How do I reduce Working Panel Width???

[All Things Creative]

For the life of me I can't narrow AI's work panels. Its like its frozen. I'm working in Essentials Workspace.

I will attach a screenshot as the first set of panels is ridiculosly wide and the only option it allows is to collapse. I don't recall having this problem before... super annoying my entire window is being taken up by panel width.

Thank you in advance!

[Bobby Henderson]

Are you clicking the small double arrows at the top of the palettes? Those will collapse the panels into vertical rows of icons. You can also change from the default Essentials workspace to another kind of workspace by going to the Window menu and selecting the Workspace fly-out menu. Workspaces can be modified to varying degrees too.

[All Things Creative]

'Collapsing the panels' isn't the problem.

Being able to click on the panel itself so you can adjust the width is where the problem is. Ive tried different workspaces and I cannot get that first set of panels to be narrower no matter what.

[John Mensinger]

Most of the panels have a minimum width, and you can't make them narrower. That is, the layout of the fields on a given panel is static, and doesn't "reflow" to allow narrowing past the smallest width that accommodates the layout.

When you have a stack of docked panels, the whole stack is subject to the minimum width of the panel with the largest minimum width.

[shaned817 · Accepted solution]

I just had the same issue. Pull the individual groups of tabs (characters / paragraph) (swatches / color / gradient) out of the stack and then put them back together one group at a time. I did this initially to try to find the culprit – which was the widest. I didn't notice any tab being forced at that larger width, they all seemed to be more narrow when pulled apart. 

But here is the fix: Drag each little group over the left and let it float. Then close out any individual tabs that you don't use (for me it was things like "CC Libaries", "Comments"). Then start putting the tab groups back together in a stack, one group at a time. To do this you drag them each over until you see a blue overlay line. First you'll see a vertical blue line to attach the first group in a stack next to the far right stack ("Properties" for you). Then as you drag the next groups you'll see a little horizontal line to nest them under one another. You should notice by now the stack is back to its standard narrower width. Good luck!

[jacks59596921]

That fixed it - thank you! Now I have to try to remember the next time :0)

[MimiF · Accepted solution]

you can make a custom workspace so you dont have to rearrange things so many times: when you have everything the way you want it to be, go to window>workspace>new workspace, name it and you got your custom worspace🙂