How to Remove Effects or Filters from Photoshop or Bridge

If you’ve purchased and installed an effect and are having trouble reverting your settings or removing them from Photoshop or Adobe Bridge, here’s what to do.

Common Issue: Filter Gallery “Stuck” on a Specific Effect

This can happen if a Photoshop action, pattern, or preset remains loaded in your Filter Gallery, or if a recent effect modified your workspace or preferences.

Step-by-Step: How to Remove Custom Effects

1. Delete Any Installed Files

Even if you’ve deleted the ZIP or download folder, it’s worth checking for these file types:

• .atn (Actions)

• .pat (Patterns)

• .abr (Brushes)

• .csh (Shapes)

These may have been installed directly into Photoshop’s preset folders.

2. Reset the Filter Gallery / Preferences

To reset Photoshop’s settings:

• Go to Edit > Preferences > General

• Click Reset Preferences On Quit

• Quit and reopen Photoshop

To reset Adobe Bridge:

• Hold down Ctrl (Windows) or Option (Mac) while launching Adobe Bridge

• Choose Reset Preferences and Purge Cache

3. Check Photoshop’s Plugin or Preset Folders

You may also want to manually check:

• macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Adobe/Adobe Photoshop [version]/Presets/

• Windows: C:\Users\[YourUsername]\AppData\Roaming\Adobe\Adobe Photoshop [version]\Presets\

Delete any files related to the effect you want to remove.