Before you can reshape or edit a path, you need to select the path’s anchor points, segments, or a combination of both.
Do any of the following:
- If you can see the points, you can click them with the Direct Selection tool
to select them. Shift-click to select multiple points.
- Select the Direct Selection tool and drag a boundary around the anchor points. Shift-drag around additional anchor points to select them.
- You can select anchor points from selected or unselected paths. Move the Direct Selection tool over the anchor point until the pointer displays a hollow square for unselected and filled square for selected paths in a magnified state, and then click the anchor point. Shift-click additional anchor points to select them.
- Select the Lasso tool, and drag around the anchor points. Shift-drag around additional anchor points to select them.
- Select the Direct Selection tool
and click within 2 pixels of the segment, or drag a marquee over part of the segment. Shift-click or Shift-drag around additional path segments to select them.
- Select the Lasso tool
, and drag around part of the path segment. Shift-drag around additional path segments to select them.
Select a path or segment using the Selection tool or Direct Selection tool, and do one of the following:
- Use the standard menu functions to copy and paste paths within or between apps.
- Press and hold Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS) and drag the path to the desired position, and then release the mouse button and Alt/Option key.
Adding anchor points can give you more control over a path, or it can extend an open path. However, it’s a good idea not to add more points than necessary. A path with fewer points is easier to edit, display, and print. You can reduce the complexity of a path by deleting unnecessary points. Adding and deleting anchor points works similarly in Adobe apps.
The Tools panel contains three tools for adding or deleting points: the Pen tool , the Add Anchor Point tool
, and the Delete Anchor Point tool
. In addition, you can use the Remove Selected Anchor Points button
in the Control panel.
By default, the Pen tool changes to the Add Anchor Point tool as you position it over a selected path, or to the Delete Anchor Point tool as you position it over an anchor point.
Note:
Don’t use the Delete and Backspace keys or the Edit > Cut and Edit > Clear commands to delete anchor points: these keys and commands delete the point and the line segments that connect to that point.
Stray anchor points are individual points that aren't connected to other anchor points. It's good practice to find and delete stray anchor points.
You can temporarily override or disable automatic switching to the Add Anchor Point tool or Delete Anchor Point tool.
To temporarily override switching, hold down Shift as you position the Pen tool over the selected path or an anchor point. This is useful when you want to start a new path on top of an existing path. To prevent Shift from constraining the Pen tool, release Shift before you release the mouse button.
To disable switching, choose Edit > Preferences > General (Windows) or Illustrator > Preferences > General (Mac OS), and select Disable Auto Add/Delete.
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Fidelity
Controls how far you have to move your mouse or stylus before Illustrator adds a new anchor point to the path. For example, a Fidelity value of 2.5 means that tool movements of less than 2.5 pixels aren’t registered. Fidelity can range from 0.5 to 20 pixels; the higher the value, the smoother and less complex the path.
Note:
You can get a smooth curve, while keeping the opposite curves intact. Select the Anchor Point tool, press Option/ Alt, and click on any of the handles to pair the opposite handles and make the point smooth.

A. Corner points have handles that are not paired B. Opposite handles are paired, resulting in a smooth curve
Simplifying a path removes extra anchor points without changing the shape of the path. Removing unnecessary anchor points simplifies your artwork, reducing the file size, and making it display and print faster.
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Curve Precision
Enter a value between 0% and 100% to set how closely the simplified path should follow the original path. A higher percentage creates more points and a closer fit. Any existing anchor points are ignored except for endpoints of a curve and corner points (unless you enter a value for Angle Threshold).
Angle Threshold
Enter a value between 0 and 180° to control the smoothness of corners. If the angle of a corner point is less than the angle threshold, the corner point is not changed. This option helps keep corners sharp, even if the value for Curve Precision is low.
You can convert the points on a path between corner and smooth points. Use options in the Control panel to quickly convert multiple anchor points. Use the Convert Anchor Point tool to choose to convert only one side of the point, and to precisely alter the curve as you convert the point.
To use the anchor point conversion options in the Control panel, select relevant anchor points only, not the entire object. If you select multiple objects, one of the objects must be only partially selected. When entire objects are selected, the Control panel options change to those that affect the entire object.
