Missing Text in Text Boxes

[Linzi Sykes]

I have just updated to Illustrator version 29.6.1 and have found that text within text boxes in all files that I open is missing. My colleague opens the same files and can see all of the text within the boxes. 

I have tried these help tips, but no luck. Reverting to the previous version was also unsuccessful.

Has anyone had the same issue? 

[Doug A Roberts]

Can you share an example file?

[Linzi Sykes]

Sure, please see a screenshot of how the file should look, vs what I can see. 

[Doug A Roberts]

Can you select the hidden text objects, or are they missing completely?

Is this an AI file or PDF?

[Linzi Sykes]

These are screenshots of the AI files. I can see the text boxes, but can't see that there is text within them. Hope that helps!

[Abhishek Rao]

Hi @Linzi Sykes,

Thanks so much for sharing those screenshots! Since you're on version 29.6.1 and only seeing empty text boxes while your colleague can view everything fine on their end, it sounds like the issue could be tied to missing or corrupted fonts on your system.

Could you try selecting one of the text boxes and then changing the font manually to a default system font like Arial or other? Let me know if the text becomes visible afterward. If it does, that means Illustrator is having trouble rendering the original font used in the file.

Also, just to confirm, are you working on macOS or Windows? And are you using any font management tool like Suitcase, Font Book, or something similar? That might help narrow things down further.

Looking forward to hearing how it goes!

Abhishek 

[Linzi Sykes]

Hi Abhishek,

Thanks so much, that seems to have narrowed things down as I have replaced the font within the text boxes with Arial, and it does allow me to change back to the Acumin Pro font. It changes it all to the regular version of the text, however some elements are regular, and some are the light version. It also seems that I will need to adjust them manually, unless you know a way around this?

I am using macOS, and don't use any font management tools, just Adobe fonts, or fonts the team has uploaded. 

[Abhishek Rao · Accepted solution]

Hi @Linzi Sykes,

Thanks for the update, and I'm glad changing the font helped surface the missing text. 

Since the text defaults to the regular style and some elements were originally set to light, you'll likely need to manually reassign the correct weights. One thing you can try is selecting a text box with the light weight and using the Eyedropper tool to pick up its style, then apply it to other affected areas. It might speed things up a bit.

Also, just to be sure, please check if Acumin Pro is activated through Adobe Fonts. If it's a team-uploaded font, try reinstalling it or check with your team to see if there's an updated version available.

Let me know how it goes or if you'd like help reviewing a sample file.

Abhishek

[Linzi Sykes · Accepted solution]

Thanks again, the issue now seems to be resolved due to reinstalling the fonts. There seemed to be an added issue with the pro and variable versions of the font, in the text boxes which contain multiple languages. Thankfully I don't need to manually amend each file!