Photos dragged into Illustrator change the artboard size

[Holton Recorder]

I've always been able to drag images into Illustrator (I'm using a Mac) and they would open on the default artboard size (I have it set to 8.5 x 11). But recently, any image I drag into Illustrator makes the artboard resize itself to the size of the image, making me manually have to change the artboard each time or copy and paste the image into an entirely new file. Is there a way to fix this? New documents are sized fine - the issue is only with images dragged and dropped. Thank you!

[Monika Gause]

So you drag them into an existing file? Or you open them by dragging them on the Illustrator icon?

[Holton Recorder]

I drag them on the Illustrator icon, and then they open up in a new document with the artboard set to the size of the image rather than my default setting.

[Monika Gause]

OK. I rarely open photos in Illudtrator directly, but when I did it, I remember the weird artboard size. I assume that enough people found it weird so it has been changed.

When you first create a new file in your default size, close that and then try the same process with the images, do you then get the photo in the artboard size you want?

[Ton Frederiks]

I was trying that out while Monika answered.

[Ton Frederiks]

I can confirm the change. When dragging on the AI app icon, previous versions just placed the file on an artboard with the last created (and saved) size. Now it creates an artboard that has the dimensions of the image.

If you want something like the previous versions, create a new file and drag the image onto it.

But if you want to report it:

https://illustrator.uservoice.com/

[Holton Recorder]

That's really annoying... I wish they'd quit changing things like that. If it's not broke, don't fix it. Most of the time all I need to do is put a border around the image and be done with it. Now I have to open a new file, open the image, copy and paste the image into the new file, rename the new file, and then put the border around it. Very frustrating. Is there no way to make the image be automatically placed on the saved artboard size anymore?

[Ton Frederiks]

If all you need to do is put a border around it, I would use a Photoshop action.

[Holton Recorder]

You mean put the border around it in Photoshop? It's easier for me to do it in Illustrator because we put those files onto pages in InDesign.

[Monika Gause]

What kind of border is that, that cannot be built in InDesign?

[Holton Recorder]

I work at a newspaper and I'm the graphic artist. I'm expected to put borders around ads/images, then transfer that completed project to the editors, who take the file and place it on a page. It's just part of my job as the graphic artist. They don't expect to have to put borders around everything I transfer. They expect a completely finished product. Honestly, it's such a simple thing to make the artboard stay at its default size if you drag an image into the program... there was no reason to change it.

[Ton Frederiks]

If you need Illustrator for that specific purpose, you can install an older version like the 2024 version.

If you want to let the developers know your problem, mention it here:

https://illustrator.uservoice.com/

[Anshul_Saini]

Hi @Holton Recorder,

Thank you for sharing your experience — I understand how this is adding extra steps to your workflow.

As Monika and Ton pointed out, this behavior does seem to differ from previous versions. Since you mentioned that placing a border around the image is a common task in your process, I’m curious — is there a particular method or template you rely on to maintain consistency when preparing these images for InDesign?

I will check with the product team and get back.

Best,

Anshul