Fix: Could not Complete your request because it is not a valid Photoshop Document

Several users report getting the “Could not complete your request because it is not a valid Photoshop document” error when trying to open PSD and PDF files with Photoshop. The issue is reported to occur on both Windows and Mac computers.

What is causing the “Could not complete your request because it is not a valid Photoshop document” error?

We investigated this particular issue by looking at various user reports and the repair strategies that they ended up using successfully. Based on what we gathered, there are a couple of common scenarios that will lead to the apparition of this particular error message. You can also check out our guide on photoshop program error here.

Here’s a shortlist with potential culprits that might be triggering the issue:

• The file is saved with a different extension – The most common reason why this error occurs is when the file is saved with the .PSD extension even if it’s, in fact, a different file type (TIFF, JPG, GIF, PNG). This ends up confusing Photoshop, which will trigger the issue.
• The .PSD file is corrupted – Corruption is another potential cause that is known to trigger this particular issue. Some affected users have been able to circumvent the issue by opening the file with a different editor.

If you’re struggling to resolve this particular issue, this article will provide you with a list of verified troubleshooting steps. Below you have a collection of methods that other users in a similar situation have used to get the issue resolved.

For the best results, follow the methods below in order until you encounter a fix that is effective in resolving the issue in your particular scenario.

Method 1: Changing the file to a different extension

One of the most common scenarios for this error on both Mac and Windows is when the file’s extension is incorrect. This can happen quite easily if you use other complementary Adobe products such as Lightroom to edit them directly into Photoshop.

There’s a high chance that the PSD file is not actually corrupted, but it’s actually another file type. If you used the Save as feature, the default extension might get saved to PSD, even if the file is of a different file type. This ends up producing the “Could not complete your request because it is not a valid Photoshop document” error.

Luckily, you can rectify this issue quite easily by changing the extension to the correct one.

How to find the correct extension type

You can pinpoint the correct extension type by opening the file in a Hex editor. Keep in mind that type of graphics file will always begin with the same set of characters when you open them in a Hex editor. You can use Hex Fiend for Mac and HXD for Windows.

Once you open the file in the Hex editor, compare it with the list below and see if you get a match among the most common file types:

JPEG: ff d8 ff e0 00 10 4a 46 TIF,TIFF: TIFF: 49 49 2a PNG: 89 50 4e 47 BMP: 42 4d 38 GIF: 47 49 46 38 39 61 PSD: 38 42 50 53 PDF: 25 50 44 46 2d 31 2e 36 0d 25 e2 e3 cf d3

Once you discovered the correct extension, it’s time to make the required modifications. But keep in mind that the steps of changing the file to the correct extension will be different according to your operating system, so please follow the appropriate guide, according to your OS.

Changing the Extension type on Windows

1. Open the file with File Explorer and go to View (using the ribbon) at the top. Then, make sure that the box associated with File name extensions is checked.
2. Next, right-click on the PSD file that is showing the error and choose Rename. Then, change the extension to the correct one.

   Note: If you haven’t used a Hex editor to determine the correct extension type, change the extension to each of the following extensions until you get a match: jpeg, tif, tiff, png, bmp, gif, pdf.

3. When prompted that the file might become unusable, click Yes to confirm the changing of the extension.
4. You should eventually stumble upon an extension that will allow you to open the file in Photoshop without encountering the “Could not complete your request because it is not a valid Photoshop document” error.

Changing the extension type on Mac

1. Navigate to the location of the file and select it. With the file selected, press Command + I to open up the Information window of the file.
2. In the Info window, simply change the extension to the correct one (under Name &Extension).

   

   Note: If you haven’t used a Hex editor to determine the correct extension type, change the extension to each of the following extensions until you get a match: jpeg, tif, tiff, png, bmp, gif, pdf.

3. Du blir deretter bedt om bekreftelse via en dialogboks. Trykk på Bruk * utvidelsestype * for å endre utvidelsen.
4. Åpne filen med Photoshop igjen og se om problemet er løst.

Metode 2: Lagre PSD-filen på nytt med GIMP

GIMP er et program for manipulering av åpen kildekode som noen berørte brukere har brukt til å åpne PSD-filer som viser feilen " Kunne ikke fullføre forespørselen din fordi den ikke er et gyldig Photoshop-dokument " på grunn av korrupsjon.

GIMP brukes ofte til å lagre PSD-filer som ikke er fullt kompatible med Photoshop. Men noen berørte brukere har også brukt den til å åpne og lagre PSD-filer som Photoshop ikke klarte å håndtere.

Merk: Hvis filen er dårlig ødelagt, kan du merke noen manglende piksler og et generelt kvalitetstap.

Her er en rask guide til installering og bruk av GIMP for å løse feilen " Kunne ikke fullføre forespørselen din fordi det ikke er et gyldig Photoshop-dokument ":

1. Gå til denne lenken (her) og last ned GIMP-installasjonen som kjøres i henhold til din foretrukne nedlastingsmetode.

   Merk: Husk at GIMP også er tilgjengelig for OS X og Linux, hvis du støter på problemet på en annen plattform.

2. Når nedlastingen er fullført, åpner du kjørbar installasjon og følger instruksjonene på skjermen for å installere GIMP på datamaskinen.
3. Når installasjonen er fullført, høyreklikker du på PSD-filen som viser feilen og velger Rediger med GIMP .
4. Når PSD-filen er åpnet med GIMP-editoren, går du til File> Export As .
5. Velg stedet du vil lagre filen på, og klikk deretter på plussikonet som er tilknyttet Velg filtype (etter utvidelse). Deretter blar du nedover listen over filtyper, velger Photoshop-bilde og klikker på Eksporter.

   

6. Når filen er lagret på nytt, åpner du den med Photoshop igjen og ser om feilen " Kunne ikke fullføre forespørselen din fordi den ikke er et gyldig Photoshop-dokument " er løst.