If Pixelmator Pro isn't working
If Pixelmator Pro isn’t working as you expect but you don't know the cause, you can isolate the issue to identify the root cause.
Before you begin troubleshooting
If you just updated Pixelmator Pro or macOS and Pixelmator Pro isn't working, any third-party software or hardware you're using might not be compatible. Contact developers or manufacturers of all third-party items you're using to check compatibility with the version of Pixelmator Pro and macOS you're using.
Make sure to back up your existing app and turn off Automatic Updates.
Make sure that you've designated the photo library that you want to use with Pixelmator Pro as the System Photo Library in the Photos app.
Try these steps in order
After trying each step, test Pixelmator Pro again to see if you've fixed your issue.
Restart your Mac
Choose Restart from the Apple menu .
Disconnect external devices
An incompatible or malfunctioning external device can sometimes cause issues with Pixelmator Pro. To test external devices:
Quit Pixelmator Pro, then choose Shut Down from Apple menu .
Disconnect all external devices other than your keyboard and mouse.
For Intel-based Mac computers only, reset NVRAM. You only need to do this the first time you disconnect external devices.
Turn your Mac on.
If the issue only occurs when a particular device is connected, you might need to update or service the device. Contact the manufacturer for support.
Check system requirements
Pixelmator Pro requires macOS Monterey or later. To check the version of macOS that's currently installed on your Mac:
Choose About this Mac from Apple menu .
Find your version of macOS next to macOS in the list.
If your Mac is using a version of macOS that's earlier than macOS Monterey, check that any third party software you're using is compatible with the latest version of macOS, then update your macOS.
Learn more about macOS versions
Make sure the app is working as expected
Check the Pixelmator Pro User Guide to make sure the app is working as expected. You can search the user guide for key terms shown in alerts, menus or error messages.
Update Pixelmator Pro
Before you update, try to complete all active projects, backup your app, and turn off automatic updates.
Learn how to back up your app and update Pixelmator Pro and other Pro Apps
Check that Pixelmator Pro can access your photo library
Check the Privacy & Security settings on your Mac to make sure the app can access your photo library:
Choose System Settings from Apple menu .
Click Privacy & Security in the sidebar.
Click Photos, then make sure Pixelmator Pro is turned on.
If your Privacy & Security settings on your Mac are set correctly and you don’t see the images you expect to see from your photo library when choosing File > New from Photos in Pixelmator Pro, you may have a different photo library designated as the System Photo Library.
Check your System Photo Library
To access your photo library in Pixelmator Pro, the photo library must be designated as the System Photo Library. You might have to designate the library that you want to use in Pixelmator Pro as the System Photo Library.
Make sure photos and images are stored on a supported device
You can’t store your photos library on a storage device used for Time Machine backups. And to avoid possible data loss, don’t store your photo libraries on removable storage devices like SD cards or USB flash drives, or on a device shared over a network or the internet, including cloud-based storage services.
If you’re storing photo libraries you're using with Pixelmator Pro on external storage devices like SSD drives, make sure the devices are formatted with the APFS format. Older external storage devices can also be formatted as MacOS Extended.
If you have to move your photo library to a supported type of storage device, learn how to move it.
If you buy an external drive that's pre-formatted with a Windows file system such as MS-DOS (FAT32), ExFAT, or NTFS, reformat the drive as APFS.
Check media compatibility
Pixelmator Pro supports PXD, JPEG, PNG, TIFF, HEIC, PSD, SVG, PDF, GIF, BMP, TGA, WebP, JPEG-2000, and macOS-supported RAW formats. Check your media's format to make sure it's compatible with Pixelmator Pro.
In Pixelmator Pro, open the image, then press Option-Command-Shift-I.
Note the format of the image.
If you’re using an unsupported file format, retake the image in a supported HDR format. You can still edit and export the image in Standard Dynamic Range (SDR).
Check third-party software compatibility
Note all the third-party software installed on your Mac, which can include video and audio plug-ins, other image editing apps, and utilities, security, antivirus, and malware removal software. Contact the developers to make sure their products are compatible with the versions of Pixelmator Pro and macOS that you have installed.
Check camera or storage device firmware
For any external devices you're using like cameras or storage devices, check with the manufacturer for software or firmware updates. Follow the manufacturer's instructions to update.
Test in a new user account
Create another administrator user account on your Mac, then try to recreate the issue in the new account. If the issue doesn't occur in the new account, settings, files, or third-party software in the affected user account might be causing the issue.
Test with a new document
Create test media for Pixelmator Pro:
Open Pixelmator Pro, then choose "Create a new document" or choose File > New.
In the Basic section of the templates browser, double-click the Basic Square Post template.
Choose File > Export, choose PNG from the Format pop-up menu, then click Export.
Open the exported PNG file in Pixelmator Pro, then try to recreate the issue using the test media. In Pixelmator Pro, choose File > New to create a new document.
Try to reproduce your issue using test media.
If you can't reproduce the issue using test media, the issue might be related to the source file in the affected project. Try to get a new copy of the source file.
Reset Pixelmator Pro
Quit Pixelmator Pro.
Open the Finder and choose Go > Go to Folder.
Paste the following path into the Go to Folder field: ~/Library/Containers
Drag all folders named "Pixelmator Pro" to the trash.
Remove and reinstall Pixelmator Pro
When you remove and reinstall Pixelmator Pro, your media won't also be removed or affected in any way.
In the Finder, choose Go > Applications.
Locate Pixelmator Pro and drag it to the Trash.
Reinstall the app from the App Store or restore it from a backup. When restoring a copy of the Pixelmator Pro application from a backup, drag the app from its storage location to your Applications folder.
Test with a new volume on your Mac
As a final check to make sure Pixelmator Pro, macOS, and your Mac are working as expected, create a new volume on your Mac, install macOS and Pixelmator Pro on the new volume, then test with test media.
Install macOS on a new volume of your built-in startup disk. Make sure it's the same version of macOS that you're currently using.
When macOS installation is complete, set up the Mac, then set the default startup disk to the new test volume.
Shut down your Mac and disconnect all devices, except for a keyboard and mouse or trackpad.
Turn on your Mac.
Under Locations in the Finder sidebar, select the primary volume (called Macintosh HD by default), then press Command-E to unmount the primary volume. This leaves only the test volume mounted.
Install Pixelmator Pro from the App Store. Make sure to sign in to the App Store with the Apple Account used to originally purchase or subscribe to Pixelmator Pro.
Create test media for Pixelmator Pro:
Open Pixelmator Pro, then choose "Create a new document."
In the Basic section of the templates browser, double-click the Basic Square Post template.
Choose File > Export, choose PNG from the Format pop-up menu, then click Export.
Open the exported PNG file in Pixelmator Pro, then try to recreate the issue using the test media.
Try to recreate the issue in Pixelmator Pro in the new volume. If the issue doesn't occur, then Pixelmator Pro, macOS, and your Mac are working as expected. Your issue is most likely caused by the images you're working with, external devices, or other third-party products like plug-ins.
Shut down your Mac, then follow the directions to change your startup disk, making sure that you've chosen your primary volume (called Macintosh HD by default) as the startup disk.
In your primary volume, double-check third-party hardware and software compatibility, and make sure that you've updated macOS to the latest version.
When you're done testing, use Disk Utility to delete the test volume.