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dunazee
Known Participant
August 20, 2025
Question

Why won't my color swatches in palette stay in the order I put them?

  • August 20, 2025
  • 1 reply
  • 210 views

Hey folks. SOMETIMES, when I try to rearrange the colors in my swatch palette, they don't stay where I put them (in list view). It seems intermittent, so I think it could be some settings on my side. I tried to do a screen recording and it worked as it should, which reinforces that it's probably operator error. I just can't pinpoint the settings that need to be turned on or off... 

1 reply

Abhishek Rao
Community Manager
Abhishek RaoCommunity Manager
Community Manager
August 20, 2025

Hi @dunazee,

Thanks for sharing the details. If the panel is set to Sort by Name, it will automatically reorder swatches alphabetically. This can sometimes seem inconsistent if you usually sort them manually.

Please check that the panel is in List View and not set to sort automatically. If the issue persists even with sorting off, could you share screenshots of the panel when it’s displaying correctly (like now) and when it's displaying incorrectly? Also, please let me know your OS and Illustrator version.


Looking forward to your update!
Abhishek

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    dunazeeAuthor
    Known Participant
    August 25, 2025

    I'm assuming operator error here, but usually when I sort by name, I can then go back and drag to sort. Sort by name doesn't stay active. There's no check mark next to it. Usually I use it to get things in a rough order and then I can drag them around... 

     

    Anyway, next time it happens I'll record it. 

     

    Ai 29.7.1, MacOS 15.6.1. 

     

    Thanks! 

    Abhishek Rao
    Community Manager
    Abhishek RaoCommunity Manager
    Community Manager
    August 26, 2025

    Hi @dunazee,

     

    Thanks for confirming the details. A quick test you could try is to create a new document profile, add a few swatches, and then see if the manual order stays consistent there. If it does, the issue may be tied to your current document profile. I will wait to hear back with a recording to take it further. 

    Let me know how it goes once you try this out.

     

    Best,
    Abhishek

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