How to install plug-in filters in Photoshop

Among the most popular questions asked by newbies about Photoshop compatible plugins are:

Where do I install a plugin and how do I load it afterwards?

A plugin (or plug-in) is a computer program that integrates into another program adding new features and increasing functionality. Adobe lets you install plug-in filters from other software developers in its programs.

Some Photoshop compatible plugins have an installer that will guide you through the process. But what should you do if plug-ins are not added in Photoshop? How to install these files? It's as easy as pie. All you need to do is to copy (or drag) the file into the Plug-Ins folder of Adobe Photoshop.

The Adobe folder is typically located in Program Files on Windows and in Applications on Mac computers. If you have installed Photoshop in any other location you should look for the Plug-Ins folder there.

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Useful Tips on Installing Plugins (below),
Installation Troubleshooting Guide for Windows 32 bit,
Photoshop PlugIns in Windows 64 bit.

Bear in mind that Photoshop must be closed when installing new plugins. Or you will need to restart the editor. Next time you run Photoshop, the plugins will be available in the Filter menu.

Some Useful Tips:

• Photoshop recognizes plug-ins located in subfolders and subdirectories inside the Plug-Ins folder.

  You can classify your filters by developer or by task. Just create a new folder inside the Plug-Ins folder and put the files in it.

  However, the list of plugins in the Photoshop menu (under Filter) looks different from the list in the Plug-Ins folder. In the Photoshop menu plug-ins are usually classified by developer.

• Photoshop also recognizes shortcuts (Windows) and alias (Mac OS) within the Plug-Ins folder and subfolders.

  Install your plug-in filters into any folder outside Photoshop, and then create a shortcut for the '.8bf' file (or 'make alias' on Mac) and place it into the Plug-Ins folder.

  With shortcuts you can manage your plugins quickly and safely.

• You can select an additional plug-ins folder in Photoshop Preferences.

  Call the command Edit on Windows or Photoshop on Mac, then -> Preferences -> Plug-ins & Scratch Disk.

  Select Additional Plug-ins Folder, then use the button Choose to select a folder or directory from the list.

  Attention!

  If you select the Additional Plug-ins Folder in Photoshop 32 bit, make sure that the folder does not contain the 64 bit files (64-bit version of the plugin), otherwise you will get an error message!

Note:

Some filters show up directly in the main Photoshop menu (typically between 'Windows' and 'Help' titles).

Some plugins (which change size of images) appear in the menu Automate, for example, the Magnifier plugin: File -> Automate -> AKVIS Magnifier.

Note:

The icon next to a piece of text in the content below indicates new information for the Photoshop CC 2015.5 release.

Overview of issues caused by defective or incompatible plug-ins

Sono hanabira ni kuchizuke wo: reo x mai diaries. If you're experiencing any of the following issues, the cause could be a defective or incompatible plug-in:

• Error: 'Could not load the [Plug-in Name] module because it does not work with this version of Photoshop.'
• Missing file formats in the Save or Save As dialogs.
• Unexplained freezes or crashes on launch or while using Photoshop
• Image rendering issues after running a plug-in
• Slow performance while launching or using Photoshop
• Plug-in commands don't show up correctly in Photoshop's menus

You may experience an issue with a plug-in for any of these reasons:

• The plug-in was designed for a different version of Photoshop and is not compatible with your current version
• 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

If you've updated Adobe Camera Raw and Photoshop still does not recognize your camera, see Why doesn’t my version of Photoshop or Lightroom support my camera?

If you're not able to successfully update the Camera Raw plug-in, see Camera Raw plug-in installer.

Here are some good general guidelines to follow with third-party plug-ins to avoid problems:

Never:

• Manually drag plug-ins from a previous version of Photoshop’s plug-ins folder to your current version’s Photoshop Plug-Ins folder.

Always:

• Check the plug-in manufacturer’s website for the latest version of your plug-in. Downloading an updated version will often fix plug-in issues.
• Use the manufacturer’s plug-in installer to install (or re-install) their plug-ins.

Note:

In the past, third-party plug-ins using their own installation mechanism weren’t automatically moved or synchronized between major Photoshop versions (such as Photoshop CC 2014 to Photoshop CC 2015 release).

