Illustrator (Desktop) Bugs
When reporting a bug, please provide a detailed description with the following:
- Details of your operating system
- The version of Adobe Illustrator (desktop)
- The steps you were taking when you experienced the issues
- Your expected result and the actual result
- Upload your Illustrator file or a video (screen recording or gif, this helps us most to reproduce the issue and resolve it)
23 results found
-
Object appearance defaults when selecting new colors (white fill, black stroke)
When selecting a new color swatch value from the menu (see image) often times when the document has first been opened or an object has not been selected during this session, any selected objects revert to the default appearance - 1 pt outline, black stroke, white fill - regardless of what they were before. Then you have to undo what happened and try again to apply your changes. It's a minor inconvenience, but it only showed up in the last 3 updates. A clean install doesn't fix this issue. This can happen just a single time, or multiple times with…
22 votesThe latest build 30.2.1 doesn’t do this anymore, works as expected.
-
Mixed stroke colors become white when changing fills using CMYK spectrum in an RGB document
There is a way to make objects loose their stroke colors in specific conditions.
1. Create an RGB document
2. Create two shapes
3. Make them have same fill color, but different stroke colors
4. Select both
5. In Control panel Shift+click the arrow button next to the fill chip, to call the alternate UI with sliders and spectrum instead of Swatches view
6. In this dropdown panel’s menu pick CMYKStrokes become white.
This does not happen if the color mode in this panel is left RGB or HSB.
Also, strokes become white if you pick a color in…13 votesClaimed to be fixed in the latest 30.3 general release. Please update, check, and comment back if it still happens.
-
Pattern Scale Not Working
My pattern scale has stopped working recently for user created patterns (it works ok on the default patterns). Previously I could create a pattern but dragging into the swatch menu, and then when I dragged the corners, the scale of the pattern would adjust along with the size of my shape. Now it does not.
I have checked that "Transform Both (object and pattern)" is selected from the Transform Panel dropdown, along with Settings > General > Transform Pattern Tiles is also checked on.
This has been going on since late July 2025 - I've tried every troubleshooting method I…
11 votesSeems to work fine in the latest general 2025 release, build 30.0.
Please comment back if it still misbehaves.
-
Global colours don't seem to be preserved in freeform gradients
I have complex files that are made up of multiple gradients to create a 3D effect. Some of the gradients are linear and some are freeform. I am currently in the process of creating artwork files for both print and digital. To create the digital files I am converting all the files to RGB. There is a specific brand colour that has a different RGB make up than the standard conversion. I thought, no problem, I'll just update the global colour swatch and it should cascade through. But it doesn't! It does on the linear gradients, but not on the…
5 votes -
Swatches don’t display names on hover
Please restore the display of color names when hovering over a color swatch in the palette.
3 votesEnabling Show Tool Tips in Preferences > General helped to have the names for swatches on hover back
-
Inconsistent colors across the Adobe apps, even when synced via Bridge
With the new CC update, I can't calibrate colour across apps using Color Settings in Bridge. This started happening often on the previous release, but I was able to fix it by resetting this in Bridge. Now, it doesn't work. See attached – same Pantone colour (50% of Pantone Bridge 7500) in InDesign and Illustrator. The InDesign is accurate; Illustrator is not. Nothing I do seems to help. I may revert to older Bridge and Photoshop until you sort this out.
3 votesSeems to not happen anymore in latest builds. Please comment if you still get anything like this.
-
Please fix "colour changing of vector elements between Illustrator and Photoshop
If you Copy/Paste vector objects - saving it to a library - from Illustrator to Photoshop, there is a marginal colour change. That's pretty annoying and has to be fixed immediately, thx!
3 votesReported to be working fine in the latest builds. If this is still a problem for you — please leave a comment with details.
-
Pattern origin
Why is the pattern anchored to the art board and not the item? I often create shapes and apply a pattern (lets say a plaid) and I adjust the alignment of the pattern so that it is equal on all sides. If I then copy the shape containing the pattern so that I can then offer the client a different color combination of the pattern, I now have to nudge the pattern of the new shape to align properly again! Because the pattern is anchored to the art board not the shape.
3 votesThis behavior can be toggled in Preferences > General > Transform Pattern Tiles.
Once enabled, the pattern stays relative to the object it’s applied to, when you move or copy it between documents.
It also makes it deform if you stretch, resize, rotate, skew or transform the object, because it’s all a part of 'transformations' we can make.
-
Text copied from web paste white but swatch says its black
Since version 30.1 anytime i paste text into a file, the text will past white instead of black like it use too. All swatch areas say it is black but the text will be white. This has gotten pretty annoying because everytime i paste in text i have to change the color of it.
2 votesThe fix has been pushed into the latest 30.3 general release. Please update, check, and comment back if it still happens.
