Illustrator 2026 v30.0 | Font Browser, Color, Snapping & Artboards Enhancements, Turntable and more

[Anubhav M]

Hey everyone!

We’re excited to announce the release of Adobe Illustrator 2026 v30.0 (MAX) - now available via Creative Cloud Desktop! This update brings a refreshed font browser, smoother gradients with dithering and perceptual blending, enhanced snapping tools, and faster performance across the board.
You’ll also find new features like Turntable (Beta) for multi-angle views, Projects for collaboration, direct access to Firefly-generated images, and centralized generative AI tools. Plus, enjoy easier artboard management, personalized workspaces, and seamless integration with Adobe Express.

Update the App

Try out the latest Features and Enhancements in Illustrator 2026 v30.0.

Update Illustrator

Find, apply, and organize fonts easily

Explore fonts effortlessly with the enhanced font browser, featuring streamlined sections and new filters to help you quickly find and discover fonts from the extensive Adobe Fonts library. Plus, seamlessly organize and manage your fonts using Creative Cloud Libraries—right within the font browser.
Explore the options in the enhanced font browser and find the font you need.

Color Enhancements in Illustrator 2026

• Achieve smoother color transitions with gradient dither.
• Control perceptual color blending in gradients for natural transitions.
• Preview, select, and apply colors faster with the enhanced Color Picker.
• Apply creative, ready-to-use gradient presets.
• Learn more about the Color Enhancements in Illustrator.

Snapping Enhancements in Illustrator 2026

• Snap line endpoints to tangents.
• Use perpendicular snapping for precise alignments.
• Learn more about the Snapping Enhancements in Illustrator.

Artboard Enhancements in Illustrator 2026

• Prevent accidental edits by locking artboards.
• Personalize your workspace with colored artboards.
• Export just the artboards you need.
• Manage artboards without leaving the canvas.
  Learn more about the Artboard Enhancements in Illustrator.

Experience enhanced app performance

Speed up saving large files to protect your work instantly, recover documents quickly and reliably after unexpected crashes, and enjoy smoother editing when moving, scaling, rotating, or duplicating—without lag or interruptions.
Learn more about the performance enhancements.

View 2D objects from multiple angles for new creative directions

Use Turntable in Illustrator (beta) to rotate and view your artwork from any angle for a more dynamic design perspective.
Learn how to use Turntable in Illustrator (Beta) and share your feedback.

Organize, share, and collaborate using Projects

Create shared spaces within Projects to seamlessly organize and collaborate on files across apps like Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Express.
Learn how to organize, share, and collaborate using Projects.

Place and refine Adobe Firefly images directly in-app

Access your Generation history directly from the Illustrator homescreen or workspace to work with raster images created on the Firefly website—no downloads or uploads needed.
Learn how to access Firefly images in Illustrator.

Create faster with Adobe Express templates

Browse and select the perfect template right from the Illustrator homescreen, then fine-tune it in Adobe Express.
Learn how to find and edit Adobe Express templates.

Explore Firefly models in Text to Vector Graphic for more creative control

Experiment with Firefly Vector 4 and Vector 3 models to generate scenes, subjects, and icons—then choose the one that best fits your creative vision.
Learn how to select Firefly models in Text to Vector Graphic.

Access all generative AI features centrally

Access all generative AI features in one place using the Generative AI button in the toolbar or through the Object > Generative menu.

Other Changes

System updates: Illustrator 2026 isn't supported on macOS Monterey (version 12), Windows 11 v22H2, and v21H2 devices.

Fixed Issues: Illustrator 2026 also includes a host of bug fixes and improvements. Learn more.

We’d love to hear from you!

Try out Illustrator 2026 v30.0 and let us know your thoughts. Feel free to reach out if you have any questions or need more tips!

If this was helpful, please click the Upvote icon in the top left corner of this post. Your feedback helps us improve the experience. Thank you!

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[JodyRadzik]

Has anyone experienced the font substitution issue with this version? Are there any other problems that people are noticing? Updating to a new version of Illustrator has been fraught with peril in the last year. I just can't afford another fiasco impacting our business. I'm looking forward to any reports from souls braver than I.

[Abhishek Rao]

Hi @jodyradzik,

Thanks for reaching out and sharing your concern. So far, there haven't been any widespread reports of font substitution or similar issues in version 30.0.

If you'd like to test the new version safely, you can keep your current one installed and add v30.0 alongside it. Just open the Creative Cloud Desktop App, go to Apps > Illustrator > More actions (three dots) > Other versions, and select Install 30.0. This will let you compare both versions without affecting your existing setup.

Once you've had a chance to try it, please share your observations, so I can assist you further.

Looking forward to your update.

Abhishek

[JodyRadzik]

I've taken your advice and installed the new version alongside the version I could trust. I'm happy to report that the font substitution no longer appears to occur. Also, noting that the third-party plug-ins I rely on seem to be working as well. I'll keep using this new version until something fails. I hope that doesn't happen, but recent history suggests that it probably will. Fingers are crossed I'm wrong about that.

[ohlalaa]

Please take a look at this video — it shows how frustrating this issue is. I understand you’re trying to improve things, but unfortunately, each update seems to make it worse. - https://www.loom.com/share/b46211a300c740fdb599ec38a0a03756

Right now, I can’t even change the gradient in my packaging design because Illustrator crashes every single time. That basically makes the app unusable.

I’m seriously considering stopping all future updates because every time, something new breaks. The previous update already had a huge problem with text boxes, simply trying to resize one would make the program crash.

