Fixes

How to Fix Not a PNG File Photoshop Error [Complete Guide]

Photoshop is one of the most important tools for content creators worldwide and works flawlessly most of the time. However, a lot of people have been getting the Not a PNG file Photoshop error and due to this, they are unable to load certain media into their Photoshop workspace. In this article, we have dedicated ourselves to fixing this issue and have compiled numerous solutions in order to do so.

Not a PNG File Photoshop
Not a PNG File Photoshop

We have also compiled a list of reasons due to which this error occurs in the first place so make sure to go through the whole article to develop a better understanding of this issue. Also, carefully follow all the solutions in the given order until your issue has been resolved.

What Causes the “Adobe Photoshop Not a PNG File” Error?

After going through some solutions, we concluded that the following are some of the most important triggers due to which this error occurs in the first place.

  • Outdated Software: Sometimes, the Photoshop version that you are using might have been outdated due to which you are running into the “Not a PNG File Photoshop” Error. Therefore, we recommend that you follow the first fix below and update your Adobe Photoshop software to the latest available version.
  • File Type: It is possible that the “.png” file that you are trying to load into Photoshop has been incorrectly classified as a “.jpg” file by writing a certain portion into its information due to which this error message is being triggered. This can be fixed by making certain amendments to it inside the notepad as indicated in the solution below.
  • Photoshop Preferences: The “Not a PNG File Photoshop” Error is sometimes triggered if the Photoshop preferences aren’t deleted when you last closed the software and have been loaded into this new session gain. Therefore, we recommend that you try and delete the Photoshop preferences and then check to see if this issue still occurs.
  • Use of Graphics Processor: In certain cases, the Graphics Processor or the GPU installed on your computer might be used by the Adobe Photoshop application to enhance certain features and speed. However, this can sometimes trigger the “Not a PNG File” error and prevent the file from being loaded into the interface.
  • Incorrect Compression: It is also possible that the Image compression hasn’t been properly completed on the file due to which Photoshop is facing issues while loading it into its interface. In order to fix this, you can redo the compression onto the image using your browser and then save it from there which should fix the compression issue and successfully load it into your Adobe Photoshop interface.

Now that you have learned about the reasons behind this issue, we can finally move on towards fixing the Not a PNG File error.

Before You Start:

If you’ve encountered this issue on Macbook then before proceeding towards the fixes indexed beneath, try to open the suspect file in “Preview.app” and afterward select “File -> Save” and the correct extension will be applied to the image automatically. If doing this didn’t fix the issue for you then check whether you’re running the latest version of macOS because numerous people reported that an old version of macOS on their respective machines triggered this problem.

How to rectify Not a PNG file Photoshop error:

Solution 1: Update Photoshop

  1. In order to update Photoshop, launch the “Creative Cloud App” from the taskbar.
  2. Then select the “Updates” icon from the left panel and find Photoshop in the “All Apps” tab.
  3. Click on the “Update” option in the blue box next to the Photoshop icon. The program will get downloaded and updates would be automatically installed for Photoshop.
    Update Photoshop to fix not a png file photoshop error
    Updating Photoshop
  4. After updating, launch Photoshop now to see if the photoshop not a png file issue gets resolved.

Solution 2: Change File Type

  1. Right-click on the image showing the “Not a .png File” error and select “Open With Notepad” from the context menu.
  2. Navigate to the first character or word in notepad and carefully observe it. If it says ÿØÿá then you need to alter the file extension otherwise, you can skip this method.
    Observing Characters
    Observe Characters
  3. Close notepad, launch the File Explorer and then checkmark the box associated with “File Name Extensions”.
  4. Now right-click on the faulty image and select “Rename” from the context menu.
  5. Finally, change the image name and extension from jpg to .png and try opening in Photoshop again to check if the issue is settled now.

Solution 3: Make Alteration In The File Type

  1. Right-click on the image showing the “Not a .png File” error and select “Open with->Paint” from the context menu.
  2. Next click on the “File” option at the top left corner of the screen and select the “Save as” button.
  3. In the “Save as” window, click on the “Save as Type” option from the dropdown menu and then select “.PNG(*.png)”. Afterward, press the Enter key or choose the “Save” option.
    Save Image as PNG
    Saving Image as PNG
  4. Try opening the edited image in Photoshop and see if the adobe photoshop not a png file problem is resolved now.