-
Illustrator changing color values every time I reopen program v 26.0.2
I'm on a brand new MacBook Pro and I'm using illustrator from the cloud version 26.0.2 on Mac Monterey v 12.1. Every time I close out a file and reopen it the hex colors are changed. I have never touched the setting on my colors. I've attached an example below. You can see that when I was previously working in the file I listed the hex code, but now when I open it it is different. Please help. This is making my branding impossible and I'm turning in projects incorrectly as a result.
2 votes -
Will not change stroke color
I am trying to trace an object on illustrator but it will not let me change the color of the stroke, it will not even bring up the color swatches in the normal stroke panel for me to click on. I have tried resetting essentials classic, resetting preferences, and changing the view.
2 votesThere is nothing wrong with the file, as I can tell...
The Swatches panel is empty indeed, the only swatch in it is the sport RGB white. Perhaps somebody deleted them to save some file size?
If you want to have default swatches though, you can load them back.
Open Swatches panel, click the 'bookshelf' 'Swatch Libraries menu' button, locate 'Default Swatches' and choose 'Web'. Now you can select a swatch you need directly from the opened panel, or drag-n-drop a selection of swatches you need into the main Swatches panel.
Please comment back.
-
Recolor artwork with patterns doesn't work
Using Mac OS Ventura 13.3
Adobe Illustrator 29.2.1As described, I am able to access the recolor artwork panel but when I click OK it doesn't do anything. Video below. It used to work.
1 voteThis behavior can be controlled with the Preserve Black option inside of the Color Reduction Options dialog, hidden under a small button at the top of the Recolor dialog
-
Files have a swatch that cannot be deleted
Please help me understand why this swatch cannot be deleted. In this case it is a Pantone swatch, but in other files it's just a global color. I have deleted all objects and links in this file to be sure it's not connected to some hidden element.
Thank you for looking. It is becoming an issue in file cleanup for clients. They all have this one odd, unremovable swatch from another project.
1 voteAs it turns out the swatch was in use by the plugin.
If the same happens to you — try to check all the symbols, graphics styles, anything like this in the document that might use the swatch.
-
Recolour tool does not load custom colour palettes (AI 27.3)
I have restarted my machine already multiple times, but when I try to use the recolour tool, the added colour palettes I created do not load on the right hand side
1 voteThis happens because the swatches from the local library should panel should be added in the document’s Swatches panel for the Recolor to use it.
-
CMYK Files Colors are Displaying as RGB in Illustrator 2022 Version 26.0.1
(Illustrator 2022) Open a new CMYK file, create a box, color Breakdown "87-75-0-0 "select the same CMYK color Breakdown "87-75-0-0 " (In Color Picker) that is clearly showing a darker color then what is behind the open select box.
Screen Shot 2
Open a new CMYK file in Illustrator (2021). Same process as above, now CMYK colors appear correct.1 voteIf this happens for you, make sure you have the same color settings setup in both versions (Edit > Color Settings).
-
Eyedrop multiple fills
Please allow there to be an option on the eyedropper tool to select multiple fills on appearances to apply to another object. Example; with pattern design, we create a top transparent pattern than a second fill with a solid color to create the final pattern. We would like to be able to easily apply those two fills to another object
1 voteYou can open Eyedropper tool’s options (double-click tool icon or hit Enter while the tool is active) and check both Appearance ticks to force it to pick and apply all appearance items, including multiple fills.
-
Gradient colour not following path of curved line
When I go to colour the gradient after applying it to a thicker curved line a new shape is made and takes the colour and gradient that I chose. This shape appears to be connected by the same anchors as the curve but is just a straight line.
1 vote -
Select same fill color does not take into account tints
When I select "same fill color" or "same appearance" it selects all items using that particular pantone regardless of whether I am using that pantone at 100% or a tint (ex 40%, 50%, 60%).
1 voteAs per the comment, Illustrator can be made into respecting tints with the 'Select Same Tint %' in Preferences > General
-
Fill & Stroke colors & gradients selective but only previous fill visible on object
Latest Windows PC Version 10 64-bit. Adobe 2020 (24.0.2).
Everything was normal until I began drawing a regular 5-point star with green fill & black stroke (fill color doesn't really matter). Layer shows correct colors of star in layers panel but the layer folder and what's visible on screen show no change in red fill result (which was set previously). In other words, choosing different fill colors made no difference. However, stroke color can be changed. Tried other shapes with same results. (Even restarted Illustrator.)
Putting another shape on top of a previous shape caused the stroke of 2nd shape…1 voteThis happens because the top layer has a custom appearance applied to it.
To undo that, you’d have to target the layer again, open the Appearance panel, and click the 'Clear Appearance' button.
You can read more about Appearance and Selection markers in Layers panel here:
-
No search bar in Pantone swatch color books
When I go to search for Pantone colors, or and other colors, there is no search bar at the top of the swatch tool window
1 voteYou can have this field shown with Show Find Field option in a panel flyout menu. This works for Swatches and Pantone libraries and any other swatches library.
- Don't see your idea?