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AI displays the START SCREEN on opening the file and the document view do not switches (refreshes) the file content.

v 22.1

When trying to open an existing file while Illustrator is closed, the software will lag and then hang on the opening screen. The file appears to be opened in the background, but there's no way to access or see it. The opening screen will give options to open additional files or create a new one (as usual) but when trying to do either, nothing will open and no New File Options menu will appear.

Everything will work normally only if I open Illustrator first and then the file.

This happens will every file I've tried, so this isn't an issue of corruption.

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Resolved (Comments Open)  ·  AdminAnkit Goyal(Illustrator Team) (Admin, Adobe Illustrator) responded  · 

Thank you all for reporting this issue and providing us your valuable feedback.

What we have found out so far is that this issue can happen in multiple workflows. For clear tracking, validation and closure. We will closing this thread for given below two scenarios which we believe are fixed now:

1)Double click any Ai file to launch Illustrator
2)Placing files in Illustrator via Bridge.

For two other scenarios that we know of that can cause this, we have created a separate thread :https://illustrator.uservoice.com/forums/601447-illustrator-bugs/suggestions/39220189-ai-displays-the-start-screen-on-opening-the-file-a .If you are encountering the below mentioned issues with latest Version (24.0.1 on Mac and Win), then please vote on newly provided User voice thread and provide Test File via File→Package, Video and steps via dropping email at sharewithai@adobe.com along with this thread link so that we can identify and fix the root cause.

1. On opening a file in Illustrator the START SCREEN do not gets dismissed and the file’s content is not visible.
2. While working on a file and opening a new one the document view sticks to the old file and do not switches to the new file artwork.

Please remember to update graphic driver. We are also seeing cases where updating graphic card driver fixes the issue. You can update your driver via https://helpx.adobe.com/illustrator/kb/illustrator-gpu-performance-driver-update.html .

With Best Regards,
Ankit Goyal
Illustrator Team

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  • Anonymous commented  ·   ·  Report

    I cannot open ANY files I've been happily using in Illustrator CC 2019 up until a couple of days ago. What the heck has suddenly happen to break Illustrator? All the fixes I can see are for Mac users. Is there a fix for Windows users yet? I'm on a new gaming laptop with 16GB RAM - it cannot possibly be my computer.

  • Glen Helen commented  ·   ·  Report

    i want to set that pdf will opens standard with illustrator, but with the new version 23.0.1 doesn´t work anymore.
    i reset all and seaching the problem on my pc, but the problem is on the new illustrator that,
    i unistalled and reistalled sevaral times but the problem is the same.

    reistalling the old version is working again.

  • ritika patel(Illustrator team) commented  ·   ·  Report

    Hi Charles,

    Please share you system preferences with us at <ShareWithAI@adobe.com>. Please mention the title of this issue as the subject of the mail.

    You can find the preference file at location-

    <OSDisk>/Users/<username>/Library/Preferences/Adobe Illustrator <version number> Settings/en_US*/Adobe Illustrator Prefs

    Regards,
    Ritika

  • Richard Parr commented  ·   ·  Report

    Yes - the most ridiculous thing. When I try and open a file, the file should appear - right? All I see is the dashboard to open recent files. I have to "float" windows to see my file. Crazy basic.

  • Jeanette commented  ·   ·  Report

    Same issue here. Happens sometimes with Photoshop too.

  • Armando Scuro commented  ·   ·  Report

    Adobe, this is not a feature you can 'Add to backlog', this is a serious bug,
    I paid for Illustrator to use it, not to hunt bugs and wait for you to decide to fix it

    Using Illustrator and Photoshop has been such a hassle for me lately,
    ever since I got the corporate macbook 2017 to be exact

  • Anonymous commented  ·   ·  Report

    I tried every one of these suggestions, but to no avail.

    So if all else fails, create a new document and place your .ai file in the new document. Use the direct selection tool (A) to delete the bounding box, and now you have all of your vectors there to work with.

    Not ideal, but it worked for me.

  • Halie Howard commented  ·   ·  Report

    AI refuses to open files from File Explorer. It will only open files from within the program.

  • Anonymous commented  ·   ·  Report

    When I start illustrator by opening an Illustrator file from the finder the start / home screen is displayed and I am unable to view the file. When I check my Window menu I see that the file has loaded, but I am unable to access it. Trying to click on any of the other recent documents or new document options on the start screen opens these in the background, but the start screen is stuck on top. Note - this only happens if Illustrator is not currently running and I open a file from the finder. If I first open illustrator the start window works as it should.

  • Stef Naskova commented  ·   ·  Report

    I opened an svg file (right click > open with > Ai) and it opened Ai with the sidebars but instead of the canvas with the artboard and my file, there was the starting screen inside.

  • Anonymous commented  ·   ·  Report

    Only way I could find is to close the file cmd W and then open it again

  • David Wood commented  ·   ·  Report

    Evidently you have to open Illustrator *first* and then open your document. Otherwise your document is unviewable - only the home screen.

  • Thomas Bucca commented  ·   ·  Report

    I dowloaded the previous version of the program, but it still a problem of this new update.
    If someone has info, please comment. Thanks!

  • Thomas Bucca commented  ·   ·  Report

    I have a similar bug: this morning I updated Illustrator and tried to work on some of my files. When I open a file (created with the previous version), the program doesn't respond, I tried to double click it, open it in all the ways, but it seems like the function doesn't work. I don't know what to do, usually when I open file in previous version the program asks me if I want to convert the file in the next version, but this time it does nothing.

    Help? Thanks

  • Nicholas McMillan commented  ·   ·  Report

    Newest Update (11/02/2018) will not open files when dragged to the launch icon in dock or when control clicking and using Open With command.

  • Anonymous commented  ·   ·  Report

    Sherm Stevens, trashing prefs may have worked for you but I've deleted them multiple times over the past year and it has never solved the problem for me. This is still happening on my system even with the 2019 update.

  • Anonymous commented  ·   ·  Report

    This is so ******* frustrating. the last several versions do this

  • Alan commented  ·   ·  Report

    I have this issue

  • MatM commented  ·   ·  Report

    I've updated to the latest version and this has been happening to me too, at least 3 times today.

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