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A
Anonymous
February 3, 2011
Answered

Maximum canvas size in Illustrator

  • February 3, 2011
  • 4 replies
  • 68402 views

Im trying to expand the drawing area in Illustrator CS5, an I cant how can I do this?

    Correct answer Larry G. Schneider

    The maximum area allowed for use by AI is approximately 227 inches square. There is no way to increase this. If you need a larger work area, you will need to work at scale.

    4 replies

    Ton Frederiks
    Community Expert
    Ton FrederiksCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    April 5, 2026

    ​@Herah there is a way to use a larger canvas than the 227 inch limit from 15 years ago, see:

    https://helpx.adobe.com/illustrator/desktop/add-and-import-files/start-a-new-file/create-files-on-large-canvases.html

    Herah
    Herah
    Participant
    April 3, 2026

    I really don’t see why this is still a topic. I know that Adobe has performance issues but infinite, or at least very large drawing area in today’s tech capabilities shouldn’t even be questionable.

    Copy the behaviour from Figma! They have a very large drawing area where you put your frames/artboards, and you can organise them into sections.

    Example: When I design a brand identity I make hundreds of examples, inspirations, writing and a lot of testing on web sizes, mobile screens etc. I want to have all in one file to be able to track changes and progress.

     

    Anubhav M
    Community Manager
    Anubhav MCommunity Manager
    Community Manager
    April 3, 2026

    Hello ​@Herah 

     

    Thanks for reaching out. I understand that this functionality is important to you. Would you mind creating a UserVoice for this feature request (https://illustrator.uservoice.com/) and adding your comments there? Doing this will help us prioritize this request, and you will be notified of any updates.
     
    Feel free to reach out if you have more questions or need assistance. We'd be happy to help.
    Anubhav

    H
    happybana0
    Participating Frequently
    March 3, 2016

    Why is this still a thing? I don't like designing to scale - it's very imprecise and can result in things being off when they go to print. any plans to expand or remove the limits of the drawing area? It is not exactly a rare use case to create billboards and wall graphics.

      C
      colleeng12407492
      Participant
      June 1, 2016

      Another reason for wanting this area to be managable is so a person can have multiple art boards. I need, or may I say want, more!

      Oh well! 

        Larry G. Schneider
        Community Expert
        Larry G. SchneiderCommunity ExpertCorrect answer
        Community Expert
        February 3, 2011

        The maximum area allowed for use by AI is approximately 227 inches square. There is no way to increase this. If you need a larger work area, you will need to work at scale.

        A
        Anonymous
        February 3, 2011

        Ok thanks Larry for your help.

        Greetings

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