Illustrator gets stuck on hand tool

[elementofblank]

I'm having this problem with my Adobe Illustrator CS3 where I'll be using the pen tool, and out of nowhere (usually after I've undone a couple of things it seems), the program will get stuck on the hand tool, and won't switch to any other tool. Time seems to be the only remedy because the problem will persist even if I try to work on another file, or restart the program. It also carries over to Photoshop, which I don't recall ever giving me this problem. Any help would be appreciated, thanks.

[marchaumann]

One hack I've found that seems to work consistently is to frantically tap on the space bar a bunch of times while simultaneously clicking and drag with the mouse. Somehow this jiggering gets it unstuck after a second or two.

[DToth · Accepted solution]

I've found that having google chrome or safari open can cause random glitches in Adobe programmes. Quit any search engine you may be using and see if the glitch goes away, if not, quit the adobe programme that you are using and restart. It should now be back to normal when booted back up.

[rjwise]

I find it gets stuck there after using the keyboard short cut to zoom in or out. Using the same short cut again frees it back to the pointer.

[abarber86]

I've been having this problem for years.  One quick, but annoying, workaround I've found is to open up your browser, search for 'hand tool' (or anything really) and then switch back to Illustrator.  I read a long time ago the error had something to do with program memory being used in a certain way. Switching to another program and doing something in it clears whatever stuck memory Illustrator had that caused the error.

This is a problem that's been going on for years and years, hopefully (eventually) it'll get fix, but at this point I have my doubts.

[hellocorey]

Fastforward to 2021. The issue still persists. I've been having the same problem for a decade across different versions and machines!

[emkayweb]

For me, having Microsoft Excel open at the same time as Illustrator caused the hand tool problem. I closed Excel, and all was well. Immediately. 

[AES1]

Bizarre - just shut down chrome and it reverted to selection tool... 

[Ayush29966864hyux · Accepted solution]

None of the solutions mentioned applied to me. Spacebar wasnt it. I restarted my computer and it fixed the problem. 

[suzannapereira]

This happens "SO OFTEN" for me and it is a pain having to restart when I am in the middle of something.

[suzannapereira]

Sometimes I just let the computer sit or go to another program and after some time come back to illustrator and it decides to work

[christinabgcpat]

ANSWER #1 : All you need to do is hold down "shift" and "spacebar" and the problem resolves itself!
Very glitchy!!!

I have a BRAND NEW MacBook along with a New Magic mouse & a New Keyboard (just took out of the box today - Dec 4, 2023.)
Very strange - but NOTHING else worked - I have tried closing & reopening the program, restarting,deleting prefderences... NOTHING --- shift + space = worked!

[look_around]

It's terrible, it happens to me 10-15 times during the working day and every time I have to reboot (nothing else solves the problem). Any problems with the keyboard and mouse don't apply to my case (I have a new macbook and mouse), I don't have any problems with them in other programs, only in illustrator. If it is possible to reach Adobe by signing any petition, I am ready to do so, as long as they see this problem and solve it as soon as possible.

[Monika Gause]

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@look_around  schrieb:

 If it is possible to reach Adobe by signing any petition, 

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Just post on Uservoice.

If they can reproduce something, then they can fix it. If they have nothing to reproduce and do not know of a problem, then they can't fix it. This is a public forum. 95% of people aren't even staff.

Uservoice: https://illustrator.uservoice.com