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Position the Convert Anchor Point tool over the anchor point you want to convert, and do one of the following:
Dragging a direction point out of a corner point to create a smooth point
Clicking a smooth point to create a corner point
To convert a smooth point to a corner point with independent direction lines, drag either direction point.
Converting a smooth point to a corner point
To convert a corner point without direction lines to a corner point with independent direction lines, first drag a direction point out of a corner point (making it a smooth point with direction lines). Release the mouse button only (don’t release any keys you may have pressed to activate the Convert Anchor Point tool), and then drag either direction point.
You can erase portions of your artwork
using the Path Eraser tool, the Eraser tool, or the eraser on a
Wacom stylus pen. The Path Eraser tool lets
you erase parts of a path by drawing along the path. This tool is
useful when you want to limit what you erase to a path segment,
such as one edge of a triangle. The Eraser tool
and
the eraser on a Wacom stylus pen let you erase any area of your artwork,
regardless of structure. You can use the Eraser tool on paths, compound paths,
paths inside Live Paint groups, and clipping paths.

When you flip a stylus pen, the Eraser Tool automatically becomes active. When you flip the stylus pen back over, the last active tool becomes active again.
- Turn over the stylus pen and drag across the area you want to erase. Press harder to increase the width of the erased path. (You may need to select the Pressure option in the Eraser Tool Options dialog box first.)
Note:
You can change the diameter at any time by pressing ] to enlarge or [ to reduce.
Angle
Determines the angle of rotation for the tool. Drag the arrowhead in the preview, or enter a value in the Angle text box.
Roundness
Determines roundness of the tool. Drag a black dot in the preview away from or toward the center, or enter a value in the Roundness text box. The higher the value, the greater the roundness.
Diameter
Determines the diameter of the tool. Use the Diameter slider, or enter a value in the Diameter text box.
The pop‑up list to the right of each option lets you control variations in the shape of the tool. Select one of the following options:
Random
Uses random variations in angle, roundness, or diameter. Enter a value in the Variation text box to specify the range within which the brush characteristic can vary. For example, when the Diameter value is 15 and the Variation value is 5, the diameter can be 10, or 20, or any value in between.
Pressure
Varies in angle, roundness, or diameter based on the pressure of a drawing stylus. This option is most useful when used with Diameter. It is available only if you have a graphics tablet. Enter a value in the Variation text box to specify how much more or less the original value the brush characteristic will vary. For example, when the Roundness value is 75% and the Variation value is 25%, the lightest stroke is 50% and the heaviest stroke is 100%. The lighter the pressure, the more angular the brush stroke.
Tilt
Varies in angle, roundness, or diameter based on the tilt of a drawing stylus. This option is most useful when used with Roundness. It is available only if you have a graphics tablet that can detect the direction in which the pen is tilted.
Bearing
Varies in angle, roundness, or diameter based on the pressure of a drawing stylus. This option is most useful when used to control the angle of calligraphic brushes, especially when you’re using the brush like a paintbrush. It is available only if you have a graphics tablet that can detect how close to vertical the pen is.
Rotation
Varies in angle, roundness, or diameter based on how the drawing stylus pen tip is rotated. This option is most useful when used to control the angle of calligraphic brushes, especially when you’re using the brush like a flat pen. It is available only if you have a graphics tablet that can detect this type of rotation.
You can split a path at any anchor point or along any segment. When you split a path, keep the following in mind:
If you want to split a closed path into two open paths, you must slice in two places along the path. If you slice a closed path only once, you get a single path with a gap in it.
Any paths resulting from a split inherit the path settings of the original path, such as stroke weight and fill color. Stroke alignment is automatically reset to center.
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- Select the Scissors tool and click the path where you want to split it. When you split the path in the middle of a segment, the two new endpoints appear on top of the other, and one endpoint is selected.
- Select the Knife tool and drag the pointer over the object. The cuts created using the Knife tool appear as strokes on the object.
- Select the anchor point where you want to split the path, and then click the Cut Path At Selected Anchor Points button
in the Control panel. When you split the path at an anchor point, a new anchor point appears on top of the original anchor point, and one anchor point is selected.
For details, see Cut, divide, and trim objects.