Anyone figured out a way to zoom with scroll wheel in Illustrator yet?

[Guest]

I've been a photoshop user for many years & I'm just now making the jump to illustrator again. Photoshop has the option to zoom with only the scroll wheel & I've really gotten used to to that workflow. I find myself constantly trying to zoom in using only the scroll wheel in illustrator and its becoming a difficult task to retrain my brain to work this way. Can anyone shed light on a workaround or fix to this request?

[Mike_Gondek]

What platform are you on?

Does  Alt/option D & scroll wheel work for you?

[defaultcdv61cb96eru]

Yes that works - but whilst I thank you for it - to adobe I say what the hell were you thinking - hardly a quick key approach is it?

[Monika Gause]

You've probably noticed that this thread is an older one. So you might want to consider opening Preferences > General and turn on the option "Use scrollwheel for zoom"

[Garett2680730947wr]

I overlooked the setting enough times that I googled it.

For me the setting is called "Make Hand tool use mouse-wheel zooming"

on the General tab in Preferences

[defaultcdv61cb96eru]

Also Alt/option D hide and shows the Apps on the base of the Mac - what on earth - Adobe you are going to lose all of us (And I'm an advocate - for now)

[Monika Gause]

Also Alt/option D hide and shows the Apps on the base of the Mac -

By @defaultcdv61cb96eru

You mean the dock?

That would be Cmd+Alt+D

[S_Gans]

Hi, using a Mac with a recently upgraded GPU. In Preferences>GPU Performance, checked it on, and then checked Animated Zoom. Option+Scroll Wheel works perfectly for zoom in this configuration. I don't have access to my Windows installation right now, but perhaps that preference exists on that platform as well? If so, you'd then Alt+Scroll

[John Mensinger]

Yes, Alt_Scroll works here in Win7 and Win10.

[Mike_Gondek]

Just hold down the option key and  zoom scroll work on mac, does for me on Yosemite and 2015.3.

I think they got rid of that option under general in Photoshop. My Photoshop 2017 works with just the alt key down.

The animated zoom has nothing to do with the scroll wheel on your mouse.

If you need more help you really need to tell us what version you are on, as these keys is changing.

[Guest]

I'm on Windows 10. I understand that alt_scroll does the job, and it works just fine for me. But that is my issue, I was hoping there is a way to change that? I'd prefer not to have to press a keyboard button and be able to zoom in and out using only the scroll wheel. Similar to using a 3D modeling program. I work between many 3D programs & when i get to illustrator having to press alt & then zoom feels odd. Thanks for looking into this.

[S_Gans]

OH! That clarifies things! I'm afraid I can't come up with a way to do that as a user. I do know that some coders have altered some of the app's dependent files to alter the mouse behavior, but that's out of my purview. I have to imagine that the easy-zoom function exists in the programs you're used it is because they have a LOT of 3D capability. And, although Illustrator has some, it's not so much "about" that 3D work. So, I guess they assume that most users would want the scroll to work for the majority of 2D users, with the alternative of using Alt. I agree - it'd be very handy for users with your needs, to have the ability to turn that option on and off.

Seems like this request is a perfect feature request! If enough users back you with the request (I'd send one in, too), perhaps they'll add that as a preference setting for people who want it. The form is found at: Feature Request/Bug Report Form

[DePascalis]

S_Gans  wrote

I do know that some coders have altered some of the app's dependent files to alter the mouse behavior

With "dependent files", do you mean files not provided by Adobe?

Do you have an example on when this has been done, can you point to files that are modifiable without the source code? If you don't, do you know any of these "coders" that maybe could give a better answer to this? I would really appreciate if you could point me in the right direction.

[Monika Gause]

https://forums.adobe.com/people/De+Pascalis  schrieb

S_Gans   wrote

I do know that some coders have altered some of the app's dependent files to alter the mouse behavior

With "dependent files", do you mean files not provided by Adobe?

Do you have an example on when this has been done, can you point to files that are modifiable without the source code? If you don't, do you know any of these "coders" that maybe could give a better answer to this? I would really appreciate if you could point me in the right direction.

You've read answer number 11 in this thread, right?

[DePascalis]

https://forums.adobe.com/people/Monika+Gause  wrote

https://forums.adobe.com/people/De+Pascalis   schrieb

S_Gans    wrote

I do know that some coders have altered some of the app's dependent files to alter the mouse behavior

With "dependent files", do you mean files not provided by Adobe?

Do you have an example on when this has been done, can you point to files that are modifiable without the source code? If you don't, do you know any of these "coders" that maybe could give a better answer to this? I would really appreciate if you could point me in the right direction.

You've read answer number 11 in this thread, right?

Yes I've tried it but that AHKey configuration doesn't work well with my mouse (MX Master), I'm sure it could be tweaked for my setup. I've also tried X-Mouse Button Control by binding the scroll wheel to {ALT}{MWUP} and {ALT}{MWDN} which works better in my case.

I'm not satisfied though since I would like to use the Animated Zoom on my scroll wheel, Animated Zoom performs much much better with heavy files than the incremental zoom.

This zoom issue is something that has frustrated me for many years and I'm constantly revisiting the issue in search for a new solution.

However, the reason I asked was because S_Gans​ answer hinted that there are files that could be modified. I'm very much interested in taking a look at those files and perhaps tweak Illustrator further to my preference or in ways that isn't possible from settings within Illustrator.