For CC 2015.5 and later, in order to minimize the need for reinstallation between major versions, we've asked developers to start installing into a shared Creative Cloud location. Please reinstall/update your 3rd party plug-ins for to use the Shared Creative Cloud Location so third-party plug-ins are automatically loaded between major versions.

Note:

Beginning with the October 2018 release of Photoshop CC (version 20.0), the 32-bit version of Windows is no longer supported. If you have a 64-bit version of Windows and require a 32-bit version of Photoshop for compatibility with legacy plug-ins or device drivers, you can download 32-bit version of Photoshop 2018.

Note:

On Mac OS, Photoshop is a 64-bit only application and 32-bit plug-ins are no longer supported. Contact the plug-in vendor to obtain an update for 64-bit support of the plug-in. Or, keep your previous version of Photoshop installed to run legacy 32-bit plug-ins.

• Check the plug-in manufacturer’s website for the latest version of your plug-in. Downloading an updated version will often fix plug-in issues.
• Use the manufacturer’s plug-in installer to install (or re-install) their plug-ins.

To quickly determine whether Photoshop is loading a problematic optional or third-party plug-in, do the following:

Hold down the Shift key and launch Photoshop. A dialog appears during launch that reads “Skip loading optional and third-party plug-ins?”

Click Yes to skip loading optional and third-party plug-ins.

Note:

This disables optional and third-party plug-ins only for the current session. If you quit and restart Photoshop without holding down the Shift key, the optional or third-party plug-ins will be enabled.

If the problem recurs, an installed optional or third-party plug-in is not causing the problem. Close Photoshop and then restart it without holding the Shift key to re-enable all the optional and third-party plug-ins. Skip the remaining steps in this section.

If the problem does not recur, an optional or third-party plug-in is causing the problem. To identify specific problematic plug-ins:

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Move one plug-in from Photoshop’s Plug-ins folder to a temporary location (for example, a new folder on your desktop).

Note:

See Locate plug-in folders for the locations of the Photoshop plug-in folders.

Start Photoshop and then try to re-create the problem.

Do one of the following:

• If the problem recurs, repeat steps 1 through 3.
• If the problem does not recur, the plug-in that you last removed is causing the problem. Remove or disable this plug-in permanently and then contact its publisher for support or for information about an updated plug-in version. Reinstall or re-enable the non-problematic optional and third-party plug-ins that you removed or disabled.

Start Photoshop and then try to re-create the problem.

To permanently disable a plug-in, use one or more of these methods:

• Remove the plug-in from Photoshop’s Plug-ins folder to a temporary location that is outside of Photoshop’s Plug-ins folders (for example, to a new folder on your desktop).
• Rename each of the problematic plug-in files so that the filename begins with a tilde (~). Photoshop does not load files that begin with a tilde.
• Follow the uninstall/removal instructions provided by each plug-in’s publisher.

Third-party and optional plug-ins can be installed to one of two locations:

• Version specific location - which will only load the installed plug-in for a specific version of Photoshop CC (e.g. only Photoshop CC 2014)
• Shared Creative Cloud Location - which will load the plug-in for all installed versions of Photoshop CC without having to reinstall the plug-in

If you installed to the Photoshop version specific location, the Photoshop Plug-Ins folder is located here:

• Hard DriveProgram FilesAdobe[Photoshop version]Plug-ins

If you installed to the shared Creative Cloud location, the Plug-Ins folder is located here:

• Hard DriveProgram FilesCommon FilesAdobePlug-InsCC

Additionally, the Camera Raw plug-in is located in a common plug-ins folder, which Photoshop, Bridge, and Photoshop Elements share:

• Hard DriveProgram FilesCommon FilesAdobePlug-Ins[Photoshop version number]

If you installed to the Photoshop version specific location, the Photoshop Plug-Ins folder is located here:

• Hard Drive/Applications/[Photoshop version]/Plug-ins

If you installed to the shared Creative Cloud location, the Plug-Ins folder is located here:

• Hard Drive/Library/Application Support/Adobe/Plug-Ins/CC

Additionally, the Camera Raw plug-in is located in a common plug-ins folder, which Photoshop, Bridge, and Photoshop Elements share:

• Hard Drive/Library/Application Support/Adobe/Plug-Ins/[Photoshop version number]/File Formats.

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