Inspiring

Question

Freeform Gradients Missing or Causing Crashes After Latest Illustrator Update

Forum|Forum|4 months ago
May 25, 2026
6 replies
141 views

Since updating to the latest version of Illustrator (Regular version) I have not been able to use freeform gradients, I have a client document with multiple versions and use of freeform gradients within it and since the update either I don’t see any fill in the gradient or the app crashes altogether. i have installed a previous version of illustrator and the problem is fixed, I guess this post is just for anyone who is experiencing a similar issue and to flag it for adobe.

C

CAlyanak

Participating Frequently

This is now a problem spoken of on dozens of forums. This is no longer a reset preferences issue. Having this issue now, in the middle of a client project!

Harshika Verma

Community Manager

Hi CAlyanak,

We are sorry to hear you're experiencing a similar issue to the one mentioned in this thread. Would you mind telling us the version of Illustrator installed on your machine and the details of your operating system?

Is it possible for you to create a short video of the issue for better understanding? Does that happen with all files or with a specific file?

Please confirm if you have tried the steps suggested in this post.

We will make every effort to assist you further.

Thanks,

Harshika

C

CAlyanak

Participating Frequently

I’m on the latest version of everything, Illustrator, MacOS, etc. This said, there might be magic at play. It works now. It literally did not work for a week on four different documents, and now I just opened one, tried it and the gradient looks fine. If it dies again I will repost. Bizarre.

Harshika Verma

Community Manager

Hi Keegan35548218sbey

We wanted to follow up on your issue. Are you able to resolve the issue by following the suggestions shared? I tried replicating the issue, and the free-form gradient works for me.

Please share the details requested by Abhishek so we can assist you further.

Thanks,

Harshika

Abhishek Rao

Community Manager

Hi @Keegan35548218sbey,

Sorry to hear you’re experiencing this issue.

Adding to the expert suggestion, could you please confirm the exact Illustrator version and your operating system details? I tested this on my end but was unable to reproduce the same behavior so far.

In the meantime, please try disabling GPU Performance from Illustrator Preferences and check if that improves the behavior. You can also switch between GPU and CPU preview modes via:
View > Preview on GPU
View > Preview on CPU

Additionally, please update your GPU drivers directly from the Intel / NVIDIA / AMD website instead of relying only on system updates.

Could you also confirm whether this happens only with a particular file or with all files containing freeform gradients? It would help if you could test both:
creating a brand-new freeform gradient in the latest Illustrator version,
and opening older existing freeform gradient files.

I also checked for any submitted crash reports associated with your community email address but could not find any so far. If you see the Adobe Crash Reporter dialog when Illustrator crashes, please submit the crash report and share the email address used via DM so I can help check the logs further from our side.

Reference:
https://helpx.adobe.com/illustrator/kb/crash-next-steps.html?linkId=100000357094820

Looking forward to your update.
Abhishek

Monika Gause

Community Expert

I have tried with my own documents, but they work. Can you perhaps put one of the gradient objects (not the complete file) into a new document and share it?

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