Solution 4: Disable Use of Graphic Processor

  1. Open Photoshop, click on the “Edit” option, and select “Preferences”.
    Choose Preferences
    Clicking on Preferences
  2. After that, click on the “General” tab and afterward choose the “Performance” option from the left menu panel and uncheck the box associated with “Use Graphic Processor”.
    Uncheck Graphic Processor
    Uncheck Graphic processor Box
  3. Save the changes made, restart Photoshop, and reload the image in Photoshop again to check whether not a png file photoshop 2018 issue gets resolved.

Solution 5: Reset Photoshop Preferences

  1. Launch Photoshop, click on the “Edit” option and select “Preferences”.
    Choose Preferences
    Clicking on Preferences
  2. Then click on the “General” tab from the left menu panel, select the “Reset Preferences On Quit” button and close Photoshop.
    Resetting Preferences
    Reset Preferences On Quit
  3. Restart your PC and reload the image in Photoshop now.

Solution 6: Reinstall Photoshop

  1. Press “Window + R” keys simultaneously from your keyboard to open the Run Prompt. Type the “appwiz.cpl” command in the Run Prompt and hit the Enter key.
    Typing "appwiz.cpl"
    Typing “appwiz.cpl”
  2. Locate “Photoshop” from the list of installed programs, then right-click on it and select “Uninstall” from the context menu.
    Uninstall Photoshop
    Uninstalling Photoshop
  3. Wait while Window uninstalls the program for you and then proceed to the installation process again.
  4. Launch the “Creative Cloud” desktop application or web app and sign in to your account. Make sure you enter the correct credentials.
  5. Next click on the “Search” icon, type “Photoshop” and select the “Download” option next to the Photoshop icon to start the downloading process.
  6. Once the download is complete, click on the downloaded file and follow the on-screen instructions for a successful installation.

Solution 7: Utilize a Third Party Software

You can use a third-party application to open any sort of image. First of all, download the “Irfanview” application through this link. Then launch the application and open the image in the application. The program will automatically ask you to change the extension to the correct one. Save the edited image and now try opening it in Photoshop once again.

Solution 8: Save Image via Browser

  1. Open your browser and drag the faulty image to the browser. Wait for a while until the browser opens up the file for you.
  2. Right-click on the image and select “Save as” from the context menu.
  3. Click on the dropdown next to “Save Image as” and then select “PNG”.
  4. Rename your image, press the “Save” button and proceed to Photoshop and try opening this new file there to rectify adobe photoshop not a png file issue.

Solution 9: Rotate and Resave the Image

  1. Open the faulty image and zoom in by clicking on the magnifying icon at the top.
  2. Rotate the image by pressing “Ctrl + R” keys simultaneously from the keyboard, then proceed to the next image and close the photo viewer.
  3. Now reopen the same image and rotate it back to its original orientation.
  4. Try using this image again in Photoshop and check whether not a png file photoshop error gets resolved.

Solution 10: Save Image in PSD Format

  1. If you are sure that your image file is not corrupted, then try opening it on another PC.
  2. Attach a flash drive to your computer and copy the same file into another PC.
  3. Now open the image file on this computer and save it on the flash drive as a “.psd” file.
  4. Remove the flash drive from this PC, reattach it to your original computer, copy the file to desktop and reopen it again in Photoshop.

Solution 11: Tweak the App Settings

  1. Launch the Photoshop application and click on the “File” option at the top left corner of the screen. Then select “Open” from the menu.
    Choose Open Option
    Clicking on Open Option
  2. After that, select your image file and click on the dropdown at the bottom right corner of the “Open” window.
  3. Select “All Files” from the dropdown menu and click on the “Open” button and the image should now open up normally.

Workaround:

Even after following all of the above steps you aren’t able to rectify photoshop not a png file issue then you should download the “Paint.Net” by clicking here and install it by following the on-screen instructions. After the successful installation of the firmware open the image in Paint.Net and click on the “Save As” option to save it as a new file. After saving that image, open photoshop and try to open the new file with Photoshop.

Proper implementation of the aforementioned solutions will take you through the resolution of this error but if the issue still persists you can Contact Us here for further assistance.

Alan Adams

Alan is a hardcore tech enthusiast that lives and breathes tech. When he is not indulged in playing the latest video games, he helps users with technical problems that they might run into. Alan is a Computer Science Graduate with a Masters in Data Science.
Back to top button