Skip to main content
Derek Holiman
Derek Holiman
Known Participant
June 16, 2019
Question

Illustrator CC 2019 Document window size on open

  • June 16, 2019
  • 4 replies
  • 5447 views

Looking into this again. I cannot possibly be the only one on the planet experiencing this.

Anyone have any issues with their document window opening in a narrow strip? Always narrow width full height.

Every document. Every time.

Multiple documents stack inside this narrow window.

Documents set to open in tabs.

Same regardless if Illustrator is opened first or opens with document.

Documents on external drives and local machine.

Like so:

2016 MacBook Pro 15-inch 16 GB RAM

Mid-2015 MacBook Pro Retina 15-inch 16 GB RAM

MacOS Mojave (current)

Mac Illustrator CC 2019 (current)

Application Frame turned off. (with frame turned on things work differently... fine)

Both built in display and 32-inch 4k.

Only started this when I upgraded to 2019.

Clicking here expands the window too it's original, correct size.

Reset preferences.

Uninstalled Illustrator and files. Caches, etc.

Reset workspaces. Changed Workspaces.

Happens on both of my machines. I do not run any third-party plugins or extensions, so all is basically stock across machines.

Any ideas?

    4 replies

    Derek Holiman
    Derek HolimanAuthor
    Known Participant
    September 17, 2025

    Well, well... here we are.  It's 2025 and we're still dealing with this AND... Apple's new MacOS Tahoe made it worse. At least I'm sure that's how Adobe will look at it.

     

    Now when the Illustrator window fails to open to it's proper width, the file name in the window's menu bar covers the window controls in the upper-left corner. So you cannot click the green button to expand. One has to drag the window out to the right, far enough, so that the file title moves off of the window controls and THEN... you can click the green button. Like I have been doing since 2019.

     

    Talk about insanity.

     

     

      A
      Community Manager
      Anubhav MCommunity Manager
      Community Manager
      September 19, 2025

      Hello @Derek Holiman,

      I was able to successfully replicate the problem on my end and have logged a bug with the product team for further investigation. I will update this thread as I have more info for the same.

      Feel free to reach out if you have more questions or need assistance. We'd be happy to help.
      Anubhav

      Derek Holiman
      Derek HolimanAuthor
      Known Participant
      September 22, 2025

      Hi Anubhav

       

      Cool. Thank you so much for digging into it.

       

      Hope they can finally sort it out.

       

       

      Derek

      Derek Holiman
      Derek HolimanAuthor
      Known Participant
      January 31, 2022

      It's an all new year. 2022!

       

      Have two new Macs. M1's with fresh new OS installs. Yay.

       

      New, clean install of Adobe CC. All up to date.

       

      Newest version of Illustrator 2022 version 26... like that's not confusing.

       

      Even got a new credit card to pay the Adobe CC monthly subscription with.

       

      Everything's new except the same old problem with Illustrator and its inability to open a god dmn window corectly.

       

      However, did not get the new covid.

        S
        Sig Vicious
        New Participant
        March 11, 2022

        I have this crazy annoying thing too.

         

        When you save an illustrator file, the window position and size is stored within that file, correct?

        Is there no way to overwrite that somehow and just open all files in Illustrator in fully expanded window?

        S
        Sig Vicious
        New Participant
        March 8, 2021

        Same for me..  Crazy annoying. 

        Derek Holiman
        Derek HolimanAuthor
        Known Participant
        October 27, 2021

        Hi everybody. Another year passed. Here it is 2021 about to end. I got a shiny new version of Illustrator... 2022... version 26... I couldn't find another number to put with it so we will just have to deal 2021 2022 v26.

         

        I also have it running on the fancy new MacOS 12 Monterey. Awesome cool!

         

        So, eager to see life with the fixed document window opening to its full width and not in that annoying, narrow little strip that has been going on for 2-3 years.

         

        Guess what... it's like living the same damn year over and over again. Bill Murray style.

         

        Every time I open a document the initial open state of that document window (multiple documents in tabs as well) will be this narrow little strip. Maybe 150 pixels or so wide.

        Well done Adobe. I am looking so forward to using that new sharing feature to let my colleagues check out the art in their narrow little window too.

         

        FYI... this year I did figure out that it has to do with what the width of the document window is when saved. Anything narrower than around 3200 pixels or so and the document will reopen to that width each time. Once you drag the window width out wider to 3250-something and save... boom... that document will reopen in the narrow little strip document window. I have been able to replicate this on any Mac I try.

         

        Spent 2 weeks trying to explain this to adobe "engineers" and finally got, "we are done with this, move along".

         

        Anyway, I need to go pay this months Adobe bill now.

         

        Until next year. Be cool.


        D.

          S
          Sig Vicious
          New Participant
          October 27, 2021

          Yes. That thing is still opening documents in narrow window. Wildly annoying. 

            Steve Werner
            Steve Werner
            Community Expert
            June 16, 2019

            I think you need to turn on the Application Frame to retain the window positions. I don't think there's another way. This also happens in InDesign CC.

            Derek Holiman
            Derek HolimanAuthor
            Known Participant
            January 21, 2020

            Tanks Steve, great advice.

             

            However it's wrong. (not when all is working properly)

             

            Use InDesign every day, have never seen it happen. I have InDesign and Photoshop as well set up essentilaly the same as I do Illustrator.

             

            Illustrator is the only one that opens documents without fully expanding the document window.

             

            I have been sitting, waiting to do a full clean install of MacOS Catalina and reinstall all of Adobe CC. Perhaps it is on my end.

             

            It wasn't. Again. Two separate Macs, both clean installs of Catalina, both clean installs of Adobe CC. No third-party plugins. Local and externally stored documents. Native or EPS, PDF, etc. Palette windows docked to sides.

             

            Took a couple of days or so for the behavior to return, but it did.

             

            Yes, with application frame turned off. Do not want it turned on. Do not work that way. There were no issues before application frames were introduced and none when it first appesred.

             

            Not one other Illustrator user on this planet has this happen?

             

            This is annoying.

              J
              jamesb25902863
              New Participant
              April 1, 2020

              I have the same problem, and yes, i agree that it's very annoying. 

              Terms & ConditionsAccessibility statement
              Using the community Terms of use Privacy Cookie preferences Do not sell or share my personal information ad choicesAdChoices