12 Tips To Make Photoshop Run 200% Faster | Optimize Photoshop Performance

The question is; Does your Photoshop slow when opening files? Or becomes unresponsive, laggy in performance on big files? You want Photoshop to run quickly at peak performance. No worries, from today you can then edit your photos, resize, filters, sepia, crop, rotate and flip, photo editing, or any photo manipulation with best photo editor, photo tool, top image editor; known as - the PHOTOSHOP. Check out tips for speeding up Photoshop that will make your workflow much faster and smooth.

Optimize the performance of Photoshop
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If you too looking for setting up the preferences & fix the memory usage for peak performance and to make Photoshop faster, you arrived at the right page. Now onwards, your Adobe Photoshop will auto optimize & speed up its performance in any graphic design effects you working with. Let's tweak Photoshop for better performance to solve the question why is Photoshop so incredibly slow? And try the effective tips, tweaks & ways to work faster in Photoshop.

If you're working with the large size images and your photoshop running slow then optimizing the performance of Photoshop can be crucial to avoid sluggishness of Photoshop. I have seen, the best computer for adobe photoshop working best with peak performance, but my intention to post this article to boost your current Photoshop performance with your current PC.

Here in this tutorial, you'll see the simple but best settings to boost the Photoshop performance by following quick steps as well as with other compiled tips; the working of Photoshop gets more efficient than ever you have seen before. For better results follow these suggestions as described over here & adopt the appropriate settings to implement that in according to the usage as well as in matching of your system. Check out tricks & tweaks on how to set preferences & memory usage setting to make Photoshop run faster on your machine.
Make Photoshop Run Faster
Make Photoshop Run Faster
But today we are going to learn an advanced tested OK tutorial about Photoshop for making its performance much better than ever.

12 Tips To Speedup Photoshop | Optimize Photoshop Performance

These following quick adjustments can make all PS things better than ever. This tutorial going to provide you some quick tips on how to speed up Photoshop performance just by tweaking some settings in preferences.

Follow Photoshop tips and tricks that do not only improve the operational performance but also the user experience in handling the user's task only by configuring its preferences:

1. Allow high memory use.

You need to ensure that Photoshop can use the maximum amount of RAM available on your system.
Choose Edit > Preferences > Performance > Memory Usage
Use maximum amount of RAM available for Photoshop
Use maximum amount of RAM available for Photoshop
You may also like to read: Top 7 Tips to Speed Up, Optimize & Improve Windows PC Performance For Faster Operations


2. Add scratch disks.

It's nothing but a Virtual Memory. If your disk has multiple drives then you can add those as scratch disks to allow Photoshop for using your disk as a memory for better performance.
Choose Edit > Preferences > Performance > Scratch Disks
Allow Photoshop to use scratch disks
Allow Photoshop to use scratch disks
For better understandings you need to check; Make Computer Run 10x Faster By Using Virtual Memory | RAM Optimization


3. Reduce history & cache size.

Note that the more Cache Levels you have, the faster Photoshop will work. Adjust the following setting according to your use. History & cache size allows you to undo the changes for images. I use the following for fast performance.
  • History States to 100
  • Cache levels to 10
  • Cache tiles size to 1028K
Choose Edit > Preferences > Performance > History & Cache
Reduce history & cache size
Reduce history & cache size
Also check; 5 Steps To Speed up PDF File Opening, Loading, Previewing, Search in Adobe Acrobat Reader


4. Adjust painting cursors.

Quickly select normal brush tip which uses less processing time.
Choose Edit > Preferences > Cursors > Painting Cursors
Select normal brush tip
Select normal brush tip
You must check; 28 Steps Make Chrome 8x Faster (100% Working) | How Chrome Flags Speedup Browsing | AIO Chrome Optimization


5. Remove pre-loading of fonts.

Whenever PS opens, all fonts installed in the system also pre-loaded into RAM, which need not that much necessary if the font is not used mostly while manipulation of images.
Choose Edit > Preferences > Type > Type Options > Font Preview Size
Remove pre-loading of fonts
Remove pre-loading of fonts
RECOMMENDED: Fix 10 Most Common Windows 7 Issues & Solutions | Windows 7 Help


