How to Make Photoshop Run Faster? Watch the Pro Guide with 6 Ways

Photoshop Running Slow on PC

As the industry-leading image editor and design app, Adobe Photoshop has millions of users, helping them to edit images, create image compositions, add effects, correct lighting, and more. However, sometimes its resource-intensive nature can slow down your workflow and lag issues often happen, letting you spend time waiting on the computer every day. This is why we explore how to make Photoshop run faster.

Investing in a new computer is expensive but don’t fear, we will list multiple tips below to speed up Photoshop and improve its performance. This cuts down the waiting and gets more done in less time.

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Tip 1: Run MiniTool System Booster

To run Photoshop smoothly, make sure your PC has enough system resources including RAM, disk space, and CPU as it is a resource-hungry program. More resources help you to boot up Photoshop faster, load images faster, and edit & create faster.

We recommend using MiniTool System Booster to speed up the computer for Photoshop. As a PC optimizer, MiniTool System Booster is specially designed to free up RAM, improve CPU performance, clean up the system, speed up the hard drive, etc. on multiple fronts. Now, don’t hesitate and download & install this tool to enjoy a 15-day free trial with all its features.

MiniTool System Booster TrialClick to Download100%Clean & Safe

Here is a step-by-step guide on how to make Photoshop run faster.

Step 1: Launch MiniTool System Booster on Windows 11/10 and enter its Performance page.

Step 2: To free up some disk space, perform a deep PC cleanup using Deepclean. Just choose it from the drop-down menu at the top and click START CLEAN.

This PC tune-up software begins 7 cleanup tasks one by one. You can click Skip to ignore the ones you don’t want or follow the prompts to finish the cleanup. Internet Cleanup, Windows Cleanup, Registry Cleanup, Program Accelerator (skip defrag if you use an SSD), and Memory Mechanic (helps free up RAM) are recommendable.

Step 3: In case you have installed many unused applications on your PC, you had better remove them. So, go to Toolbox > Advanced Uninstaller. Besides, you should find memory-intensive background tasks and end them to release CPU and RAM so that Photoshop has enough resources to run fast. Thus, click Process Scanner and terminate the processes.

Step 4: Moreover, we suggest using a proper power plan for Photoshop. For this task, go to LiveBoost and choose Ultra Performance-Graphics/3D/CAD Design.

Tip 2: Adjust Memory Allocated to Photoshop

Speaking of how to make Photoshop run faster, you can attempt to adjust the memory allocated to your Photoshop. By default, this program uses 70% of available RAM. You can change the value in 5% increments to find the ideal allocation. Do not set it to more than 85%, or else, other critical system applications will not have enough RAM, affecting the overall performance.

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Step 1: Go to Edit > Preferences > Performance.

Step 2: Under Memory Usage, modify the value based on your physical memory.

Tip 3: Set Optimal History States

You can improve the performance and speed up Photoshop by limiting the amount of History States. Photoshop supports up to 1000 history states and the default number is 50. So, how to speed up Photoshop in this way? Head to Edit > Preferences > Performance, and change the value in the History & Cache section.

Tip 4: Close Unnecessary Programs in Task Manager

Running too many processes/programs takes up much RAM, causing Photoshop lagging. When mentioning how to make Photoshop run faster, closing those programs is an ideal idea.

Step 1: Open Task Manager using Ctrl + Shift + Esc.

Step 2: In the Processes tab, right-click on one process and choose End task.

Tip 5: Upgrade Your RAM

If you want to make sure Photoshop can work at maximum efficiency, upgrading the RAM is an important step. When dealing with large and multiple images or performing rendering & other tasks, more RAM helps a lot.

Don’t know how to do this thing? Here are two related articles:

• How to Upgrade Or Replace The RAM On Your Computer
• How to Add RAM to a Laptop? See the Simple Guide Now!

Tip 6: Upgrade HDD to SSD

If your computer still uses a traditional hard drive (HDD), consider switching to an SSD (solid-state drive) that plays a crucial role in the responsiveness and speed of Photoshop. Compared to an HDD, an SSD offers a faster speed in loading images, saving files, and loading Photoshop.

In terms of upgrading HDD to SSD, use MiniTool ShadowMaker to directly clone HDD to SSD for upgrade, avoid reinstalling the OS from scratch. Its Clone Disk feature enables you to effectively clone a hard drive, SD card, USB drive, etc. to another one. Download and install it to get started.

MiniTool ShadowMaker TrialClick to Download100%Clean & Safe

Step 1: Connect your SSD to the PC and launch MiniTool ShadowMaker.

Step 2: Go to Tools > Clone Disk.

Step 3: Choose the source drive (HDD) and target drive (SSD), register this software, and begin cloning.

Later, open the computer case, remove your HDD, and put the SSD in its original place. Then, run Photoshop on the SSD to enjoy a fast speed.

Also read: How to Clone a Hard Drive to SSD Windows 11/10? Full Guide!

Bottom Line

How to make Photoshop run faster? Things become very easy if you follow the above tips. Your Photoshop will work smoothly and have the optimum performance.