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Participant
Jan 5, 2025 8:32 PM UTC
Question

fill the background of a text box in illustrator

Hello,

 

I'm using the latest version of illustrator, and I can't find how to add a background color to a text box (not the text itself, but it's background). In previous versions there was a menubar at the top with all the possibilities and here i can't see anything like it.

I would appreciate your help. 

 

Thank you

8 replies

Kurt Gold
Community Expert
Community Expert
Jan 6, 2025 9:15 PM UTC
In previous versions there was a menubar at the top with all the possibilities and here i can't see anything like it.

 

You probably mean the Control panel (which can be turned on in the Window menu),  but in that panel there have never been controls for applying colours to only the paths of area type objects.

 

You are probably confusing it with InDesign.

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Participant
Jan 7, 2025 8:52 AM UTC

Thank you Kurt. I guess you are right and that I should be doing this specific thing in InDesign. 

 

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Ton Frederiks
Community Expert
Community Expert
Jan 5, 2025 8:52 PM UTC

Deselect the text box.

Use the Direct Selection Tool (A) to select the edge of the text box and give it a fill.

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Participant
Jan 5, 2025 9:05 PM UTC

thank you very much for your answer! it is realy hard though to select exactly the frame as I can't see it before selecting, is there a way to see it when hovering? 

in some of the text boxes I can't select it. 

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Ton Frederiks
Community Expert
Community Expert
Jan 5, 2025 9:32 PM UTC

Smart Guides help identifying the path. And it is visible in Outline View.

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