6. Uncheck export clipboard.

If you are not using any copied data other than in Photoshop, then it's best to uncheck this option. It causes more data leakage when you copied data and not willing to paste elsewhere.
Uncheck export clipboard
Uncheck export clipboard
Choose Edit > Preferences > General > Deselect Export Clipboard


7. Restrict file saving options.

In order to reduce the RAM & CPU+GPU usage, its essential to cancel the caching of image previews. And check the box "Save as to original folder"
Restrict file saving options
Restrict file saving options
Choose Edit > Preferences > Performance > File Handling


8. Remove unwanted fonts.

It's just like point no. 5, but in the Windows, a number of fonts will affect the loading time, as well as the working performance, of both Windows, and especially of Photoshop. So I recommended you clear out the unwanted fonts folder and get rid of fonts you never use, and never will use. This will also improve the loading time of Photoshop.


Update: 25 May

9. Quick Preferances to tweak Photoshop.

9.1 - GPU setting:

You need to keep updated your graphics driver for optimized GPU operation.

9.2 - Dragging is better:

High memory usage is occurred while copying & pasting, so instead of that, use dragging of images.

9.3 - Close all other applications:

Make sure to close all other applications if you are not using while you are on PS, this surely freed up additional memory to boost Photoshop operation.


Video: How To Make Photoshop Run Faster!

Learn essential tips to optimize Photoshop performance for latest versions. This tutorial helps speed up your workflow, reduce lag, and improve efficiency in graphic design tasks.
Optimize Photoshop Speed: Boost your Photoshop performance with these simple tweaks. Ideal for designers seeking faster rendering and smoother operation.


Frequently Asked Questions

Optimize Photoshop performance in 2025 with settings to speed up Photoshop on slower computers. This FAQ covers tweaks for memory usage, scratch disks, GPU settings, and plugins to boost Photoshop speed. Enhance efficiency on low-end PCs with these SEO-friendly optimization tips for faster Adobe Photoshop performance.

Why optimizing the performance of Photoshop?

If you're working with the large size images and your photoshop running slow then optimizing the performance of Photoshop can be crucial to avoid sluggishness of Photoshop. I have seen, the best computer for adobe photoshop working best with peak performance, but learn to boost your current Photoshop performance with your current PC. Follow new tricks & tweaks on how to set preferences & memory usage setting to make Photoshop run faster on your machine.

How to optimize Photoshop performance on slow PCs?

Optimize Photoshop performance by adjusting settings. Set memory usage to 70% in Edit > Preferences > Performance. Use SSD as scratch disk. Enable GPU for faster rendering. Disable unused plugins. These tweaks speed up Photoshop on slow PCs. Boost Adobe Photoshop performance with simple optimizations.

How to set memory usage for Photoshop speed?

Set memory usage to 70-80% in Photoshop. Go to Edit > Preferences > Performance. Adjust RAM slider. This optimizes Photoshop speed on slow computers. Free up system resources for better performance. Restart Photoshop to apply changes. Key tweak for faster Adobe Photoshop.

What is a scratch disk in Photoshop?

Scratch disk is temporary storage for Photoshop data. Set to SSD in Edit > Preferences > Scratch Disks. Avoid full drives. This boosts Photoshop performance on slow PCs. Free up space for faster processing. Essential for Adobe Photoshop speed optimization in 2025.

How to use GPU for Photoshop performance?

Enable GPU in Photoshop for faster rendering. Go to Edit > Preferences > Performance. Check "Use Graphics Processor." Update GPU drivers. This speeds up Photoshop on low-end PCs. Optimize Adobe Photoshop performance with GPU settings for smooth editing in 2025.

Why disable plugins to speed up Photoshop?

Disable unused plugins to speed up Photoshop. Go to Edit > Preferences > Plug-ins. Uncheck unnecessary ones. This reduces memory load on slow computers. Boosts Adobe Photoshop performance. Essential tweak for faster Photoshop in 2025.

