Option
Last updated on
Sep 11, 2025
Use the Graphic Styles panel to apply and manage fills, strokes, effects, and transparency settings for objects, groups, and layers.
Graphic styles are reusable appearance attributes—such as fills, strokes, and effects—that you can apply to objects, groups, or layers using the Graphic Styles panel. These styles, when applied to a group or layer, cause all contained objects to adopt the same appearance attributes. To access the panel, select Window > Graphic Styles.
Note
If you apply a graphic style to a group or layer, but the style’s fill color doesn’t appear in the artwork, drag the Fill attribute from the Appearance panel.
Graphic Styles panel
The Graphic Styles panel lists a default set of graphic styles when you create a document. Styles that are saved with the active document appear in the panel when that document is open and active.
A. Graphic Styles Libraries Menu B. Break Link to Graphic Style C. New Graphic Style D. Delete Graphic Style E. Graphic Styles panel menu
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Function |
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Graphic Styles Libraries Menu |
Opens a list of preset graphic style libraries you can browse and add to your artwork. |
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Break Link to Graphic Style |
Detaches the selected object from the applied graphic style, making its appearance editable without updating the original style. |
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New Graphic Style |
Creates a new graphic style based on the current appearance of the selected object. |
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Delete Graphic Style |
Removes the selected graphic style from the panel. If the selected graphic style is applied to objects, they retain the appearance but lose the original style link. |
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Graphic Styles panel menu |
Opens a dropdown with additional options such as sorting, merging, preview settings, and more. |
To see any style more clearly, or to preview the style on a selected object, right-click and hold (Windows) or Control-click (macOS) the style’s thumbnail in the Graphic Styles panel. If a style has no fill or stroke, its thumbnail shows the object shape with a black outline, white fill, and a red slash to indicate the missing fill or stroke.
Graphic Styles panel menu
Select the Graphic Styles panel menu to access various options like sorting, merging, and preview views.
Use the Graphic Styles panel menu to manage style libraries, change preview types, and organize unused styles.
Option | Function |
New Graphic Style | Creates a new style from the selected object’s appearance. |
Duplicate Graphic Style | Creates a copy of the selected style in both the panel and artwork. |
Merge Graphic Styles | Combines multiple selected graphic styles from the panel. |
Delete Graphic Style | Deletes the selected graphic style from the panel. If applied to objects, they keep the appearance but remove the style link. |
Break Link to Graphic Style | Detaches the selected object from the original style in the panel. Allows independent editing. |
Select All Unused | Selects all styles in the panel that are not used in the current artwork. This is useful for cleaning up the panel. |
Sort by Name | Sorts the graphic styles alphabetically or numerically in the panel. |
Use Square for Preview | Shows each graphic style preview as a square swatch. |
Use Text for Preview | Shows each style preview using the Type tool symbol instead of a shape. This view provides a more accurate visual description for styles applied to text. |
Thumbnail View | Displays graphic styles as visual thumbnails, useful for quickly identifying appearance. |
Small List View | Shows styles in a compact list with names and small icons, useful for fitting more styles into the panel. |
Large List View | Displays styles in a larger list format with bigger icons and names for better readability. |
Override Character Color | Allows a new character color to override the one defined in the graphic style. |
Graphic Style Options | Rename a selected graphic style in the Style Name text box. |
Open Graphic Style Library | Opens predefined or custom style libraries. |
Save Graphic Style Library | Saves the current set of styles as a library. |
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