text appearing outside of box and moving objects with it

[Simon5CE7]

Hello.

I've been experiencing an issue in the latest release of Adobe Illustrator (29.8.1). After creating artwork in the centre of the canvas and inlcuding text boxes I've encountered an error where the text moves outside of the box diagonally and moves the other objects with it. If I click on the text the text box is selected, but in its original position. It's only after resizing the text box that the text itself reverts back to appearing in the box. This has been an issue before, in earlier version, but this is now moving non-text objects away from their original position. I've had to correct two artworks that have had this error already. The only trigger I can think of is when the artwork is saved under a new filename after being created - for a duplicate file as an example. Please see the screenshots below for further context.

[Anubhav M]

Hello everyone,

The product team has asked for more details. Can you check if this happens with specific files, and if yes, share a link to a sample file after uploading it to a file-sharing service, so we can check it on our end?

Note: When sharing the file, kindly make the link public and enable the option to Save a Copy/Download (if any).

Looking forward to hearing from you.

Anubhav

[Valerie26516055wtum]

I've found it to be random. The first file it happened with, that file started out at 19.6MB. I closed it, opened the job up later in the day and the graphics were everywhere and the file size had jumped to 956.7MB!

I assumed it was just an issue with that job, so a couple of days later I was working on a job for a different brand, so different logos, colours, fonts etc., and the same thing happened again. 

I've since tried starting a couple of test files to see if this happens every time I use Illustrator, but those files are still fine. So none of it makes much sense I'm afraid. 

[AriForpa_39646958]

I have made alot of tests with many different files. The problem is very random. It happenned with a single artboard file with only one simple object. It also did it with a multiple artboard file. It's really annoying. I cannot save on the cloud as a solution unfortunetly because the company I work for forbids it.

Thank you for finding a solution quickly.

[Robert Dabi]

I hope you received the file I sent you by email. For me it's random too, other projects are still fine. 

What I also noticed is that the centerpoints of some elements are way off the canvas when I select everything. see image. Not sure if it has something to do with this..

[Harry_Aitch]

Thanks for following this up. Sadly I can't share the project files or even a screenshot as the project I'm working on has an NDA.

To explain the issue I had created a project with multiple artboards contain a variety of elements such vector artwork for logo designs, imbedded images which were masked into shapes and a variety of typography particularly large chunks of lorem ipsum text in text boxes to contain within dummy layouts. Having worked on this on Saturday and expedited a lot of work across the multiple artboards and exported each for a presentation when I opened the project the following day pretty much most elements had moved onto other artboards and even of the pasteboard area. It was a mess. 

Thinking that perhaps I'd saved the file late on Saturday night and my cat sat on my laptop when I wasn't looking I started to tidy and rebuild the project. Saved it and then closed it but when I reopened the AI document it was a complete mess again. At a snapshot view it was messed up as if another cat had sat on my laptop!

As my project was quite critical, hence working Saturday and Sunday I didn't have time to rebuild it again but a quick internet such for similar Illustrator issies I came across this thread on the forum. As a kind of work around I took out individual elements from the original project and created singular artboard AI files to continue working. I also switched off Automatically Save Cloud Documents in preferences and since then I haven't had a repeat of the initial issue. I'm too afraid to build a large multiple artboard document at the moment incase the issue happens again. 

[ppppppppgonzaga]

For now, I had this issue in only one file that exceptionally wasn't in any cloud, but I always work with dropbox — In the occasion, I reorganized the same file again, and as I oppened it now to send it to you as a reference, it was also messy, yet in a different way. I'm working on an apple macbook pro m4, 14", 16gb, OS 15.6.1, Illustrator v 29.8.1.
I'm attaching the .ai files and the .png files are for reference, that's how the art boards should look like.

[ I can also add that this file was handled in a stressful situation in which I was angry with with one random person that shouldn't have a say, but instead was imposing a lot of changes in the art, so a looot of exports had occured and bad energy was thriving in the game 🤪 ]

original file (still looks ok):
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/8wepce3tjmii8comldnrs/convite_mail_whatsapp.ai?rlkey=cqmgp2g0dg5lxjlz...

first messy version (was uploaded to google drive and downloaded before edited):
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/5y94shtlo9zbf7v2mtxwi/convite_mail_whatsapp-x.ai?rlkey=zpw7sjb6co3qeg...

rebuilt version (also messy): 
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/n5as6cpsqfahr9iumgjka/convitel_whatsapp-REFEITO.ai?rlkey=wx6aaljwky1q...

[lisa22434138egsk]

Hello,

I've had this issue occur with both old and new files—it's completely random. I've had to redo all the projects I've been working on. The only workaround I’ve found is to save the file frequently as I go, and once I finish the project, I do a final save. Before closing the file, I also save a new copy as an editable PDF using Illustrator's default settings.

If I need to revisit the file later, I reopen the PDF in Illustrator as if it were a standard .ai file and continue working from that, especially if the original file has shifted everything off the artboard (or multiple artboards). It doesn't seem to matter whether the file has a single artboard or multiple—this issue still happens.

The problem doesn’t affect any of my colleagues’ files, but it has happened to files I’ve edited that were originally created by one of my colleagues. I usually save my files to my desktop and transfer them to a work server after the job is finished.
I can't share any files from work as it's prohibited.

