Illustrator 26,2. Illustrator align return allways to "Align to the selection" at launch.
It's annoying because when the objects are already almost centered with respect to the artboard, one may not notice that in fact they are not.
The default behavior at launch should always be "Align to the artboard".
It makes a lot more sense to have to select the key object for this.

Running version 25.2 and this bug has not been fixed.

It is Feb. 17, 2021 - I am using Illustrator on a new MacBook Pro (non-Apple chip), and I am having the same issue. My CC is totally up-to-date.

UGH. I need to finish this project tonight.

Hi, the problem seemed to have been resolved for some time, although I did notice some strange behavior every now and then when using Align.
On closer inspection, this turns out to be the same behavior as Wes Rand wrote about on October 17: when I select multiple objects, I can only choose "Align to Artboard". This only seems to happen (or especially) when I select all objects at once by selecting a complete layer.
If I go back and select all objects individually, I get to choose from the other options "Align Selection" of "Align to Main Object".
I am using version 24.3, 64 bit, Windows, Dutch version.
I remember having

Hi, when I used to move my objects on artboard, there used to be lanes and alignments automatically showing me when two objects on the artboard are in alignment with a green line. However, I can't see that feature anymore, it just happened since yesterday. very frustrating. Is this a bug, or is this due to some settings issue?

This is still broken. When I select multiple objects -- often by selecting the layer -- the alignment option will not let me choose anything other than "Align to artboard." I have to go back and select all the objects individually to then be allowed to "Align to selection" or "Align to key object."

This is not true. I have to set it for every document I open. Extremely annoying. How do you set it to default to selection like it always did?

Same here, the Alignment Settings always jump back to "Align to Artboard"

October 7, 2020 - THIS IS NOT FIXED. Once again, I have to downgrade to fix the bug. Upgraded...and I'm at 24.3...does NOT fix the issue.

"Align to" feature not at all working from touch bar. As it is supposed to take you to the next level of vertical/horizontal options - which is failing to kick the action.

Using 24.3, I see this error message all the time: "partially selected objects cannot be set as key objects" when I am just selecting points. A reproducible case is when I am selecting points in a compound path such that the selected points comprise an entire sub-path in the compound path. I'm not trying to set a key object. The Align to Key Objects choice in the Align panel is not selected. If I tell Illustrator not to show me the error message, it beeps pretty continuously while the object is partially selected, and some things don't work. Please fix!

Hi,
This is very bad!

On the new release 24.3 I saw a new fix "Align To setting remembers the last setting when relaunched".
I tried it out and it turns out that every time I load Ai the Align To resets to default "Align to selection".
This means I have to set it back from default every time I start Ai!
This is unbelievably frustrating!

Why can't you just let users set the default values in the Preferences panel for settings like this?

In the latest version of Illustrator there is a new "feature" that is driving me crazy! Whenever two objects are selected, Illustrator now automatically selects the top object as the key object, whereas before, you had to click on one of the objects a second time to activate the key object. I want to know how to turn this "feature" off as it completely hinders my workflow and is not a "feature" that I care at all about getting accustomed to. I need to be able to select the key object that I want to be a key object when I want to and not have Illustrator select it automatically. I have alignment issues that I do not always want to have a key object. Please help as I have reverted to a previous version to avoid this annoying "feature."

I'm using version 24.3 and the alignment bug seems even worse. Most of the time I can't even select an option other than align to artboard. Please fix!

I'm having the same problem!

I've been using the 24.3 update that came out a week ago and it seems to have finally fixed the alignment bug.

This is one of the most disruptive bugs in Adobe history. I'm still seeing it in 24.2.3. Please fix!

Yeah, it's still not fixed

+1. This KEEPS breaking.

But as long as we're paying to save the engineers time when they're working on the program at the expense of stability and ease for the end user, right?

Adobe's "write once, deploy everywhere" corporate mentality has been an absolute cancer for so many years.