Select the object, group, or target the layer in the Layers panel that has the appearance you want to copy.
Last updated on
Oct 30, 2026
Use dragging techniques or the Eyedropper tool to transfer fills, strokes, effects, and transparency between objects.
Copying appearance attributes lets you quickly apply the same visual styling across multiple objects without manually recreating fills, strokes, effects, and transparency settings.
Use these methods when you want to match the appearance of existing artwork rather than building attributes from scratch. This approach works for any combination of fills, strokes, effects, and transparency applied to objects, groups, or layers.
Copy attributes by dragging from the Appearance panel
Select Window > Appearance to open the Appearance panel if it's not visible.
Drag the thumbnail from the top of the Appearance panel onto the target object in the document window.
Note
If the thumbnail doesn't appear at the top of the Appearance panel, select Show Thumbnail from the panel menu.
Copy or move attributes using the Layers panel
In the Layers panel, locate the item that has the appearance attributes you want to copy.
Hold Alt (Windows) or Option (macOS) and drag the target icon from the source item onto the target item to copy the attributes.
To move attributes instead of copying them, drag the target icon without holding modifier keys.
Tip
Moving attributes transfers all appearance properties from the source to the target and removes them from the source object.
Copy all attributes with the Eyedropper tool
Select the object, type object, or individual characters whose attributes you want to change.
Select the Eyedropper tool from the toolbar or press I.
Move the Eyedropper tool over the object whose attributes you want to sample.
Click to sample and apply all appearance attributes to the selected object.
Note
When positioned over text, the Eyedropper tool displays a small T to indicate it will sample text attributes.
Sample color only from gradient or pattern elements
Select the object whose fill or stroke color you want to change.
Select the Eyedropper tool.
Shift-click a portion of a gradient, pattern, mesh object, or placed image to sample only the color at that point.
The sampled color applies to whichever attribute is currently active in the Tools panel—either the fill or stroke.
Add sampled attributes to existing appearance
Select the object that already has appearance attributes you want to preserve.
Select the Eyedropper tool.
Click the object you want to sample from, then immediately hold Shift + Alt (Windows) or Shift + Option (macOS).
This additive sampling method combines the source object's attributes with the target object's existing appearance rather than replacing them.
Tip
You can also hold Shift + Alt (Windows) or Shift + Option (macOS) before clicking to add attributes in a single action.
Sample color from outside Illustrator
Select the object whose color you want to change.
Select the Eyedropper tool.
Click anywhere in the document window and hold down the mouse button.
Without releasing the mouse button, move the pointer over any color on your desktop.
Release the mouse button when positioned over the desired color.
Note
The Eyedropper tool displays a small black square when sampling RGB color from outside the current document. This method only captures RGB values, not other appearance attributes.
Configure Eyedropper sampling options
Double-click the Eyedropper tool in the toolbar.
In the Eyedropper Options dialog box, select which attributes you want the tool to sample and apply.
Select the desired sample size from the Raster Sample Size menu to control the color sampling area.
Select OK to save your preferences.
Available attribute categories include appearance properties like fill and stroke, transparency settings, character formatting for text, and paragraph properties. Customize these settings to streamline your workflow when you frequently copy specific attribute types.
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