may
be written
over
your
new
file.
Please contact
us if you thought these tips were helpful - thanks.
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