Function
Last updated on
Oct 25, 2026
Find all available Surface Dial functions and rotation intervals for Illustrator on Windows 10 Anniversary edition and later.
Check this reference when you need to identify available Surface Dial functions for your workflow or verify rotation intervals for specific tools in Adobe Illustrator.
Microsoft Surface Dial integration provides tactile control over common Illustrator functions through rotation and long-press gestures on Windows 10 Anniversary edition and later, or directly on Surface Studio.
Accessing Surface Dial functions
Long-press the Surface Dial while working in Illustrator to display the available function menu. Select a function from the menu, then rotate the dial to control that function.
Available Surface Dial functions
|
|
Action |
Rotation Behavior |
|
Undo / Redo |
Perform undo and redo operations |
Rotate to step backward (undo) or forward (redo) through document history |
|
Arrange |
Change object stacking order |
Rotate to move selected object forward or backward by one position in the stack |
|
Zoom |
Adjust document magnification |
Rotate to zoom in or out on artwork |
|
Artboard navigation |
Switch between artboards |
Rotate to navigate to the next or previous artboard in the document |
Tool-specific Surface Dial functions
Select one of the following tools in Illustrator to access tool-specific Surface Dial controls:
Rotate tool
|
Requirement |
Rotation Behavior |
Interval |
|
Select the Rotate tool and plot a pivot point on the selected object |
Rotate Surface Dial to transform artwork about the pivot point |
5 degrees |
Scale tool
|
Requirement |
Rotation Behavior |
Interval |
|
Select the Scale tool |
Rotate Surface Dial to uniformly scale selected artwork |
5 percent |
Brush and Blob Brush tools
|
Requirement |
Rotation Behavior |
Interval |
|
Select the Brush tool or Blob Brush tool |
Rotate Surface Dial to adjust brush size |
Continuous adjustment |
Eraser tool
|
Requirement |
Rotation Behavior |
Interval |
|
Select the Eraser tool |
Rotate Surface Dial to adjust eraser diameter |
Continuous adjustment |
System requirements
Surface Dial support requires:
- Windows 10 Anniversary edition (version 1607) or later
- Surface Studio or compatible Surface Dial hardware
- Adobe Illustrator with Surface Dial support enabled
Note
For other hardware input options on macOS, see MacBook Pro Touch Bar controls in Illustrator. For general navigation shortcuts, see Default keyboard shortcuts.
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