System Requirements to Run Photoshop Smooth and Fast

You need 8 GB of RAM, a 2GHz processor, and 4 GB of hard disk space to run the latest version of Photoshop smoothly. It is possible to run photoshop on lower specs, but you will encounter lag when applying effects and brushes.

See the table below for the minimum requirements to run Photoshop as recommended by Adobe.

ComponentWindowsMacOS
ProcessorIntel or AMD, 2GHz or faster with SSE 4.2 or laterIntel or AMD, 2GHz or faster with SSE 4.2 or later
Operating SystemWindows 10, 64-bitmacOS Mojave (version 10.14 or later)
RAM8 GB8 GB
Graphics CardGPU with DirectX 12 supportGPU with DirectX 12 support
Monitor resolution1280 x 800px1280 x 800px
Hard disk space4GB available + installation space4GB available + installation space
InternetRequired for software activation and online servicesRequired for software activation and online services

How much RAM do you need for Photoshop?

According to Adobe, the latest version of Photoshop requires a minimum of 8GB of RAM and recommends 16GB to run optimally. However, you can do most editing tasks and painting on 6GB of RAM.

Need to know How to run Photoshop faster?

Processor requirements for Photoshop

Adobe recommends a processor that is 2.0 GHz or faster, with 64-bit support and SSE 4.2 or later. You can use Photoshop on a system with less than the recommended processor if it has more than 4GB of RAM and an Intel HD Graphics card (4000 and older) running on windows 10.

Graphics Card Requirements for Photoshop

Photoshop requires at minimum a GPU with DirectX 12 support, and 2GB of Memory. For optimal performance, the GPU should have at least 4GB of Memory, especially when using a 4K display.

Can you run photoshop without a graphics card?

Resolution Requirements for Photoshop

Photoshop requires a monitor resolution of at least 1280 by 800 at 100% UI scaling and recommends 1920×1080 pixels or greater at 100% UI scaling.

Hard Disk Space requirements for Photoshop

Photoshop needs at least 4GB of Hard disk space to run and additional space for Installation. in total, it’s a good idea to have about 10GB of free space on your hard disk before installing.

Is 4GB RAM enough for photoshop?

Photoshop will run on a PC with 4GB of RAM. However, you will experience a noticeable but manageable lag once you start to use resource-heavy tools like detailed brushes and effects. Below 4GB of RAM, your experience will degrade and the program will become annoying to use, possibly unusable.

Is 8GB RAM enough for photoshop?

Yes. Adobe recommends you have at least 8GB of RAM on your computer for a smooth experience when using Photoshop for photo-editing and digital painting. If you are working with large-format images and detailed brushes and effects, 16GB of RAM would be best suited for lag-free editing.

Don’t worry if all you have is 8GB, your computer can still handle large images, it will just be a bit slower.

Is integrated graphics card like Intel HD good for Photoshop?

Yes, you can use Photoshop with an integrated graphics card like the Intel HD 5000 on your computer. This will work if you have at least 6GB of RAM, a core i3 processor, and viewing on a 1080p single display. You will struggle to run photoshop with an integrated graphics card on a 4K display. Note that even a low-end dedicated graphics card will be much faster than an integrated one.

Is a 2GB graphic card or GPU enough for photoshop?

Yes, Photoshop will run perfectly on a 2GB graphics card. You could even run photoshop on a 512 MB GPU. This is because Photoshop is more CPU intensive than GPU intensive. For the smoothest experience, a Core i5 processor or Ryzen 5, even with an integrated GPU like the Intel HD 3000, will handle every task you wish to complete on Photoshop.

Is graphics card necessary for Photoshop?

You don’t need a dedicated Graphics card to run Photoshop as long as you have more than 2GHz of processing power and more than 4GB of RAM. For instance, you can run Photoshop on a core i3 processor, with an Intel HD 3110M GPU and 6GB of RAM. For a really smooth experience, an 11th Gen corei5 and 8GB of RAM would be perfect for running Photoshop.

Conclusion

8 GB of RAM, a 2GHz processor, and 4 GB of hard disk space are the minimum requirements to run Photoshop smoothly.

Learn the difference between Photoshop and Photoshop CC.

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