Fix common Edit In errors in Lightroom Classic

Last updated on Oct 1, 2024

Quickly troubleshoot errors in Lightroom Classic when you enhance photos using the Edit In functionality.

Facing errors while editing photos using an external editor in Lightroom Classic? Try out these simple troubleshooting steps to fix common Edit In errors.

The Edit In menu in Lightroom Classic that lets you edit photos in other editing applications like Photoshop, Photoshop Elements, and more.

Edit In command is grayed out

If you see that the Edit In command is grayed out in Lightroom Classic, it could possibly be due to one of the following reasons:

You are not using the latest version of either Adobe Photoshop or Lightroom Classic, or both.
If a photo is missing in Lightroom Classic.

Note:

The Edit In command will be grayed out if you are working with a Smart Preview but the original photo is missing from the Lightroom Classic catalog. In this case, you need to locate the missing photo.

Solution

To fix this error, we recommend uninstalling and reinstalling Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom Classic with the latest version.

Update your app

If the Edit In menu is still grayed out, you can try to locate the missing photo and restore links to the Lightroom Classic catalog.

Edit In Photoshop command is missing

The Edit In Photoshop command is missing from the context menu when you select an image. In the External Editor tab in the Preferences panel, the upper box is labeled 'Edit in Photoshop (Not Found).'

Solution

You can install the latest version of Lightroom Classic to troubleshoot this issue. For a detailed approach, you can follow these steps:

Solution 1: Rebuild the Photoshop plist file

Quit Lightroom Classic.
Navigate to the //Users/[user name]/Library/Preferences/ folder.
Drag the com.adobe.Photoshop.plist file to Trash.
Start Photoshop to re-create the plist file.

Note:

Apple made the user library folder hidden by default with the release of Mac OS X 10.7 and later. If you need access to files in the hidden library folder to perform Adobe-related troubleshooting, see How to access hidden user library files.

Solution 2: Uninstall and re-install Adobe Photoshop

To uninstall Adobe Photoshop, use the uninstall application in the //Applications/Utilities/Adobe Installers/ folder. Re-install from your original media and install all product updates.

Solution 1: Uninstall and re-install Adobe Photoshop

This step re-creates any files or folders that have been damaged since Photoshop or Photoshop Elements was installed.

Solution 2: Re-create the photoshop.exe application path registry key

Caution:

This procedure involves editing the Windows registry. Adobe doesn't provide support for editing the registry, which contains critical system and application information. Make sure to back up the registry before editing it. For more information about the registry, see the Windows documentation or contact Microsoft.

Quit Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom Classic.
Select Start > Run. If you do not have Run listed, see What happened to the Run command?
Type regedit in the Open box, and then select OK to start the Windows Registry Editor.
Navigate to the following registry key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\App Paths\.
Right-click the App Paths folder and select New > Key.
Type Photoshop.exe as the name of the new key and select Enter.
Right-click the Photoshop.exe folder and select New > String Value. Enter Path as the name of the new value > Enter.
In the right pane of the registry, right-click the (Default) value and select Modify.
In the Value Data field, enter the location of the Photoshop.exe file on your computer. Include Photoshop.exe at the end of the path. For example, if you installed Photoshop to the default location, enter C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Photoshop\Photoshop.exe. If you have a different version of Photoshop or have installed it in a different directory, change the path as appropriate.
In the right pane of the registry, right-click the Path Value and select Modify. In the Value Data field, enter the file path where the Photoshop.exe file is located on your computer. For example, if you installed Adobe Photoshop to the default location, enter C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Photoshop\. If you have a different version of Photoshop or have installed it in a different directory, change the path as appropriate.
Once the file is in the correct location, select Ok and exit the registry.

Edit In command fails to open a photo in Photoshop

(only for macOS)

On macOS, the Edit In command in Lightroom Classic opens a copy of Adobe Photoshop from a backup location.

For example, an external hard drive backup was created using Carbon Cloner, SuperDuper!, or Time Machine. This can result in the following behaviors:

macOS presents an error dialog stating Application Moved - The application has been moved, and its path has changed. To update the product configuration, click Update.
Adobe Photoshop launches but the image selected in Lightroom Classic does not open.

Solution

To fix this error, we recommend uninstalling and reinstalling Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom Classic with the latest version.

Update your app

Additionally, you can navigate to Adobe Lightroom Classic > Settings > External Editing > Photoshop version to select the version of Photoshop that you wish to use.

Note:

Starting with the April 2023 release of Lightroom Classic (version 12.3), the ps_picker plug-in has been archived, and you can select the versions of Photoshop using the External editing options in Lightroom Classic.

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Fix common Edit In errors in Lightroom Classic

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Fix common Edit In errors in Lightroom Classic

Edit In command is grayed out

Solution

Edit In Photoshop command is missing

Solution

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Edit In command fails to open a photo in Photoshop

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