Learn how Adobe Photoshop uses your system's graphics processor to provide a smooth experience and increased performance.
Minimum graphics processor requirements
Check Photoshop technical requirements and consider using GPUs with an Average Ops/Sec of 2000 or higher on PassMark's GPU Computer Benchmark Chart. If you are using an older graphics card or driver, GPU functionality in Photoshop may be limited or not supported.
Check the GPU compatibility report
With the Photoshop 23.0 release, you can run the graphics processor compatibility check to ensure your GPU is compatible. Go to Help > GPU Compatibility and see the report dialog that opens.
Check the GPU status while working on a document in Photoshop
If the GPU stops working in Photoshop, several features could be impacted. To confirm the GPU status in Photoshop, do either of the following:
- From the Document Status bar on the bottom left of the workspace, open the Document Status menu and select GPU Mode to display the GPU operating mode for your open document.
- Open the Info panel and select GPU Mode.
GPU modes in Photoshop
Here's the list of available GPU modes in Photoshop:
CPU: CPU mode means that the GPU isn't available to Photoshop for the current document, and all features that have CPU pipelines will continue to work, but the performance from GPU optimizations will not exist, so these features could be noticeably slower, such as Neural Filters, Object Selection, Zoom In, Zoom Out, etc. The visual interface for many features, like Crop, selections, and Transform, will drop color borders or become harder to view (thinner).
D3D12: This is the preferred mode for Windows, and means you can fully take advantage of the most modern GPU APIS on that platform.
Software: Software rendering is a Windows-only mode that returns to the Direct X 11 renderer. This happens if you explicitly set the Technology Preference, "Older GPU Mode (Pre 2016)", or if Photoshop determines that the software renderer is required for better stability.
Metal: This is the preferred mode for macOS and means the user is taking full advantage of the most modern GPU APIs on that platform.
Legacy OpenGL: Legacy OpenGL means that Photoshop uses the previous generation of GPU technology. Ideally, users on macOS would see Metal, and Windows users would see D3D12.
Features in Photoshop that use the graphics processor
Features that require a GPU for acceleration
- Artboards
- Blur Gallery - OpenCL accelerated
- Camera Raw
- Image Size – Preserve Details
- Lens Blur
- Neural Filters
- Select Focus
- Select and Mask - OpenCL accelerated
- Smart Sharpen - OpenCL accelerated
Features that won't work without a GPU
If your graphics processor is unsupported or its driver is defective, the following Photoshop features won't work:
- 3D
- Birds Eye View
- Flick Panning
- Oil Paint
- Perspective Warp
- Render – Flame, Picture Frame, and Tree
- Scrubby Zoom
- Smooth Brush Resizing
Use more than one graphics processor or graphics card
Photoshop does not take advantage of multiple graphics cards. Conflicting drivers may also cause crashes or other problems.
If you have a system with multiple graphics cards, see Configuring computers with multiple graphics cards. If you have multiple monitors, a best practice is to connect them to the same graphics card prior to starting Photoshop.
Use graphics processor features on a virtual machine
Running Photoshop under virtual machines, or VMs, is not tested extensively nor officially supported. Running Photoshop with Use Graphics Processor enabled under virtual machines and remote desktop isn’t supported at all.
