Illustrator will not let me edit or select anything in my file.

[savvydavila]

I have an issue with one of my Illustrator files, it will not let me select or edit anything in the file. I have tried the same file on a different computer and same thing. I tried renaming the file, restarting my computer. There are no locked layers. Nothing seems to help at all, I cannot do anything. I also tried updating Illustrator (the problem started before I updated), but it's still doing the same thing. Does anyone have any ideas what the problem is?

[Monika Gause]

Have you restarted the computer?

Does it work with a newly created file?

Does it work when you go to View > Show edges?

Does it show selected stuff in the layers panel?

Which version and system is it?

Please show screenshots of artwork and layers panel.

[Brendan Wiant]

Show edges worked! Weird... but problem solved...

[macpawel]

Be sure you you have Show Bounding Box (CTRL+Shift+B) option selected

Be sure your object are not locked - Use CTRL+Alt+2 to unlock all on your page

Tyr to use CTRL+H command to show/hide eadges of your object

Be sure you have vector object instead one bitmap file

maybe it helps?

[Seraphine2]

Thank you so much 

i dont know how but my objects were locked so i wasnt able to make any changes and work on it

[savvydavila · Accepted solution]

I couldn't figure out how to properly select my question as answered, but yes it turns out I had locked all the objects on my art boards and forgot about it!

[asandersdesign23]

I'm having this problem, but in a different way. After a recent Illustrator update, 'Unlock All' or Opt+Cmd+2 doesn't work the way it used to. About 1/4 of the time, I'll use the keyboard shortcut, and I still can't select something I locked earlier with Cmd+2. I have to go to my layers palette and sometimes dig down into the multiple layers to unlock it manually.  It's very annoying.  Anyone else experiencing this?

[GB5E5A · Accepted solution]

F7 key and unlock layers panel
Unlock a selection Alt + Ctrl + 2/ Option + Command + 2

[Biddu5C71]

It worked. Thanks.

[Blairedimage]

Thank you this worked after trying everything else!!!!

[sawyer_8407]

I can't figure out how to edit my AI file. I saved it as an AI, but when I put it back into Illustrator, I couldn't edit the text or shapes as if they were PNGs or JPEGs. I tried everything I could think of. I checked to see if the layers were locked and grouped or saved as symbols. Any help would be great.

[Monika Gause]

How do you "put it back"? You will have to open it: File > Open

Is that what you are doing?