Illustrator top main drop down menus not working

[Joshua23037443fip8]

Illustrator for some unknown reason until today is not working properly after 3 years, the main dropdown menus at the top are now not working at all. Sometimes the effect will drop down but I can't select anything.

All other drop-down menus work and all buttons work. it's taking the biscuit as I got assignments to do.

Is there any fix?

I have already tried disconnecting monitors, deleted remnant files and re-installed illustrator, reset preferences and updated drivers. apparently, 10 series are not supported but it was working fine until now.

System: win 11, gtx 1060 6gb, 5600x, 16gb ram.

Two monitors and small tv are connected.

[Monika Gause]

Can you try and set a different monitor as the main monitor?

Or even disconnect 2 of them? Just to see whether the monitors are causing the irritation?

Also: what kind of driver are you using for the graphic card? If it's a gaming driver, use a studio driver instead.

[Joshua23037443fip8]

i have already disconnected the monitors as previously stated, but I will try switching the main monitor, im currently using game ready drivers (though was never a problem before) i'll switch to studio ones after i have tried switching main monitors, and reply if anything has or has not changed.

[Joshua23037443fip8]

I've switched main monitors with all of them connected and disconnected there was no change, and I have switched drivers to the studio and switched main monitors, no change. Also disconnected the monitors again no change.

[Monika Gause]

You could contact Customer Care and have them take a look at it.

https://helpx.adobe.com/contact.html

[Anubhav M]

Hello @Joshua23037443fip8,

We understand that encountering technical issues can be frustrating. We are here to help and would like to suggest trying to update the OS/Illustrator to the latest version (27.3.1) and running Illustrator under Safe Mode and checking it if helps.

Looking forward to your response.

Thanks,

Anubhav

[Joshua23037443fip8]

I've rebooted it into safe mode with networking and illustrators drop downs worked  and worked on InDesign (also had the problem with it on there as well)

[Anubhav M]

Hello @Joshua23037443fip8,

Thanks for confirming that. It seems another program might be interfering with Illustrator. You might need to disable/remove the program and check if it helps.

Also, try running Illustrator under a different administrator account (https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/create-a-local-user-or-administrator-account-in-windows-...) and share your observations.

Looking forward to your response.

Regards

[Joshua23037443fip8 · Accepted solution]

After doing the safe mode and then changing back to normal boot, illustrator (as well as InDesign) has started to work properly, however, I don't know if this is a temporary fix, or has fixed it entirely. If it happens again I'll post back here, and go through the admin profile to see if any of the programs are the cause. I'll give this a 3-month span of time. if there are no changes then, it can be taken that booting to safe mode and back is a possible fix.

[handtoeye]

i am having the smae problem and its really annoying. updated to illustratror 24 is it bug?

[Anshul_Saini]

Hello @handtoeye,

I understand that you're experiencing issues with the top main drop-down menus in Illustrator, and you're wondering if it's a bug. Let's try a few troubleshooting steps to address this problem:

• Ensure that you're using the latest version of Illustrator (v28.3) and that your operating system is up to date. 

• Corrupted preferences can sometimes cause unexpected behavior in Illustrator. Try resetting your Illustrator preferences to their default settings. 

• If you're not using the latest version of your operating system, consider updating it. Sometimes, system updates include fixes for such issues.

I hope one of these solutions helps resolve the issue for you. If you have any further questions or concerns, feel free to ask.

Best regards,

Anshul Saini

[Jacquelyn36032604akt6]

The top main drop-down menus work for a bit and then they don't. I then have to quit Illustrator and restart the program and the menus work again. This is a constant battle and I am using two completely different computers... all up to date and the prefereces are at default. The keyboard commands work but not when using the mouse for drop-downs. This is a recent issue since maybe November or December? Please help solve this...!

[Monika Gause]

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@Jacquelyn36032604akt6  schrieb:

The top main drop-down menus work for a bit and then they don't. I then have to quit Illustrator and restart the program and the menus work again. This is a constant battle and I am using two completely different computers... all up to date and the prefereces are at default. The keyboard commands work but not when using the mouse for drop-downs. This is a recent issue since maybe November or December? Please help solve this...!

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Are you on Sonoma?

In that case try and update to 14.4 - which has solved this for others.

[watergraphics]

I'm having same EXACT issues (2024) -- yes, all is updated etc. This began happening about a month ago and it's so annoying.  I don't have two monitors, nor am I using outdated Adobe products.  

-Kim

[Abuse removed by moderator]

[Monika Gause]

Do you have Magnet or another Window Manager installed?

[Aliyah30409202qc81]

Same on mac, it's annpying

[Monika Gause]

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@Aliyah30409202qc81  schrieb:

Same on mac, it's annpying

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Do you have the apps Magnet, Rectangle or Proofpoint installed?

[watergraphics]

No --none of those are installed.  The only top menu item that is active (while this is happening) is "about illustrator".  When I click on that, scroll to settings, then click on "settings" then back to normal view --all top menu items become reactivated...   it's weird and happends at least once a day.

[Monika Gause]

Do you have any other Window manager installed?

[Anubhav M]

Hello @watergraphics,

We understand that encountering technical issues can be frustrating. Would you mind trying to run Illustrator under Safe Mode (Windows / macOS) and checking if it helps? Also, try running Illustrator under a different administrator account (Windows / macOS) and share your observations.

Looking forward to hearing from you.

Thanks,

Anubhav

[drewdrewdesign]

Can you let me know if there is a fix yet? This has been killing me for months.

[Katie296760321bhd]

I having the same issue and it's driving me bonkers. Mac M2 Pro, running 14.2.1, Illustrator 28.5. I reinstalled Illustrator, reset preferences, restarted in safe mode. It works for a few minutes and then the menus stop working again.

[watergraphics]

I have same issue --I've found that I can still click on the "ILLUSTRATOR" drop down menu and select (any item)--I select "SETTINGS" -> "GENERAL" and without selecting item (hit cancel).  After I do that step, all drop down menus are activated again... it's a weird work-a-round but it's how I manage to not throw my Mac against the wall 🙂

[Anubhav M]

Hello @watergraphics, @drewdrewdesign,

We understand that encountering technical issues can be frustrating. Would you mind trying the suggestions shared above to check if they help? If not, kindly share more details, like the exact OS/Illustrator version and a screen recording of your workflow, including the problem encountered, so we can investigate this further.

Looking forward to hearing from you.

Thanks,

Anubhav

[WilWhimsey]

Having same issue here. My version of Illustrator is up to date. New Mac studio. It is clearly a bug. But your fix with settings>general works great. I was getting tired of closing out illustrator and reopening it. Definitely slows the workflow to constantly have to close out and reopen. Much appreciated.