Illustrator (Desktop) Feature Requests
When entering a new feature request, please provide:
- Description
- Why is this valuable to you?
88 results found
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Paste in multiple (all / selected) layers
I'd like to paste on multiple layers simultaneously - e.g. copy something, select certain layers, Ctrl + Alt + V pastes it on all selected layers -> that would be helpful for multi-language files.
7 votes -
Don’t force creating a dedicated layer for Swatch Info objects
When we create a Swatch Info object, a new layer named 'Swatch Info Layer' gets created automatically. I don’t need it. I want to be able to choose if I need this layer, and what name it should use. My layer structure is something I prefer to have control over, and the way Ai thinks I need to have a singular group this creates in a separate layer is insulting.
Same goes for Dimensions — why do you think I mustn’t choose the layer’s name?
http://illustrator.uservoice.com/forums/333657/suggestions/482369546 votes -
Move items inside/outside hidden and locked layers.
I want to move items in and out of locked and/or hidden layers.
I use the lock and hidden options to not accendently modify them on the canvas, but I do neet to rearrange them in the layers, or need a copy of an item.6 votes -
Paste Remembers Layer from Indesign To Illustrator
When pasting from Indesign to Illustrator it would be very handy if there was a remember way to keep layers intact instead of flattening them onto one layer? Maybe a dialogue box that just okays the action?
6 votes -
Auto number layers
As a graphic designer I often work with Illustrator files that have thousands of layers, these layers are very well organized in folders.
I would like to suggest that Illustrator add a function allowing users like me to auto number every layer. The layer number would be visible on each layer. This would let me quickly identify a layer with a specific number and then return to that layer later if I want to read manipulate the artwork there.
It would also be great if I could, i.e. right click layer XXX and asked to move it above or below…6 votes -
Easier way to unlock layers
I, like most people, work with layers. Sometimes those layers are 5, sometimes closer to 100. Thing is, I don't want to have to scroll through 100 layers to find the 1 locked layer I want to unlock. It would be great if I could just right-click on it, then go through a 2-step process to unlock the layer. At the very least, if I double-click on said locked layer, I wish to be shown immediately in the Layers panel where that layer is.
6 votes -
Mark layers/sublayers in the layers panel
We used to be able to easily tell layers and other containers apart in the Layers panel. Layers/sublayers were marked with a darker or lighter background in the Layers panel.
This is important for several functionality that can be applied to groups but not layers and vice versa. Particularly when you deal with complex artwork such as puppets for Character Animator, but not limited to them. And you need it when analyzing other peoples' files.5 votes -
Can we please have layers control of some level in Touch workspace?
Not having any control over layers in touch mode make it almost impossible to use. Touch workspace already have a nice interface but having to go back and forth from one workspace to another just to change layer makin life hard.
Thanks!5 votes -
"Move to Layer" in right-click menu
I would love to be able to skip the Layers tab on the fly and right-click an object to move it to any layer in the document. It seems like it would make the most sense for this to live in Arrange? Ideally, the layer list would include colored bullets to match layer labels. This would be a huge time-saver for me.
5 votes -
Illustrator 2025 (29.8.7) flatten layers of PDF saved in version 2026 (30.5.1)
Let's say you have Illustrator 2026 (30.5.1) and you save an artwork as PDF preserving editing capabilities, the artwork has layers, some of them are hidden.
When you reopen the artwork in the same Illustrator version all layers are in place and you can continue to edit the artwork.In the save as Ai dialog it appears that the Illustrator file format is the same from 2020, but if you open the same PDF with Illustrator 2025 (29.8.7) or Illustrator 2024 (28.7.10) all layers content collapse to a single layer (Layer 1) and the objects inside hidden layers are lost.
…
4 votes -
Allow to select objects as a range in Layers (Shift, Cmd/Ctrl) with proper square markers, not only with Target Appearance ones
I have no idea why the team chose to use specialized Target Appearance round markers and NOT the intended square markers to allow select the range with Shift. This teaches a bad lesson, making users think these round markers/buttons are meant to select objects, while it’s just a side-effect of targeting these to receive new appearance. This makes users believe they Select All in a layer when they click its target marker — and this leads to common 'all my stuff in layer has the same fill'.
My only guess is that that the actual selection markers/buttons, square ones, are…
4 votes -
Add "Go to Object" in layers panel, not just "Select Object"
Would love "Go to Object" option when selecting an object to find it in the layers panel. Currently, it only has the option to "Find Object" from the menu. I then have to scroll through sometimes hundreds of items within that layer to find the little dot.
4 votesLayers panel has a dedicated button at the bottom, with the magnifying glass — it’s the same Locate Object command. But if you want Ai to automatically select it for you, please upvote this request.
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Copy layer from one document to another with effects / appearance
Wouldn't it be nice to be able to copy-paste a layer from one file to another, including the layer’s effects / appearance?
Or to have an option to Duplicate a Layer into another file (like in Photoshop).
4 votes -
Layer Tags, Virtual Layer Groups and Regex Search
I want to be able to keep layer names simple in projects with large numbers of layers, but I also want to be able to search for those layers in specific circumstances quickly and easily. To do this, I would like to be able to add "tags" to the layer properties (when you double click the layer), and then to have those tags searchable in the layer search.
Further, I often have to toggle between two layers amongst a longer group of layers at the same level, and right now I have to do a layer search for one, turn…
4 votes -
I would like to see the output of the subject created by the generated AI with each part layered by part.
I would like the subject created by the generated AI to be output with parts divided into layers by part (right eye) (left eye) (outline) (eyebrows), etc.
This is because I want the puppet to move immediately in Adobe Character Animatror.4 votes -
Disable Layer Search in Layers Window
Illustrator v 27.7
Mac Studio 2022
Mac OS 13.5.1 (22G90)
Please allow for disabling the layer search function. The Layers window search field randomly activates, especially when opening new files from a template and when opening exitisting files to make revisions. This is incredibly frustrating. For example; when I open a file and try to select the type tool by hitting the T key, I just end up typing a line of T's in the layer search bar. When the search function is active it appears as if there are layers missing in the file, making it difficult to find…
4 votes -
Hitting Tab To Rename A Layer Targets That Layer
Thanks for implementing the ability to move up and down when renaming layers!
Unfortunately, the function has limited applicability for me, because unless I can determine what the layer is, from the tiny layer thumbnail, I don't actually know what to name the layer.
Consider a geometric character design. Perhaps the ears are circles; the eye whites are circles; the pupils are circles; the glasses are circles, the knees and elbows are circles; the hair is a bunch of circles etc etc etc.
I need the shapes to be highlighted when I'm renaming them so that I know what to…
4 votes -
"Paste Remembers Layers ONE TIME" option
Rarely do I want this feature active more than 1 or 2 times. Honestly, making "one time" the default would be fine with me, but good to have options.
3 votes -
3 votes
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Please add a shortcut for 'Enter Isolation Mode' for layers.
Please add a shortcut for 'Enter Isolation Mode' for layers. This is a very useful command, and accessing it by clicking a tiny icon is difficult.
3 votes
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