Troubleshoot plug-ins | Photoshop CS4, CS5

• Troubleshoot the Additional Plug-Ins Folder
• Troubleshoot installed third-party plug-ins
• Restore the default set of Photoshop CS5 or CS4 plug-ins
• Photoshop CS5 Optional Plugins
  
  

Use this document to identify problematic plug-ins in Adobe Photoshop CS5 or CS4. This document also provides instructions for restoring the default set of Photoshop CS5 or CS4 plug-ins.

Plug-ins are software modules that extend the capabilities of Photoshop. For example, some plug-ins enable you to apply special effects to images, while others enable you to open or save various image file formats.

When you installed Photoshop, many plug-ins were installed automatically. If you subsequently installed any third-party plug-ins -- plug-ins from a publisher other than Adobe -- and if you are troubleshooting unexpected behavior in Photoshop, then a third-party plug-in may be causing the problem.

A plug-in can cause a problem in Photoshop for any of these reasons:

• The plug-in was designed for a different version of Photoshop and is not compatible with Photoshop CS5 or CS4.
• The plug-in was installed incompletely or incorrectly.
• More than one version of the same plug-in is installed.
• A plug-in file has become damaged.

Some of the steps in this document have different instructions for the 32-bit and 64-bit editions of your Windows operating system. If you do not know which edition of Windows you are using, see "Determine whether your computer is running a 32-bit or a 64-bit edition of Windows" (TechNote kb407673).

Note: To troubleshoot issues with the Adobe Camera Raw plug-in, see "Unable to open camera raw file in Photoshop or Photoshop Elements" (TechNote kb407110).

If you have not enabled the Additional Plug-Ins Folder option then skip this section.



To determine whether Photoshop is loading a problematic plug-in from the Additional Plug-Ins Folder:

If the problem recurs, then a plug-in in the Additional Plug-Ins Folder is not the cause. Re-enable the Additional Plug-Ins Folder option.

If the problem does not recur, then a plug-in in the Additional Plug-Ins Folder is the cause. To identify the problematic plug-in:

If you have never installed any third-party plug-ins for Photoshop, then skip this section.

To complete the steps in this section, you must know all of the third-party plug-ins that you have installed for Photoshop CS5 or CS4. If you do not have this information, then open Photoshop, choose Help > System Info, and make a list of the plug-ins whose publisher is not Adobe Systems. System Info will also tell you which plug-ins are 32-bit and which ones did not load.

To determine whether Photoshop is loading a problematic third-party plug-in:

If the problem recurs, then an installed third-party plug-in is not causing the problem. Close Photoshop and reinstall or re-enable all of the third-party plug-ins that you removed or disabled. Skip the remaining steps in this section.

If the problem does not recur, then a third-party plug-in is causing the problem. To identify the problematic plug-in:

Important: After you complete this section, do the following additional tasks:

• Reinstall any third-party plug-ins and optional Photoshop plug-ins that you previously installed and wish to continue using. (If you have enabled the Additional Plug-Ins Folder option, however, then the plug-ins in that folder are not affected and will not need to be reinstalled.)
• Install all available updates to Photoshop and its supporting components such as Camera Raw, including the 11.0.1 update to Photoshop and the latest compatible version of the Camera Raw plug-in. To install these updates go to http://www.adobe.com/downloads/updates/.
  
  

To restore the default plug-ins on a 32-bit edition of Windows:

To restore the default plug-ins on a 64-bit edition of Windows:

To restore the default plug-ins on Mac OS:

Close all applications.

Third-party plug-ins may be installed in one or more of the following locations:

• The Photoshop Plug-Ins folder, or to a sub-folder within the Photoshop Plug-Ins folder. (Most third-party plug-ins are installed in this location.)
• Third-party plug-ins may also be installed in a custom location and then loaded into Photoshop by enabling the Additional Plug-Ins Folder option in the preferences.

If you installed Photoshop to the default location: C:/Program Files/Adobe/Adobe Photoshop CS5 or CS4, 

then the Photoshop Plug-Ins folder is located here: C:/Program Files/Adobe/Adobe Photoshop CS5 or CS4/Plug-Ins.



Note: If you are using a 64-bit edition of Windows, then there are two editions of Photoshop installed on your computer: a 32-bit edition and a 64-bit edition.

The default location of the Plug-ins folder for the 32-bit edition is

C:/Program Files (x86)/Adobe/Adobe Photoshop CS5 or CS4/Plug-Ins.

The default location of the Plug-Ins folder for the 64-bit edition is

C:/Program Files/Adobe/Adobe Photoshop CS5 or CS4/Plug-Ins.

Additionally, there is a Common Plug-Ins folder for the Camera Raw plug-in, which is shared by Photoshop, Bridge and Photoshop Elements.

It is located at C:/Program Files/Common Files/Adobe/Plug-Ins/CS5 or CS4.



Note: If you are using a 64-bit edition of Windows, then there is a separate Common Plug-Ins folder for 32-bit plug-ins at

C:/Program Files (x86)/Common Files/Adobe/Plug-Ins/CS5 or CS4.

If you installed Photoshop to the default location: Applications/Adobe Photoshop CS5 or CS,

then the Photoshop Plug-Ins folder is located here: Applications/Adobe Photoshop CS5 or CS4/Plug-Ins.

Photoshop CS5 will install a single Universal application that can run both 32-bit and 64-bit modes for all installs. Photoshop checks the chipset of the computer and sets the default bit mode appropriately, 64- bit when possible.  



To use 32-bit plug-ins when you are running Photoshop CS5 in 64-bit mode:

1.  Select the Applications/Adobe Photoshop CS5/Adobe Photoshop CS5.app file.

2.  Choose File > Get Info 

3. Select Open in 32-bit mode

4. Reopen Photoshop.

Additionally, there is a Common Plug-Ins folder for the Camera Raw plug-in, which is shared by Photoshop, Bridge and Photoshop Elements.

It is located at Hard Drive/Library/Application Support/Adobe/Plug-Ins/CS5or CS4/File Formats. 

You can download the optional plug-ins for Photoshop CS5 from these locations: 

For Mac OS: http://www.adobe.com/support/downloads/detail.jsp?ftpID=4687 

For Windows: http://www.adobe.com/support/downloads/detail.jsp?ftpID=4688 

To read about their changes from Photoshop CS4 and compatibliity with 32- and 64-bit systems refer to "Plug-in changes in Photoshop CS5" (TechNote kb82824)