How do I disable the diagonal axis while shift-moving?

Question

Hello!When I'm trying to do a shift-move to lock into a horizontal or vertical axis, I often get stuck in the diagonal or it jumps into the diagonal axis right away. Is there a way to toggle the diagonal axis on or off, or potentially another keypress that limits the shift-move to horizontal/vertical only? I would really appreciate the help. This is one of those things that is mostly a non-issue, but every now and again, it feels insanely frustrating.

creative explorer · Answer

@M.England you could try a couple of things, which I normally do. While Smart Guides don't prevent the diagonal shift, they can help you visually confirm when you are moving precisely horizontally or vertically. When Smart Guides are on, you'll see magenta lines indicating alignment with other objects or the artboard edges as you drag, which can reinforce your intended direction. Then I Start the Drag Before Holding Shift (Probably the Most Effective Workaround)

Click and start dragging your object in the desired horizontal or vertical direction (even just a tiny bit).
Then, while still dragging, hold down the Shift key.
This tells Illustrator your primary intention (horizontal/vertical) before you apply the constraint, and it will lock into that axis much more reliably.

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