Graphic Styles panel overview

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.

The Graphic Styles panel displays the following options: Graphic Styles Libraries Menu, Break Link to Graphic Style, New Graphic Style, Delete Graphic Style, and Graphic Styles panel menu and highlights one of the selected Graphic Styles.
Create, apply, and manage graphic styles.

A. Graphic Styles Libraries Menu B. Break Link to Graphic Style C. New Graphic Style D. Delete Graphic Style E. Graphic Styles panel menu

Option

Function

Graphic Styles Libraries Menu

Opens a list of preset graphic style libraries you can browse and add to your artwork.

Break Link to Graphic Style

Detaches the selected object from the applied graphic style, making its appearance editable without updating the original style.

New Graphic Style

Creates a new graphic style based on the current appearance of the selected object.

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.

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.

The Graphic Styles panel displays a highlighted style that has no fill or stroke, along with other available styles.
Identify a graphic style with no fill or stroke in the Graphic Styles panel.

Graphic Styles panel menu

Select the Graphic Styles panel menu to access various options like sorting, merging, and preview views.

The Graphic Styles panel menu displays additional style management options.

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.