I really don’t understand how these basic functions are still unstable after so many releases. Please, have a look at the Loom video and let me know how something like this is still acceptable for users who are paying for your software.

[Monika Gause]

Instead of that aweful music, some explanation would have been helpful about the file. What's in it, what you are doing, etc. 

PLease tell us about the computer specifications.

Also: did you reset the preferences? Reboot the computer?

[ohlalaa]

Hi there, thanks for getting back to me.

If you focus on the video, you can actually see exactly what im doing, its pretty clear what’s happening there. Here are the details you asked for:

• Device: Apple M3 Max

• Memory: 36 GB

• macOS: Sonoma 14.3 (not updating yet to avoid additional system glitches)

And yes, i’ve already reset preferences and rebooted the computer.

The issue occurs when i try to change a color in the new gradient panel. The moment I eyedrop a color onto a specific point, Illustrator freezes and becomes completely unresponsive. I’m not doing anything advanced here, just changing a single color point in the gradien, and it crashes every time

[Monika Gause]

What kinds of objects are there stacked on top of each other?

Does the same also happen with simpler objects: such as picking color from a rectangle onto another one?

You are picking the color from the same object you are applying the gradient to, right?

[Anubhav M]

Hello @ohlalaa,

I'm sorry to hear about your experience. I tried replicating this behavior on my end but could not. Would you mind trying the suggestions shared in this help article (https://helpx.adobe.com/illustrator/kb/fix-crash-on-launch-issues.html) and checking if it helps? Also, kindly submit the crash report using your Adobe email address and share it here for quick tracking. Steps are shared here: (https://helpx.adobe.com/illustrator/kb/crash-next-steps.html).

Looking forward to hearing from you.

Anubhav

[Toulousifer]

version "30" of Illustrator, and still no ability to assign a keyboard command to Relink, and still no ability to have inline graphics. Both things which would improve productivity exponentially.

InDesign has been able to do these things for 20+ years (at least, inline graphics have been there since 2.0, not sure when the placed file management was updated to make that work better.

Super frustrating that these items continue to be overlooked on each release.

[Manu_74]

Astute Graphics, which are super plugins for Illustrator, are 50 times ahead in terms of vector design technology. And some technologies that are native to the program have been copied from AG. Yes, it's frustrating that we pay a subscription for this.

[Anubhav M]

Hello @Toulosifer,

I understand that this functionality is important to you, and I apologize for its unavailability at this time. Would you mind creating a UserVoice for this feature request (https://illustrator.uservoice.com/) and adding your comments there? Doing this will help us prioritize this request, and you will be notified of any updates.

Please don't hesitate to contact us if you have any further questions or require assistance. We'd be happy to help.
Anubhav

[Toulousifer]

I've done so, 5 years ago, on a post that has 24 upvotes. Not sure what else can be done...

https://illustrator.uservoice.com/forums/333657-illustrator-desktop-feature-requests/suggestions/408...

[Kelly31501123y9li]

So frustrated this morning with the software glitches in ID and AI. I have text within my graphics and it's not visible. I can clearly see it in the layers panel and yesterday, when I created the file and exported a jpg, they were there. Now they're gone (but not gone). 

[Anubhav M]

Hello @Kelly31501123y9li,

I'm sorry to hear about your experience. Could you share more details like the exact version of the OS/Illustrator installed, if you encounter this problem with all files, and a link to a sample file you're having trouble with, so we can better assist you?

Looking forward to hearing from you.

Anubhav

[mikko-s]

There are problems with masked images with this new update. The image is not visible and makes my work really difficult. Somethimes the images appears if I clicked inside of clipping mask but soon it disappears too. Sometimes images are visible and sometimes not. The masked image is inside of clipping mask.

Please don't launch so miserables updates.

[Anubhav M]

Hello @mikko-s,

I'm sorry to hear about your experience. Could you confirm the exact version of the OS/Illustrator installed, a screen recording of your exact workflow and a link to a sample file, so I can try and replicate this on my end.

Looking forward to hearing from you.

Anubhav

[mikko-s]

Hello,

I uninstall the 2026 versin and re-install it and now this seems to work. Mystic problem. I'll add screenshots and share the files if this problem appears again.

[myront8675309]

I'm experiencing some lag issues. Win11, 32MB RAM, NVidia A2000. Simple zoom in a couple of time with the mouse wheel and have to wait 5 seconds for it to catch up.

[myront8675309]

Ok, today no lag.

[jens_2575]

i got the same issue after updating to V30.0

before zoom in/out with the mouse was super fast and smooth and now it ages and the PC freezes nearly...

seems like the GPU is no longer used correctly.

when switching the setting in the open projekt to  "view --> show with CPU" it runs much smoother.

[AndyLCB]

Having incredibly annoying lag every time I pan around a canvas or zoom in and out. Making workflow FRUSTRATING to say the least. Never had this issue before.

[Anubhav M]

Hello @AndyLCB,

I'm sorry to hear about your experience. Would you mind confirming the exact version of the OS/Illustrator installed and a small screen recording of the problem, so we can better assist you?

Also, try the suggestions shared in this help article (https://helpx.adobe.com/illustrator/kb/optimize-illustrator-performance.html) and share your observations.

Looking forward to hearing from you.

Anubhav 

[myront8675309]

What happen to the info at the top of the window showing the x,y,w,h boxes and such. Now have to use the Transform Panel?

[Ton Frederiks]

There is a limited amount of space to display items in the Control panel.

Click on the 3 lines on the right to turn off what you do not need.