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wwrsimon
New Participant
October 20, 2025
Answered

Oddity using the tab key in the 'Color' window

  • October 20, 2025
  • 1 reply
  • 381 views

Hello all

 

This has started happening a short while ago. If I want to change the CMYK values on a colour in the 'Color' window and change the C value, then tab to M and change that, when I tab to Y the whole set of percentage values goes blank and the color preview has a question mark.

 

Example:

I change 40% in C to 50%, then press the tab key to move to M, then tab to Y to change that, everything goes very odd - screenshots attached...

 

Is this a bug? Been using Illustrator since Illustrator 3...not something I recall coming across before. 

 

Simon

 

Correct answer Abhishek Rao

Apologies for the delay in replying to Ton's suggestion, but I've just posted on the UserVoice link.

 

https://illustrator.uservoice.com/forums/601447-illustrator-desktop-bugs/suggestions/50627384-cmyk-color-palette-issue-using-tab-key

 

FYI I've attached  the screen recording I posted.

 

Thanks

 

Simon


Hi @wwrsimon,

 

Thanks so much for sharing the screen recording and details. I tested this on the same Illustrator version, 29.8.2, and the color fields in the CMYK palette update normally when using the Tab key. However, I don't see the values reset or the color preview switch to a question mark.

Since this happens consistently for you across files, it might be linked to a specific app preference or color management setting. Could you please try manually resetting Illustrator preferences once and see if the issue still occurs afterward? You can back them up before resetting if needed.

 

Please let me know how it goes after that.

Abhishek

1 reply

W
wwrsimonAuthor
New Participant
October 20, 2025

A further oddity - I just opened the document again and Illustrator now thinks that swatch is 40% cyan/20% magenta/100% yellow/0% black, which clearly it ain't...

Ton Frederiks
Ton Frederiks
Community Expert
October 20, 2025

Can you check if there is a color selected in the Appearance panel below the blue fill?

W
wwrsimonAuthor
New Participant
October 20, 2025

Thank you both for your replies, mich appreciated.

 

Firstly for Anubhav, I'm using a Mac Studio M2 Max with 32Gb RAM, Mac OS Sequoia 15.7.1, and Illustrator 29.8.2. Seems to happen with any file. 

 

Secondly for Ton, screenshot of the Appearance panel attached.

 

I know it's not a real problem at the end of the day (just Command-z and it's done) , but it's a glitch that seems a bit odd.

 

Simon

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