[S_Gans]

As I mentioned - in my research, I read that others had done those adjustments. As I also mentioned, that's outside my purview - which means I don't code, nor is that something I can perform. I was simply stating that I had seen that others had done so, so it appears possible. I can't provide files - I have none. I used google and searched these forums, but I'm afraid I don't recall where I'd seen those posts, months ago.

[DePascalis]

Ok, thank you. I understood your original post, I was just hoping you might remember where you'd seen this. My search goes on

[honorm76400537]

"...when i get to illustrator having to press alt & then zoom feels odd."

I'd say it feels more than "odd", but I couldn't really describe how it feels without using profanity.

I use maybe have a dozen graphics programs every week, and maybe a dozen every month, and as far as I recall, every single one of them zooms with the scroll wheel... Except Illustrator, which I'm trying to learn - and which is pushing me to stick with CorelDraw with this one bizarre behavior...

[natureboymsBR]

Not sure why this isn't a basic option in Preferences. Going up and down on an artboard is useless to me. I don't use Illustrator for word processing, which is the only reason I can imagine where scrolling up and down is useful. Illustrator is graphics software, so zooming in and out with the scroll wheel makes way more sense. I use Inkscape at home, which does allow zooming with the scroll wheel.

[MichaelCluff]

I find this deeply frustrating. I often create graphics in AI to use in PowerPoint presentations. I have to remind myself to Alt-Scroll in AI and Ctrl-Scroll when I switch to PowerPoint. AAAAAARRRGGGH.

One neat workaround I just configured: bought a Logitech MX Ergo mouse, and I can tell the Logitech Options app to assign in AI the Page Forward mouse key to Alt. Then I can assign in PowerPoint the same button to Ctrl. Same gesture --> same action.

NOTE: using Logitech Options to assign "Zoom In" and "Zoom Out" to buttons won't work, because that actually maps to scroll left/right -- BECAUSE EVERY OTHER PROGRAM IN THE UNIVERSE SCROLLS IN/OUT with CTRL!

[deanreardon]

Why in the name of God would Adobe remove the ability to zoom by simply using the scroll wheel without having to press a key?! It is bad enough that in both photoshop and illustrator boot up initially without the ability to zoom using the scroll wheel alone and I have to hunt the internet in order to find out how to do it. Now they have taken that ability completely away in Illustrator.

Just about every paint/graphics program I have ever used in the last 25 years uses the darn scroll wheel to zoom!!!!!

I know Adobe has worked extremely hard to make their programs of the highest professional calibre. Yet they also seem to work extremely hard to make their programs the most confusing and cumbersome to use! I just don't get it!

[Strangedream]

I agree.  That is how I found myself on this forum in the first place.  I'm just sitting down to use illustrator for the first time in months and thought to myself about ten minutes in after hopelessly scrolling in vain a dozen times that they HAVE to have updated AI by now to allow for scrolling to zoom, but apparently not.  Sigh.

[dumbeau]

So here's a method that works for PC users, but Adobe really should just get an option for this.  Usually when there's a functionality problem that seems simple I usually assume Adobe doesn't implement them because 'business reasons', but this just doesn't make sense.

Here's the autohotkey script I made for Illustrator to add 'hand tool' with middle mouse button and effectively switches Alt+Scroll and regular scroll (and these mods only apply when illustrator is the focused window).  You can download the .exe here Illustrator_Scrolling_MMB.exe - Google Drive and run it when you open illustrator (close in system tray), or if you (reasonably) don't trust downloading some dude's random executable, just download autohotkey (https://autohotkey.com/), right-click on desktop and add new Autohotkey script, right-click and click 'Edit Script' and paste this code into the script.  Save it and run the script when you open illustrator.  You can close the program in your system tray.  If there are any issues let me know.

#SingleInstance ignore
#IfWinActive ahk_exe Illustrator.exe
{
;Switches Alt+Wheelup with Wheelup
Wheelup::
send !{Wheelup}
return
;Switches Alt+Wheeldown with Wheeldown
Wheeldown::
send !{Wheeldown}
return
;Middle Mouse Button activates hand tool dragging.
MButton::
Send, {Space down}{LButton down}
KeyWait, MButton
Send, {LButton up}{Space up}
Return
}

[honorm76400537]

"just download autohotkey right-click on desktop and add new Autohotkey script, right-click and click 'Edit Script' and paste this code into the script.  Save it and run the script when you open illustrator."

I can barely "code" CSS (I know how funny calling CSS "code" must be to people who can actually code) but I'm by golly gonna learn this. Thank you.

One question, though - you mean you have to run it every time you run/launch Illustrator?

[dumbeau]

"you mean you have to run it every time you run/launch Illustrator?"

If you don't have it set to start running the script on startup, then yes.

However if you create a shortcut to that script and place that shortcut in

C:\Users\"your username"\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Startup  folder (or run (Win+R) and type "shell:startup" to get to this folder) then the script should start when you log in.  You should see it running in your system tray.  The functions will only be active when illustrator is the active window (thus the #IfWinActive ahk_exe Illustrator on line 2) so you shouldn't have to worry about the Alt+scroll happening when you're in any other window.

  AutoHotKey is a great tool, and I definitely recommend learning it considering it is very easy to learn and immediately get use out of it, plus it has been around for a while so the forum has pretty much every question you could ask answered.  If you want functionality that isn't offered in any program, this is a to get what you want.

lol I haven't even touched CSS since high school so you got me on that.