Pathfinder panel overview

Last updated on Sep 11, 2025

Learn about the options in the Pathfinder panel to add, remove, or divide objects based on overlapping areas.

Pathfinder panel

Select Window > Pathfinder to open the Pathfinder panel, and explore the options. Some options group the resulting paths, whereas others don't.

Option	Function
Unite	Combines paths of overlapping objects, creating an object with a single path, and applies the attributes and effects of the frontmost object to it.
Minus Front	Removes the front objects and subtracts the overlapping areas from the backmost object.
Intersect	Removes all the areas except the overlapping area in the frontmost object. Intersect doesn’t work if the objects have multiple, separate overlapping areas.
Exclude	Removes the overlapping areas of objects and applies the attributes and effects of the frontmost object to the result.
Divide	Splits objects into separate pieces based on their overlapping areas. Each overlapping area becomes a separate piece and inherits the attributes and effects of the frontmost object in that area.
Trim	Subtracts the overlapping areas from back objects, and removes the Stroke from all objects.
Merge	Combines the paths of overlapping objects that share the same Fill, Opacity, and effects, creating an object with a unified path, even if their Stroke attributes differ. The Stroke is removed from all objects. Any overlapping area involving dissimilar Fill, Opacity, or effects is subtracted from the back objects by the frontmost object in that area.
Crop	Uses the frontmost object as a mask and retains only the areas of the objects behind it that fall within its boundary.
Outline	Converts objects into outlines (paths without Stroke or Fill) that retain a trace of the original Fill. In each overlapping area, the outlines retain a trace of the Fill of the frontmost object in that area. This option is useful for preparing artwork that needs a Trap for overprinting objects.
Minus Back	Removes the back objects and subtracts the overlapping areas from the frontmost object.

Pathfinder panel menu

Select the Pathfinder panel menu to access more options.

Option	Function
Trap	Adds tiny overlaps (traps) between adjacent colored objects where gaps might occur in the printed output. This option is mainly used in legacy print workflows.
Repeat <Pathfinder option>	Reapplies the last used Pathfinder option to the current selection.
Pathfinder Options	Opens a dialog box to set these options: Precision: Controls how accurately the Pathfinder options calculate object paths. Higher precision produces more accurate results but may increase processing time. Remove Redundant Points: Removes unnecessary points from the result when you apply a Pathfinder option. Divide and Outline Will Remove Unpainted Artwork: Removes any unfilled objects from the result when you apply Divide or Outline.
Make Compound Shape	Converts the result of the Pathfinder option into a live, compound shape.
Release Compound Shape	Restores the objects to the state they were in before converting them into a compound shape.
Expand Compound Shape	Converts the live compound shape into a final, static vector shape.

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