Photoshop GPU Errors: Graphics Processor Not Detected or Crashing

How to fix it

Try these in order — the most common fix is first.

1. 1. Update the driver

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   1. Download the latest driver from NVIDIA, AMD or Intel (use the Studio driver on NVIDIA)
   2. Restart the PC after installing
   Did this fix it? Yes No

2. 2. Check Photoshop GPU settings

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   1. Edit > Preferences > Performance
   2. Confirm your GPU appears and Use Graphics Processor is ticked
   3. Click Advanced Settings and try a different Drawing mode (Basic/Normal)
   Did this fix it? Yes No

3. 3. Clean install the driver

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   1. Use Display Driver Uninstaller in Safe Mode
   2. Install the fresh driver and relaunch Photoshop
   Did this fix it? Yes No

4. 4. Hybrid laptops

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   1. Windows Settings > System > Display > Graphics: add Photoshop and set High performance
   2. Or set the laptop GPU mode to discrete in the manufacturer app
   Did this fix it? Yes No

5. 5. Test without GPU and reset

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   1. Untick Use Graphics Processor, restart and see if the crash stops (this limits Select Subject and other AI features)
   2. Reset preferences at launch with Ctrl+Alt+Shift (Cmd+Option+Shift on Mac)
   Did this fix it? Yes No

Symptoms

Photoshop says your graphics processor is incompatible, features such as Select Subject or Neural Filters are greyed out, the screen glitches or the PC crashes (nvlddmkm / OpenCL errors).

Why it happens

• Outdated or incorrect GPU driver
• Unsupported or very old graphics card
• Windows hybrid graphics using the integrated GPU
• Corrupt GPU preference cache
• Specific updates that conflict with certain NVIDIA or AMD drivers

This guide also covers

• photoshop gpu error
• photoshop graphics processor not detected
• photoshop gpu crash
• photoshop select subject crash
• photoshop use graphics processor greyed out

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