Could we consider the introduction of an extremely helpful, time-saving action, which would be to simply be able to release text from a path, rather than the numerous, convoluted processes we have to go through now to achieve the same result?

If I have applied text to the edge of a circle or shape, I should be able to just release that original text so that it appears as one line again so that I can use it in other parts of a project.

A certain software Adobe purchased almost twenty years ago had this feature and its practical application still hasn’t been integrated into the latest 'AI-enhanced' Illustrator. Just saying.

The script didn't work for me, but I found another solution... I copied the path into Indesign and then back again.

There are a way we can do that in Illustrator now.

1. There is a script 'unTextPath', written by Umezawa. The site is now dead (http://www.pictrix.jp), so you can grab the script below, rename it from .txt inst .jsx
The script will remove the text and stroke the path to 1pt black. I modified it to also select the path (the original one didn’t do that). If you wish to revert it back — remove the line 56.
The script also removes the text form Area Type objects the same way.

2. Then, there is a another script, by Nathaniel Vaughn Kelso, 'DetachTextFromPath': https://github.com/nvkelso/illustrator-scripts/blob/master/text/DetachTextFromPath.jsx
It converts the type-on-path into just a point type. The path though is just stripped from the text and left as type on path...
That's why Sergey Osokin merged them both together into one — you can download it here. Rename 'Unmake Type on Path.txt' into .jsx after saving it.
It will select both the now normal path and text after running it in Ai.
Please note that 3 steps are recorded in History when you run it — unfortunately, there is no way to avoid it, be careful when you try to undo.

It does not mean this should not be the default thing Ai has — on the contrary!
As for now — use scripts.

And perhaps you might be interest in this request as well, about combining a text and a path into Type on Path: http://illustrator.uservoice.com/forums/333657/suggestions/44049999
Nathaniel Kelso also wrote a script to do this as well.

It would be great if once a text is created on a path to be able to extract it and have the text and the path separated. This is a feature that was working on Freehand and now it can be done with Astute Graphics plugin. It's really useful and I think it should be a must have on Illustrator. That's to say, if I create a text on a path and then I want to have the text and the path again separated with this requested function would be done, for example, with an Extract Text From Path function.

"Release Type from path" should be a basic command in the menu. Can't believe, in all the years of development, this isn't a thing! Please, it should be the simplest of tasks, not a workaround.

Reinis, the same method can be used for a type on path too, that is correct. Still it feels like a workaround.

This video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IZcLw4rJv5Q solved this problem on Illustrator 24.0.1.

Sometimes I mis-click on a Path with the Text tool and don't realise until it's too late (or too tedious) to undo.

It would be nice to have a way to revert the baseline to a normal Path. Unless it already exists and I haven't found it. :)

There is a free script that allows to do exactly that:
https://github.com/nvkelso/illustrator-scripts/blob/master/text/DetachTextFromPath.jsx
And it definitely should be there in Illustrator as a standard command.

Yeah, the issue is quite easily solvable, but once you don’t know the workaround, the process is not intuitive and take precious time and consumes energy. A new function with new item in Illustrator menu is appropriate. I’m absolutely for it.

If we're on the same note I think I have a solution. Just take the Direct Selection Tool, press Alt, and drag the former shape somewhere else. Oh and you gotta select just the shape before dragging, not the text.

Sarah, you can use Group Selection tool to ease the process. It allows to select the whole path to copy — but year, requires precise clicking, better done in Outline mode.
Voted.

I've been using the ArcGIS Maps for Adobe plugin which for some unknow reason likes to use type on a path for it's basemap labels, even when the label doesn't need to follow a path!

Quite often I've noticed several labels coming in with a red cross symbol highlighting that the path isn't long enough to show all the text.

This has made me very aware of some missing functionality in Illustrator, that of being able to revert Type on a path text back to point text.

Currently to do this, I need to double click the text to enter edit mode, CTRL+A to highlight it all, CTRL+C, exit editing path text, click somewhere using the text tool and CTRL+V to paste that text.

It would be much easier to have an entry in the Type menu for converting this text back to regular point type. I appreciate that where text follows a path it may be questionable where to unravel the text to. Here I would suggest that the text start anchor be the logical point of insertion for regular horizontal type text, especially if multiple paths have been selected for conversion back to point type.