How to Download and Install Photoshop
Installation itself is simple; the part worth care is where the installer comes from. This guide covers the whole sequence, from choosing a source through to the settings worth changing on first launch.
Short answer
Installing Photoshop takes seven steps on both Windows and macOS: check your hardware, download from an authorized source, run the installer, sign in with an Adobe account, let setup finish, launch the editor, then check for updates. The full sequence and the common failure points are below.
Choose an authorized source
Start from Adobe's own site or another source the software owner has authorized. Check the address bar before you download anything.
Download the installer
Save the installer to a folder you can find again, such as Downloads.
Open the installer
Run the downloaded file and allow it to make changes when your operating system asks.
Sign in when asked
Desktop installation normally requires signing in with an Adobe account so the licence can be applied.
Complete the installation
Keep the installer open until it reports success. Installation time depends on your disk and connection speed.
Launch the application
Open the editor and create a test document to confirm everything works.
Check for updates
Install available updates so you have the latest fixes and security patches.
First launch
What the interface looks like
A layer-based editor puts tools on one side, panels on the other and your document in the middle. The illustration below is our own generic representation of that arrangement, not a screenshot.
Straight after installing
Four things worth doing now
Confirm the version
Open the About panel from the application menu and note the version string. It is the first thing support will ask for, and it tells you whether an update is pending.
Set your scratch disk
In performance settings, point scratch space at the fastest drive with the most free room. This single change fixes a lot of sluggishness.
Check colour settings
If output looks different from what you saw on screen, the working colour profile is usually the cause rather than the export step.
Create a test document
Make a small file with two layers and save it. If that works, the installation is healthy.
If installation fails
- Windows: run the installer as administrator, and make sure the system drive has considerably more free space than the installer size. See the Windows page.
- macOS: allow the folder-access prompts on first launch, and check that your macOS release is still supported. See the Mac page.
- Either platform: a wrong system clock breaks certificate checks and shows up as a sign-in failure.
A note on installers from elsewhere
If an installer asks you to disable security software, arrives in a password-protected archive, or comes with a separate "activation" tool, stop. Those are the hallmarks of a modified build rather than a distribution oversight — the reasoning is set out on our cracked software page, and authorized sources are listed on the download page.