How to download Photoshop for free
A practical walk-through of the free routes Adobe actually offers, and what each one leaves out.
Short answer
Photoshop has one official free download: the seven-day trial, installed through the Creative Cloud desktop app from Adobe's site. Beyond that, the browser version and the mobile app give you a limited Photoshop at no cost. No site outside Adobe has permission to distribute the installer, so a "full version" download elsewhere is either a repackaged file or a modified one.
Route 1: the seven-day trial (full desktop app)
This is the complete application, not a reduced edition. Every tool, filter and AI feature is available for the trial period on both Windows and macOS.
- Open Adobe's Photoshop trial page and start the trial.
- Sign in with an Adobe ID, or create one — it is free.
- A payment method is requested. Nothing is charged during the trial, and you can cancel inside the account page.
- The Creative Cloud desktop app downloads first, then installs Photoshop itself. Expect several gigabytes.
Step-by-step screens are on the installation guide, and the trial rules are covered on the free trial page.
Route 2: Photoshop in the browser
Photoshop on the web opens PSD files, keeps layers, and handles selections, masks and retouching from a browser tab. Nothing is installed, so it works on machines that cannot meet the desktop requirements. Heavier features — most filters, plugins, automation — stay on the desktop. The full comparison is in web vs desktop.
Route 3: the mobile app
Photoshop on phones and tablets is free to install and covers layers, retouching and quick composites. It is genuinely useful for social images and fixes away from a desk, not for print work or large files.
Route 4: students and teachers
Enrolled students and teachers can get Creative Cloud at a reduced rate after verifying their status. This is a discount, not a free licence, but it is the cheapest legitimate way to keep the desktop app long-term. Details sit on the Adobe free options page.
Before you install: will it run?
Photoshop wants 8 GB of RAM (16 GB is the realistic figure), a GPU with 1.5 GB of video memory, and roughly 10 GB of free disk space — more once scratch files build up. Check the system requirements first so the trial is not spent troubleshooting a machine that cannot run it.
What happens after seven days
The desktop app stops opening and your files stay on disk. From there you either subscribe, move to the browser version for lighter work, or switch to a free editor. GIMP, Krita, Photopea and Affinity-style tools each cover a different slice of what Photoshop does; the honest trade-offs are listed on the alternatives page.
Why "free full version" downloads are a dead end
Adobe does not license anyone else to hand out the installer. Files advertised as a permanent free Photoshop have been altered to skip the licence check, which is what the crack risks page covers: unsigned executables, blocked updates, broken AI features and malware bundled into the patcher. The download links on this site point only to Adobe.