Neural Filters fail to download or run

Last updated on Oct 6, 2026

Learn how to resolve download failures, greyed-out filters, and runtime errors using cache clearing and environment fixes in Adobe Photoshop on desktop.

Neural Filters rely on downloadable machine learning models and proper system configuration. When filters fail to download, appear greyed out, or produce runtime errors, the issue typically stems from corrupted model files, licensing restrictions, environment variables, or compatibility limitations.

Before troubleshooting specific issues, ensure you're running the latest version of Photoshop and have an active internet connection. Most Neural Filter problems can be resolved by updating the application or clearing cached model data.

When attempting to use Neural Filters, you may see an error message stating "There was an issue running filters," download buttons that remain greyed out and unresponsive, the Neural Filters menu option appearing greyed out in the Filter menu, or filters displaying "Loading" indefinitely without processing the image.

The following solutions address the most common causes of Neural Filter failures, listed in order of frequency:

Cached model files are corrupted or incomplete

Quit Photoshop completely.

Navigate to the Neural Filters model cache folder:

  • Windows: C:\Users\AppData\Roaming\Adobe\UXP\PluginsStorage\PHSP\22\Internal\com.adobe.nfp.gallery\PluginData 
  • Mac: ~/Library/Application Support/Adobe/UXP/PluginsStorage/PHSP/22/Internal/com.adobe.nfp.gallery/PluginData

Delete or rename the entire PluginData folder.

Restart Photoshop and select Filter > Neural Filters.

Download the required filter models again when prompted.

Test the filter on a new document to confirm functionality.

If the issue persists after clearing the cache, update to the latest version of Photoshop before proceeding with further troubleshooting.

On Windows systems, Neural Filters may fail to download even when the download appears to start successfully:

TEMP and TMP variables point to different locations

Press Windows + R, type cmd, and press Enter to open Command Prompt.

Verify your environment variable locations by typing echo %TEMP% and echo %TMP%.

Check your user profile location with echo %USERPROFILE% to confirm all paths point to the same drive.

If they're on different drives, select Start > System > Advanced system settings > Environment Variables.

Temporarily change TEMP and TMP variables to point to a folder on your primary disk, or delete the variables entirely.

Quit and restart Photoshop, then try downloading the Neural Filter again.

After successfully downloading your filters, you can restore the original environment variable settings if needed. Neural Filters may be unavailable due to licensing configuration:

Shared Device Licensing (SDL) requires a supported Photoshop version

Select Help > About Photoshop to check your current version.

Open the Creative Cloud desktop app.

Locate Photoshop and select Update.

Restart Photoshop after the update completes.

Select Filter > Neural Filters to verify that the download buttons are now active.

In some enterprise or educational institutions, Neural Filters may be inaccessible.

Feature Restricted Licensing (FRL) disables Neural Filters

Contact your organization's Adobe administrator to verify your license type.

Request access to a license package that includes Neural Filters.

If Neural Filters remain unavailable due to organizational policy, explore alternative filters available in your license tier.

Neural Filters are not currently available for FRL accounts. Consider using traditional Photoshop filters and adjustment layers as alternatives for your workflow. If Neural Filters load but never complete processing when working with specific image types.

Grayscale color mode causes Neural Filters to load indefinitely

Select Image > Mode > RGB Color to convert your image.

Apply the Neural Filter to the RGB version.

If you need a final grayscale output, select Image > Mode > Grayscale after applying the filter.

Alternatively, update to the latest version of Photoshop, which includes fixes for Grayscale Neural Filter processing.

If none of these solutions resolve your issue, contact Adobe Support with details about your operating system, Photoshop version, and the specific error messages you're encountering.