Apply stroke color, width, and alignment

Last updated on Oct 25, 2026

Learn how to modify stroke appearance and configure caps and joins in Adobe Illustrator.

Strokes define the visible outline of paths and objects in your artwork.

You can apply stroke properties to entire objects or individual edges in Live Paint groups. For closed paths, you can control how the stroke aligns to the path edge.

Select stroke color and properties

Select the object or use the Live Paint Selection tool to select an edge within a Live Paint group.

Select the Stroke box in the toolbar, Color panel, or Control panel.

If you want to use the current color in the Stroke box, you can simply drag the color from the Stroke box onto the object. Dragging does not work on Live Paint groups.

This is a Stroke box. If you want to use the current color in the Stroke box, you can simply drag the color from the Stroke box onto the object. Dragging does not work on Live Paint groups.

Choose a color from the Color panel, select a swatch from the Swatches panel, or double-click the Stroke box to open the Color Picker.

Select Window > Stroke to open the Stroke panel.

Enter or select a stroke weight value in the Stroke panel or Control panel.

Configure stroke alignment

For closed paths that are not Live Paint groups, you can control stroke alignment to position the stroke relative to the path edge.

Select a closed path object.

In the Stroke panel, select one of the alignment options: Align Stroke to Center, Align Stroke to Inside, or Align Stroke to Outside.

Note

In web documents, the Align Stroke to Inside applies by default. Earlier versions of Adobe Illustrator applied Align Stroke to Center by default. When aligning paths with different stroke alignments, ensure alignment settings match for precise edge alignment.

Adjust caps and joins

Caps control the appearance of open-path endpoints. Joins define how stroke corners appear at path changes.

Set cap and join styles

Select the object.

In the Stroke panel, select Show Options from the panel menu if the cap and join options aren't visible.

Select a cap option: Butt Cap creates squared ends, Round Cap creates semicircular ends, or Projecting Cap extends squared ends beyond the path by half the stroke weight.

Select a join option: Miter Join creates pointed corners, Round Join creates rounded corners, or Bevel Join creates squared corners.

For Miter Join, enter a miter limit value between 1 and 500 to control when the program switches from a mitered to a bevelled join. The default value of 10 means the join switches to beveled when the point length reaches ten times the stroke weight.

The miter limit prevents excessively long points at sharp angles.

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