Illustrator randomly selects unrelated objects

[cmcmorrow]

About once  a day, when I click on an object with the direct selection tool, the bounding box will be way larger than it should, implying another object on another artboard is included in the selection.

This happens when the object I am selecting is NOT grouped with anything else. Moreover, is seems buggy because the mystery object doesnt have its "edges" visible the way it would if it were legitimately selected.

I can deselect all, but then anything I click on, the selection's bounding box is expanded to include the mystery object. The only way I have found to deal with it is to drag a corner of the bounding box, then undo, and then click off again. Then Voila! I am able to select my object (or any other) without the mystery selection happening.

I use clipping masks a lot, as well as many artboards, and have wondered if it's related to this, as the mystery objects are sometimes masked images, and often on another artboard. However, the mystery objects are not always masked.

Anyone else having this weird problem??

I had it with CS5, and hoped it would go away with CS6, but it has not.

[sbairagee]

Although SwetaKrause's"solution" works (thanks for figuring that out btw) it's not a solution it's a work around. As of yesterday CC 2018 still has this issue.

[Pixelord]

its something related to the clipping mask, when erase the clips, the glitched selection edges disappear

[benkirkby]

I had the same problem with a file that someone gave me. It turned out that there where a few guides that were grouped with a few elements on the page. The guides were hidden so I couldn't see them but they were still able to be selected.

So, if the solution above doesn't work, check to make sure you don't have any guides on the page.

[iOiO_Design]

Thread started 2013. Five years later, bug's still not fixed.

Waiting for Affinity Publisher, then I'm goooone!

[Julie726]

Adobe, please fix this.  I could not clear this problem, so I created a new layer, locked all other layers, and copied a simple eps logo from another document and pasted it on to the new layer.  The bounding box still selected other items on locked layers, those items are selected in my links panel. I can't even change the size of the logo by typing in the measurements without messing up other object.

[hila_schurr]

This has happened to me numerous times.  But, I finally figured out what it was. 

I had grouped an UNLOCKED guide with an element on my art board.  I then turned off the visibility of guides.  Even though the guides were hidden when I selected an element that was grouped with the guide it would show the bounding box of the entire area.

Hope that helps.

[cmscss]

After years, I still have this issue - mind numbing sorry!!!!

Even if you turn off visibility and lock all layers the selection remains - see attached.

I don't use guides but the Select All, then click elsewhere will remove it.

Please, fix this.

[vanes64]

Yes I have it happen a few times a day.  I think it might have to do with a mask, but whatever it is, it is frustrating.  I have to copy/paste the object that I want a specific size, because it grabs the bounding box and includes it as the size.  Also, I am unable to edit Document Setup/Artboards when the mysterious bounding box is present.

[ivana914 · Accepted solution]

ok so the same thing was happening to me and yes sometimes it's clipping masks that you're not seeing and most of these answers will help you with that, thank you guys so much

BUTTTTTTTT, HEAR ME OUTTTTT

GUIDE LINES PEOPLE!!! I was going insane with the crazy amount of things my file was selecting. Command+A would select things even OUTSIDE the grey area where you can put artworks, which... HOW?!

I copied some of the elements i wanted and copied them to a whole new file and it showed some lines that i DID NOT SELECT, better yet i wasn't seeing them. I had guidelines/rulers all over, they were unlocked and invisible, so of course when i grouped some things they would group with the guideline going through it and before i realised i had a bunch of objects grouped together thanks to the guideline that ran through them or next to them. Make your guidelines visible and unlocked, erase them or ungroup mindful of them and lock them back in place people.

[Natalie5D34]

OMG it was the guides!!! I had like 20 invisible ones causing problems. You saved me so much time and frustration.

[Natalie5D34]

Not sure why I am getting the credit for the correct answer. The person above is the real hero here!! 

[Doug A Roberts]

Could have been marked correct by anyone over the years -- I have adjusted the correct answers.

[Natalie5D34]

thank you so much!

[danicar15365856]

It's already 2019. The bug is still here. I have to close illustrator all the time to just get it to work.

[cmscss]

Agreed, mind numbing.

Adobe are becoming more annoying than usual with daily pain. There's this issue, mask outlines disappearing in Premiere, and the removal of shift-to-constrain on transform in Photoshop (shift is still required on every other tool) plus others.

In particular, the removal of shift-to-constrain on the transform tool in Photoshop really makes you wonder what the hell is going on over there?

[danicar15365856]

Regarding photoshop - they switched it up. Took awhile getting used to. CS6 and the earlier version of CC photoshop still has that feature... it's just a little weird when you're moving from one adobe program to another. Like you can't resize objects the same way across all their apps. @_@ I wish they could find a way to streamline it but maaaaybe there's a reason why they're doing it like that.

I just want the bug to go away in illustrator. Restarting it works but still... it's been a 6 year issue @_@ It should have been fixed by now. What's worse is I can't even get their CC App to work on windows .-. so I've had to manually install programs. Works amazing on mac though oh well. I'll stop ranting here.

[cmscss]

Re Photoshop: What's weird is that all the other tools in photoshop still requires shift-to-constrain, including resizing smart objects.

Don't hold shift for pixels but hold shift for vectors? It's like they switched 1st gear with reverse but only on one road!

Re Illustrator: Yep, it's annoyed me for years too.

[eduardo_astas70106504]

Adobe seems to not care about this issue since it is a very old one. For those ones which doesn't know what we are talking about, please watch the following video.

https://youtu.be/l6RCyOMWNAo​

It is unbelievable Adobe can't fix it and keep ignoring the issue.

[sbairagee]

Yeah there is no permanent fix for this yet. Have you tried the work around? (Works for most people)

1) Select All (Cmd/Ctrl+A)

2) Then click on a random object in the Artboard

3) Then click anywhere outside the Artboard

[mshlnp]

It's very annoying. Adobe still can't solve it. It's a well known bug since soooooo much years and it's still shitty 😕

[MakeItDoStuff]

Odd that this is STILL happening in Illustrator v24.0 on a brand new Mac running Catalina v10.15

[botlrok8]

Wow! worked like a charm for me! Crazy!

[CSelle]

You are a genuis- thank you- i had the same problem.

[Toby from Shape]

This bug has been in illustrator for over a decade - I don't believe they'll fix it.

they can't

[MartinJward87]

Hi folks, I know this is a super old thread, but the issue still happens to us all semi-regularly, and today I realized what was causing the issue for me: 

If you have any guides on the artboard, and you've hidden them - It might be that you have grouped an object to a guideline at some point in time, perhaps the guides weren't locked and this happened accidentally. Then, if any other object interacts with that guideline along its path, with guidelines hidden, it would appear that an object is randomly linked to another elsewhere. 

It would worth be doing these steps:

1. Show guidelines 
2. Unlock guidelines 
3. Select each problem object to see if they are grouped to a guideline
4. Select and ungroup if they are 
5. Either then lock or delete your guides

I would say that this is the most likely cause of any apparent random grouping or selecting of objects.