Back up your preferences if you want to restore custom workspaces, keyboard shortcuts, and other personalized settings.
Last updated on
Oct 22, 2026
Learn how to resolve crashes, slow performance, and interface issues in the Adobe Illustrator by resetting or removing corrupted preference files.
Corrupted preference files can cause Illustrator to run slowly or freeze, crash during launch or while opening files, display missing or misplaced interface elements, fail to load plug-ins, behave unexpectedly, or stop responding to keyboard shortcuts. Try the remedies below in order, starting with the simplest option.
Corrupted preferences affect Illustrator, but the app still opens
Reset preferences from the application menu.
Select Illustrator > Preferences > General (macOS) or Edit > Preferences > General (Windows).
Select Reset Preferences, select OK, and restart Illustrator.
Illustrator creates new default preference files. Check whether the issue is resolved.
Corrupted preferences prevent Illustrator from launching normally
Reset preferences with a keyboard shortcut.
Quit Illustrator.
Press and hold Option + Command + Shift (macOS) or Alt + Ctrl + Shift (Windows).
Launch Illustrator while holding the keys.
Release the keys when prompted, and select Yes.
Illustrator resets your preferences and launches with default settings.
Resetting preferences in Illustrator does not resolve the issue
Move the preference folders out of their current locations so Illustrator can create new ones.
macOS
Open ~/Library/Preferences/Adobe Illustrator <version> Settings.
Move the Adobe Illustrator <version> Settings folder to your desktop.
Open ~/Library/Application Support/Adobe/Adobe Illustrator.
Move the Adobe Illustrator folder to your desktop, and restart Illustrator.
Windows
Press Windows + R to open the Run dialog box.
Type %appdata%\Adobe and press Enter.
Move the Adobe Illustrator <version> Settings folder to your desktop.
Restart Illustrator.
Illustrator creates new preference files when it restarts. If the issue is resolved, you can delete the folders from your desktop.
Restricted folder permissions prevent you from deleting preference files
Update folder permissions, and then repeat the manual deletion procedure.
macOS
Open ~/Library/Preferences/ in Finder.
Control-click the folder and select Get Info.
If the folder is locked, select the lock icon and enter administrator credentials.
Under Sharing & Permissions, select your user name and set Privilege to Read & Write.
Apply the permission change to enclosed items if prompted, then select the lock icon to save the change.
Repeat these steps for ~/Library/Application Support/Adobe/.
Return to the manual deletion procedure above and move the preference folders to your desktop.
Windows
Press Windows + R, type %appdata%\Adobe, and press Enter.
Right-click the Adobe Illustrator <version> Settings folder and select Properties.
Select Security > Edit, select your user name, and clear the Deny check box for the required permission.
Select OK twice, then return to the manual deletion procedure above.
After updating permissions, you can try deleting the corrupted preference folders again.
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