Affinity Photo Crashing
Quick answer
Affinity crashes at startup or while editing mostly because of an outdated build, a problem user font, or GPU/hardware acceleration settings. Update first, then test fonts and hardware acceleration.
Most likely fix: Update to the latest version
How to fix it
Try these in order — the most common fix is first.
1. Update to the latest version
- Check for the newest Affinity release on the official download page
- Install over the existing app and restart
Did this fix it?2. Temporarily remove suspect fonts
- Move recently installed fonts out of your font folder or disable them in your font manager
- Relaunch Affinity; the 3.0.x notes list a fix for some user fonts crashing startup
Did this fix it?3. Turn off hardware acceleration
- Open Settings > Performance
- Untick hardware acceleration, restart, and test
Did this fix it?4. Update graphics drivers or macOS
- Install the latest GPU driver (Windows) or macOS update
- Reinstall Affinity if it still crashes
Did this fix it?
Symptoms
The app closes at launch, when zooming, when hovering a font, or when quitting.
Why it happens
- Old build with known crash bugs (fixed in 3.0.x releases)
- A faulty user-installed font
- Hardware acceleration / graphics driver problems
- Corrupt preferences
This guide also covers
- affinity photo crashing
- affinity photo keeps crashing
- affinity crashes on startup
Still not working?
If Affinity Photo keeps failing, you're not alone. See every Affinity Photo problem users report or the alternatives people switch to.
Have an app idea? Our small team builds any software: web and mobile apps, games, desktop, AI tools. Price agreed together.
Talk to usThe same problem in other apps
All crashes, freezes & blank screens guides →
- Photoshop Keeps Crashing or Won't Open (Adobe Photoshop)
- Lightroom Classic Not Working After Update (Adobe Lightroom)
- GIMP Not Opening or Won't Start (GIMP)
- Pixelmator Pro Keeps Crashing or Quitting Unexpectedly (Pixelmator Pro)