Opening Multiple files

[quaff_8268]

Yesterday morning I could open multiple Illstrator files at the same time, yesterday evening I had difficulties even opening one at a time... anyone else experiencing this? I am using 29.8.2 

[Anna_Lander]

Do you work on MAC or on Windows?
Were any other programs running at the same time?
What free space do you have on the scratch disk?
When did you clean the Temp folder last time?
And, the most important: did you restart / shut down the system between yesterday morning and yesterday evening?

[quaff_8268]

Dear Anna_Lander

Thanks for responding:

MAC;

I usually have multiple software running at the same time;

Plenty;

iirc about two weeks before I did a machine purge;

Did ALL the usual restarts - multiple times - only when I noticed the immediate change. Restarting both the software and the system, nothing worked. That was until I completely reset Illustrator and not just the preferences...which I then had to restore manually anyway (see my response to Abhishek).

[Abhishek Rao]

Hi @quaff_8268,

Thanks for reaching out. Are you still seeing this issue? I tested this on version 29.8.2, and multiple files opened fine for me, so it might be related to your system setup. As the expert asked, could you please confirm if you're on macOS or Windows and share the exact OS version? Also, let me know if the issue occurs with all files or just a few specific ones.

If possible, please try launching Illustrator after restarting your computer and see if you're able to open multiple files again. Once you've tested that, share your observations, so I can check further.

Looking forward to your update.

Abhishek

[quaff_8268]

Hi there Abhishek 

Thanks for responding. After attempting all of the usual procedures, closing/restarting - a few times; deleting other apps/ restarting my computer (MacOS) all to no avail, I did a google search on this issue and as it turned out the solution matched Bill Silbert's response. 

I simply had to reset Illustrator fully - which led to other issues: re-establishing my preferences and - for some bizarre reason - having to search a way to hide the grid which had then become a default...I note that is no longer an issue - somehow...

[Bill Silbert · Accepted solution]

It is entirely possible that your issue could be a result of program-wide corruption. To eliminate this as a possibility try resetting your Illustrator preferences. This will restore the program to its defaults and, hopefully, restore full performance.

To reset preferences:

For Macintosh Users: The User Library folder in which Illustrator’s preferences are stored is hidden by default on most Macintoshes. To access it make sure that Illustrator is closed and click on the desktop to launch a Finder Window (Command-N).With this window in column view follow the path User>Home folder (it’s the folder with an icon that looks like a house—it may have the user’s name rather than “Home”) and click on the Home folder. With the Option Key pressed choose Library from the Finder Go Menu. “Library” will now appear within the Home folder. Within the Library folder find the folder called Preferences and within it find the folder called “Adobe Illustrator <Version #> Settings” (earlier versions of Illustrator might just say “Adobe Illustrator”) and the file called “com.adobe.Illustrator.plist” and delete both that folder and that file. When Illustrator is next launched it will create new preference files and the program will be restored to its defaults.

For Windows Users: You can try the quick way of resetting on a PC which is to hold down Ctrl + Alt + Shift when launching Illustrator and respond affirmatively when asked if you want to reset. There have been some recent reports that the window asking if you want to reset is not popping up but that the prefs are being reset anyway. If this works great but if it doesn’t you may have to manually delete them.

To do so: On Windows 7 and above the preference files are hidden. To find them go to the Control Panel and open Folder Options and then click the View tab. Then select “Show hidden files and folders” or “Show hidden files, folders or drive options” in Advanced Settings. Then delete (or rename) the folder at the end of this path: C:\Users\[User Name]\AppData\Roaming\Adobe\Adobe Illustrator [version number]\ Settings\<Language>. Make sure that Illustrator is closed when you do this. When you relaunch the program it will create new preference files and the program will be at its default settings.

The advantage of manually deleting preference files is that after you’ve reset up the program (make sure that no document window is open) to your liking, you can create copies of your personalized “mint” preference files (make sure that you quit the program before copying them—that finalizes your customization) and use them in the future to replace any corrupt versions you may need to delete.