FFS, fix this! Using Character Animator with Illustrator is a f*cking nightmare with all this Illustrator layer issues.

Also explain the difference between a hidden and locked layer, because its also seems that hidden layers are locked from copy, edit, and everything else which is lock. Not hidden.

The problem appears when you don't copy all the layers. If you only copy part of your work, when pasting, it will not remember sublayers. If you delete everything else you don't want to copy/paste, then it will remember the sublayers.

The same thing happens if you have empty layers. Because you won't be able to select those layers by selecting your artwork, some layers won't be copied, hence when pasting it will mess up the sublayers. Delete the empty layers, delete everything you don't want to copy, then copy/paste.

Not working! Latest update did not fix!

It's been THREE YEARS since the issue was supposedly under review and I am still encountering this bug. It would be greatly appreciated if Adobe could address this issue!

Please for the love of god fix this.

When you cut a layer, and paste it on a new art board for example, the sub layers within the first layer will all dissolve, leaving you with a cluster F*** of all your paths. Thus you have to recreate all the sub layers and put everything back into it.

This is happening on both the Apple Ipad (Brand new Ipad pro) app as well as the desktop version.

Anonymous commented "The odd thing is, it does not happen all the time and I can't figure out any common cause. It should just work."

Pasting will fail to properly recognize sub-layers if there are any empty layers - or layers with only guides - within those sub-layers. The work-around that usually works for us is to first run this script:
https://aiscripts.com/delete-empty-layers-script/
and then do the copy>paste.

If it's been under review for over a year, why isn't it fixed? The odd thing is, it does not happen all the time and I can't figure out any common cause. It should just work.

This is a really bad bug that totally messes up our workflow. Adobe, please fix already!

I am having this issue also. Mac OS Catalina. Illustrator v. 23.1.1

v23.0.4 -- paste does not remember layers
and some but not all area text behaves like point text, e.g. moving a text box corner handle distorts the type

This problem only occurs if you copy only some of your objects in the sublayers. If you copy everything in your sublayers, it retains the layer structure. Annoying, but it is possible to retain sublayers... but Adobe should stilll make it so it always remembers the sublayer structure.

Yep. But with 5 votes it will never be changed. Adobe is driven by user demand not logical functionality.

I agree Rob, why wouldn't it remember sub-layers as well? I have found this extremely annoying for some time now. Please fix it Adobe!

I have the same problem, even if "Paste remembers layers" is turned on.