Amber Neely | Mar 05, 2021
If Photoshop seems to be fighting you at every turn, and you keep getting told that it "could not complete your request because of a program error," here's how to fix some common problems to help get it running smoothly again.
Maybe it happened suddenly after an update, or perhaps it's been happening for a while now. You go to open a file in Photoshop, but instead, the program spits out an error that reads, "Photoshop could not complete your request because of a program error." If this sounds familiar, don't worry — you're hardly alone. As it turns out, plenty of users have noticed this problem cropping up in recent years.
One of the most frustrating parts of this error is that it is entirely nondescript, and doesn't really tell the user anything. As it turns out, it can be caused by one — - or more — of several problems.
Here's a few culprits as to why photoshop is acting up:
The error can occur on any Mac but seems to happen more often on a Mac that runs macOS Catalina or macOS Big Sur. This problem is also not unique to macOS, either — as it turns out, Windows users are suffering too.
For both Windows and macOS users, the error often occurs when users attempt to create a new file or open an existing one. However, some users note that it has happened when performing certain functions in Photoshop, such as merging layers or applying filters, as well.
The problem is so common, in fact, that many people have learned to live with it, assuming that it's just part of the way Photoshop functions now.
You can tell things are back to normal because Photoshop is giving me the "Could not complete request due to a program error" message again
— Erik of the Web (@torgospizza) January 20, 2021
Fortunately, it doesn't have to be that way. For macOS users, we're here to show you some of the most common solutions to this problem, as well as explain what causes them.
If you see the issue crop up when you need to open or create a new file, restarting your Mac should be enough to solve the problem, albeit temporarily. This is only a quick fix, and when you get a chance, you should take the time to try some of the solutions listed below.
Below are several fixes that could eliminate the problem, especially if you're running an older machine.
Chances are, you probably already know if you meet the minimum requirements for Photoshop or not, but it never hurts to make sure.
| Minimum | Recommended | |
|---|---|---|
| Processor | Intel processor with 64-bit support; 2 GHz or faster processor with SSE 4.2 or later | Same as minimum |
| Operating System | macOS Mojave (version 10.14) or later | macOS Big Sur (version 11) |
Adobe Photoshop can be a bit fickle, and one of the best ways you can keep it running smoothly is to make sure that you are running the most current version of Adobe Photoshop. The easiest way to do that is to utilize the Adobe Creative Cloud app, which you likely have used to install Adobe Photoshop.
The Generator plugin allows users to create image assets in real-time as you work, avoiding the need to copy, slice, and export each layer manually. Unfortunately, sometimes the Generator can cause Photoshop to behave erratically, especially on systems with older GPUs.
How to disable the Photoshop Generator plugin
