Huge lag in the latest version of Adobe Illustrator (2024)

[Claudiu34189224e7os]

I am experiencing huge lag, very slow responce of Adobe Illustrator lately.
I mean it even reaches 3+ seconds between each click, along with interface glitches and some weird errors.

When I say weird errors one example is typing "290" in the Y field from the Transform window and after pressing Enter the number is 260.

I tried every solution I found on the internet: resetting preferences, disabling animated zoom, file handling settings, scratch disks, page file settings, uninstall and clean install, etc.
Nothing works... I'm very late on my assignments.

The only solution I found was to return to version 2.9.3
This one lacks AI and it is possible that other versions before 28.4 will perform well, but I can't afford to waste more time testing. For the moment this is the solution to continue and speed up my work.

I have Windows 11 Pro with:
- AMD Ryzen 7 2700X, 3700Mhz
- 48GB RAM
- NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 8GB GDDR5 256-bit
- SSD M.2 for OS and SSD SATA-III for projects

[Mohammad.Harb]

Did you check if your graphic card driver is updated to the most recent version?

[Claudiu34189224e7os]

OS and all drivers are up to date.

[Anubhav M]

Hello @Claudiu34189224e7os,

We understand that encountering technical issues can be frustrating. Would you mind trying the suggestions shared in this help article (https://helpx.adobe.com/illustrator/kb/optimize-illustrator-performance.html) to check if they help? Also, try performing a clean reinstallation of the GPU drivers (Intel / NVIDIA / AMD) and setting the Graphics Preference to High-Performance for Illustrator (https://adobe.ly/3UcjW3I) and share your observations.

If the problem persists, kindly try to run Illustrator under a different administrator account (Windows / macOS) to see if it helps.

Looking forward to hearing from you.

Thanks,

Anubhav

[Claudiu34189224e7os]

I have already done a GPU driver clean installation.
The OS I'm currently working on is pretty fresh anyway (it was installed 2-3 months ago).

The thing is that I have this problem on 2 different pc's.

The one I frequently work on and mentioned and another one, in my office, which has win 10 and a different configuration.

If it's not a bug, I tend to believe it's a font-related issue.

Somehow, even in slightly older versions, when I was including more text in a file or text grouped into a clipping mask, Illustrator started to be slow.

[Anubhav M]

Hello @Claudiu34189224e7os,

Sorry to hear that the suggestions shared did not help. Would you mind sharing a public link to a sample file after uploading it to Dropbox/Google Drive/etc. so we can check it on our end?

Looking forward to hearing from you.

Thanks,

Anubhav

[Claudiu34189224e7os]

Sorry, I cannot share my work because the assets are the property of the client and subject to the terms of the contract.

But I can say for sure that those files that include text in any form are the most problematic. In all versions from 27.9.3 onwards, except the latest (28.5 from May 3, which I have not tried)

I only use the San Francisco font family.

[HertZollner]

I have the same problem after last update.. Illustrator's interface has become increddibly laggy.. trying to select anything takes seconds..

[HertZollner]

Ok I did the last update since then and the problem seems to be solved.

[Claudiu34189224e7os]

28.5 from May 3?

[MaiteP]

Same issue here, simply zooming in and out on anything is torture, and I have a beefy computer, so it's an Adobe problem

[Monika Gause]

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@MaiteP  schrieb:

Same issue here, simply zooming in and out on anything is torture, and I have a beefy computer, so it's an Adobe problem

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Did you already uninstall, run the Adobe Cleaner tool and then reinstall?

Please tell us the specifications of the computer. 

Does that happen with all kind s of files? Even simple newly created ones?

[Heavenly378504639nwm]

It's def an Adobe problem, I have a pc for 3D at work and since a while Illustrator gets laggy, even for my collegue on another pc. It's impossible to work like this, takes 3 seconds between each step i make.

[Monika Gause]

Please tell us the hardware specifications and alo the file specifications. What's in the file?

[Heavenly378504639nwm]

The file doesn't matter as my collegue also has the same problem. He just made a line drawing. I've been working for years with Illustrator so I doubt its any problem because of hardware or anything else.  For me the problem occurs when I make multiple artboards, but in the past this was never an issue. 

[Anubhav M]

Hello @Heavenly378504639nwm,

I am sorry to hear about your experience. Would you mind trying the suggestions shared in this help article (https://adobe.ly/3MvsUG5) and letting us know if they help?

If the problem persists, kindly check if the file is on an external/network drive or a cloud-synced folder like Google Drive/Dropbox/etc. If yes, try moving them to a local directory, like the desktop, and share your observations.

I am looking forward to hearing from you.

Thanks,

Anubhav

[magnificent_Aurora1315]

Ran into the same issue.It's the same problem no matter what file you open. After opening the file, only the object is selected, and after about 30 selections, a lag will begin to appear.

[Anubhav M]

Hello @magnificent_Aurora1315,

I am sorry to hear about your experience. Would you mind trying the suggestions shared earlier to check if they help? If not, kindly share more details, like the OS/Illustrator version and a screen recording of your workflow and the problem, so I can better assist you.

Looking forward to hearing from you.

Anubhav

[DesignGoblin]

Same issue. Since v29+, the lag and my frustration have quadrupuled. I have loads of RAM and a decent CPU and graphic card, but if I opened Photoshop as well, Illustrator basically froze. Went back to v28.7.3 and it's much faster, and with multiple Adobe apps running (a deal breaker for me).

[andriip23925203]

Despite having a good setup and running the latest version of Illustrator, I'm still facing major performance issues — lag, slow response times, and glitches. PC configuration: Ryzen 7 2700 / 32GB RAM / RTX 2070. 
I understand that my processor isn't the newest, but it's still a capable 8-core CPU, and the fact that these issues have persisted for over two years raises serious concerns. What’s even more frustrating is that Adobe seems to have silently dropped support for older Ryzen processors without any official statement or documentation. I believe users deserve transparency when compatibility or performance support is phased out — especially when the hardware still meets the system requirements.

[Abhishek Rao]

Hi @andriip23925203,

Thanks for sharing the details about your setup. I completely understand how frustrating it must be to deal with lag and glitches, especially when your hardware is still quite capable. Could you please confirm the exact Illustrator version you are currently on and whether the issue happens with all files or only certain ones? A short screen recording of the lag in action would also be very helpful for further checks. In the meantime, please try running Illustrator after performing a clean reinstallation of the GPU drivers. If possible, also test the behavior under a different admin account to rule out profile-specific issues. Moreover, test the issue in safe mode to isolate if any third-party software, service, plug-in is causing conflict. Ref:

https://adobe.ly/4nzJsNr

Looking forward to your update.

Abhishek