Select View > Outline.
Last updated on
Oct 30, 2026
Learn how to adjust workspace, display, and preference settings in Adobe Illustrator to improve editing and screen redraw performance.
Display and preference settings can improve editing performance without changing artwork. Simplifying paths and deleting unused artboards modify the document. For additional recommendations covering Illustrator and system performance, use the Illustrator performance guide. For GPU-related problems, follow the GPU performance troubleshooting steps.
Manage display and view settings
Switch to Outline View
Edit your artwork with improved screen redraw speed.
Select View > Preview to return to color view.
Create a custom view
Set the view attributes to save.
Select View > New View.
In the New View dialog box, enter a descriptive name.
Access the saved view from the bottom of the View menu.
Adjust raster effects resolution
Select Effect > Document Raster Effects Settings.
Select Screen when editing or High when preparing files for print. Illustrator uses 72 ppi for Screen and 300 ppi for High.
Select OK.
Manage layers and panels
Reduce layer and panel updates to improve performance in complex documents.
Hide layers
In the Layers panel, select the visibility icon for each layer you aren't editing.
From the Layers panel menu, select Panel Options.
In the Row Size section, select a smaller thumbnail size.
Deselect thumbnail options for nested layers, groups, or objects you don't need to display.
Select OK.
Tip
Press and hold Alt (Windows) or Option (macOS) while selecting the visibility icon to hide all other layers.
Hide the Navigator panel
The Navigator panel can be hidden by deselecting Navigator from the Window menu.
Configure display quality settings
Adjust display options to improve screen redraw performance.
Turn off Overprint Preview
Overprint Preview can be turned off by deselecting Overprint Preview from the View menu.
Turn off artwork anti-aliasing
On Windows, select Edit > Preferences > General. On macOS, select Illustrator > Preferences > General.
Deselect Anti-aliased Artwork.
Select OK.
Turn off Smart Guides
Smart Guides can be turned off by deselecting Smart Guides from the View menu.
Manage file and memory settings
Change the scratch disk
On Windows, select Edit > Preferences > Plug-ins & Scratch Disk. On macOS, select Illustrator > Preferences > Plug-ins & Scratch Disk.
Select the fastest available hard disk in the Primary menu.
If you work with large images and have multiple hard drives, select another drive in the Secondary menu.
Select OK, then restart Illustrator for the changes to take effect.
Link images
Select File > Place.
In the Place dialog box, select the Link checkbox before selecting your image file.
Select the Place to insert the linked image.
Linked images reduce document size and can improve performance. Importing artwork files provides more information about placing and linking images.
Use low-resolution EPS previews
On Windows, select Edit > Preferences > File Handling & Clipboard. On macOS, select Illustrator > Preferences > File Handling & Clipboard.
Select Use Low Resolution Proxy For Linked EPS.
Select OK.
Turn off DCS transparency interaction warnings
Select Window > Links to open the Links panel.
Select Panel Options from the Links panel menu.
Deselect Show DCS Transparency Interactions.
Select OK.
Simplify artwork and documents
Simplify paths
Select the path or object you want to simplify.
Select Object > Path > Simplify.
In the Simplify dialog box, adjust settings to reduce the number of anchor points while preserving the path's essential shape.
Select OK to close the dialog box.
For more information about simplifying paths, refer to the instructions.
Remove unused artboards
Select Window > Artboards to open the Artboards panel.
Select an artboard you want to remove from the panel.
Select Delete at the bottom of the panel.
Repeat for any additional unused artboards.
Learn more about deleting artboards.
Manage document templates and profiles
Remove unused assets from templates and document profiles to create smaller new documents.
Remove unused swatches, brushes, symbols, and graphic styles from document profiles and templates before creating new files. Files and Templates provides instructions for working with templates.
For comprehensive performance management, including system-level improvements, Improve Illustrator performance covers additional ways to improve Illustrator performance. For GPU-related issues, Fix GPU performance issues covers troubleshooting steps.
Design with precision in Illustrator
Bring your ideas to life with vector graphics tools built for creative freedom and accuracy.