[carol-anne_6307]

I have the same probleme and I work doing panels for towns, it's really annoying and it change all my work.

[Trish24990038q3lo]

I am also having this issue. It seems to happen when I adjust my artboards in anyway ie: add, move.

The file looks fine when I save it, but when I re-open it many of the items have shifted or disappeard completely.

There does not seem to be any consistancy in what moves or shifts.

It has happened multiple time on completely different files / clients.

See upload - the purple is just to mask out the client.

[manef85]

I am having the same issue, also seeing it with linked files being cut off. Added a file into a new artboard and it was cut off. I also added linked files and saved, and later we didnt noticed till it was printed that the art was shifted and some cut off. 

[Giugni32021381bkrq]

other people with the same issue:

https://community.adobe.com/t5/illustrator-discussions/text-appearing-outside-of-box-and-moving-obje...

[Anne_member2399]

I'm also having the same problem, on and off since the beginning of September 25.  I'm saving locally to the PC I'm working on, however, I have to remote in to access the PC.  (I work from home, but my PC is in the office, so remote in via a laptop using Guacamole)

Most times I create a figure, and it's done, saved and closed, when I reopen it again a lot of the elements, even those on locked layers have jumped off the artboard. Not in a uniform way either. (So it's not as easy as selecting all the shifted elements in one go, and moving them back). Grouped objects (ie key elements, scale bars) have their text elements shoot off to the right, part of the insets shoot up to the top-right, and the border and co-ordinate ticks shoot off right, but leave their text in the correct place! even the guides shoot off to the right, but only  the verticals, the horizontals stay where they should be. Has anyone else been experiencing this problem?  I think it's only been happening since I added the GIS convertor plugin, but it didn't start straight away, or soon enough for me to directly think it is the cause.....  In the attached image the artboard is on the left, and I added a white background to show the shifted elements

 

[Anne_member2399]

I'm using Illustrator 29.8.2

[Alexandria22164384d0qk]

This has also happened to me. I do save on a synced cloud drive, but it only happens to some files and it doesn't show the corruption in the finder preview window. Even items that are grouped are separated and moved off the artboard. I don't see any logic with clipping masks or type, it's just chaos. It just started happening a few days ago. Also, the ruler does not line up to an artboard when selected (ie. top left corner is not at 0,0). 

[beatriz_8819]

Hola, También me ha pasado con un archivo en el que estaba trabajando. Hasta anteayer no había tenido ningún problema. Pero hoy, estaba todo fuera de su sitio. En la vista previa se ve bien y cuando lo abres está todo movido y desordenado sin ninguna coherencia.

[defaultq3vqqojbajc2]

The same has happened to me today. Produced the artwork, saved, re-opened it and it had all moved to the left? Now have to re-do all the artwork. An imminent fix for this would be useful as I don't want to start working on any further artwork. I was using 29.8.1 version. Just updated to 29.8.2 same issue.

[nichola_2890]

I have gone back to 29.7.1 and its fixed the issue

[Anne_member2399]

Do you mean it has fixed the problem from further occurances, or that it corrected the previously corrupt files?

Anne

[nichola_2890]

only that is stops it happening again, corrupt files have had to be sorted manually. 

[LauriePony]

Hello,

I have been working in Illustartor for years doing very similar projects and have never seen this happen. It has happened twice in the past week with two different projects…

- I work on a file and export the artboards to JPG or GIF

- When I open the file a couple days later everything is moved all around in random places

- I went into time machine to find the first version of the file and it is scambled like that too, even though it was fine the day before

Attached are the exported images and the state of the artboards after being scrambled.

Thanks! Laurie

[Abhishek Rao]

Hi @LauriePony,

Thanks for bringing this up. Scrambled artboards after reopening a file definitely isn't expected behavior. Could you please confirm which version of Illustrator and which operating system you're working on? It would also help to know if this happens with all files or only these specific projects. As a quick test, try saving a copy of your file under a new name and reopen it to see if the layout stays intact. Also, check if the issue persists after resetting Illustrator preferences once you've created a backup: https://adobe.ly/3VKdVfW.

Looking forward to your update.

Abhishek

[LauriePony]

Hi Abhishek,

Thanks for your quick reply!

- I am currently using Illustrator CC 28.8.2 on an iMac running Sonoma 14.7.1, I updated the Illustrator version after this happened, so I don’t know what version was running before that update.

- No, it has only happened with 2 files so far.

- I just saved it under a different name and it still happened.

- I reset the preferences, restarted Illustrator and opened the files and they are still scrambled.

Thanks so much, Laurie

[kath@plaindesign]

This issue is happening to me also (v 29.8.2 on imac running macOS Sequoia 15.6.1). I find if I open the corrupted file, select the problem assets, move them, then undo, it corrects itself. It is an issue though that needs fixing.

In addtion, when selecting assets for export (export selected), we have lost most of our export options (e.g. PNG), we only have PNG 8 available and when we use this and select 'transparent' background it still exports with a white background.

[cornel_hecht]

In my Illustrator document, all the text layers (even hidden ones) are suddenly shifted. Has anyone encountered this problem before?

Many thanks, Cornel

[cornel_hecht]

So, I think it's a problem with the bounding box of the text element: If I move the text back to the correct position, the coordinates are no longer correct. Can I reset the bounding box?