How to adjust cache levels in Photoshop?

Adjust cache levels in Photoshop for speed. Go to Edit > Preferences > Performance. Set cache to 4-6 for smaller files. Higher for large images. This optimizes Photoshop performance on slow PCs. Boosts Adobe Photoshop efficiency in 2025.

How to reduce history states in Photoshop?

Reduce history states to speed up Photoshop. Go to Edit > Preferences > Performance. Set history states to 20-30. This lowers memory usage on slow PCs. Improves Adobe Photoshop performance. Key optimization for faster Photoshop in 2025.

Why use SSD as scratch disk in Photoshop?

Use SSD as scratch disk for faster Photoshop performance. SSDs have quicker read/write speeds. Set in Edit > Preferences > Scratch Disks. This optimizes slow PCs. Boosts Adobe Photoshop speed. Essential for efficient Photoshop editing in 2025.

How to optimize layers for Photoshop speed?

Optimize layers to speed up Photoshop. Merge or rasterize unused layers. Reduce complex effects. This lowers memory usage on slow PCs. Improves Adobe Photoshop performance. Key tweak for faster Photoshop editing in 2025.

What risks in tweaking Photoshop settings?

Tweaking Photoshop settings risks instability on low-end PCs. High memory allocation may crash system. Test changes carefully. Backup files before tweaks. Optimize Adobe Photoshop performance safely. Essential for smooth Photoshop in 2025.



Q&A Page: How to Optimize Photoshop Performance

How can I optimize Photoshop's performance to make it run faster?

I'm working with large files in Photoshop, and it's starting to lag and run very slowly. What are the best settings and methods to improve its speed and overall performance, especially on a slower computer?
4 Answers
158 Votes
782
votes

The most effective way to boost performance is by adjusting Photoshop's core settings. Go to Edit > Preferences > Performance to fine-tune how Photoshop uses your computer's resources.

  • Memory Usage: Allocate 70-80% of your available RAM to Photoshop. Avoid going over 85% to ensure other system applications can run smoothly.
  • History States: Reduce the number of history states to around 20-30. Each state consumes memory, so lowering this number frees up resources.
  • Cache Levels & Tile Size: For large, high-resolution photos, set Cache Levels to 4 or higher. For web design with many layers, a lower level (2) is better. Set Cache Tile Size to a larger value like 1024K for bigger images.

These adjustments directly control memory and caching, providing the most significant performance increase.

Other Answers

310
votes
Managing your scratch disks is critical. A scratch disk is temporary storage Photoshop uses when there isn't enough RAM. Go to Edit > Preferences > Scratch Disks. Ensure your primary scratch disk is a fast SSD with at least 20-40GB of free space. If you have multiple drives, enable them as additional scratch disks. Avoid using the same drive as your operating system if possible.
This made a huge difference! My 'Scratch Disk is Full' error is finally gone.
251
votes
Leverage your computer's graphics card (GPU). In Preferences > Performance, make sure 'Use Graphics Processor' is checked. Click 'Advanced Settings' and enable 'Use OpenCL' to accelerate features like the Blur Gallery and Smart Sharpen. Always keep your graphics card drivers updated for the best compatibility and performance.
95
votes
Don't forget general system maintenance. Regularly purge Photoshop's memory by going to Edit > Purge > All. This clears the clipboard, history, and caches. Also, close any unnecessary documents and background applications (like web browsers) to free up system resources for Photoshop to use.


Bottom Line

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In conclusion, optimizing Photoshop’s performance is a continuous process that involves a combination of hardware upgrades, software adjustments, and mindful workflow practices.

It’s important to tailor these strategies to your specific needs and workflow to achieve the best performance possible.

By optimizing your computer’s performance and adjusting Photoshop’s settings, you can enhance the speed and efficiency of this powerful image editing software.

Remember, the most dramatic way to increase performance is by investing in faster and more powerful hardware. However, the easiest way to improve performance, without spending money, is to set your Photoshop preferences and fine-tune its features to take advantage of the type of files you typically work with.


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