Open Illustrator.
Last updated on
5 Aug 2026
Learn how to customize and save your app settings in Adobe Illustrator, including display preferences, file-saving options, and performance settings.
From the Illustrator main menu, select:
- macOS: Illustrator > Preferences > [preference category]
- Windows: Edit > Preferences > [preference category]
You can also select the Preferences option in the Control panel.
In the Preferences dialog box, select a category and adjust the settings as needed.
You can switch between multiple categories before saving.
Select OK to save the changes.
To reset all preferences, select General > Reset Preferences > OK.
Quickly find any setting using the Search Preferences bar.
Use Cmd + K (macOS) or Ctrl + K (Windows) to open the Preferences dialog box.
The Preferences dialog box opens with the Search Preferences bar already active, so you can start typing right away. Use Cmd + F (macOS) or Ctrl + F (Windows) to jump back to it anytime.
Press Enter or choose See all results to view all matches. Select an option to navigate to its corresponding section.
Illustrator organizes preferences into the following categories:
- General: Configure general application behavior and default settings, such as keyboard increment, constrain angle, and corner radius.
- Selection & Anchor Display: Customize object selection behavior and the appearance of anchor points and handles.
- Type: Configure text and font-related settings.
- Units: Set measurement units for general use, stroke, and type.
- Guides & Grid: Customize the color and style of guides and the document grid.
- Smart Guides: Configure Smart Guides behavior, including alignment guides and object highlighting.
- Slices: Customize slice line color and number display for web graphics.
- Hyphenation: Set the default hyphenation dictionary for text.
- Plug-ins & Scratch Disks: Manage additional plug-ins folders and scratch disk allocation for temporary storage.
- User Interface: Customize the appearance of the Illustrator interface, including brightness and canvas color.
- Performance: Optimize GPU performance, memory usage, and history states.
- File Handling: Configure file-saving behavior, recovery, and legacy file compatibility.
- Clipboard Handling: Set how artwork is copied to the system clipboard.
- Appearance of Black: Control how black is displayed and printed on RGB devices.
- Devices: Manage connected devices, such as Wacom tablets or the Microsoft Surface Dial.
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