toolbars not offering dropdown menus

[designmade]

Working on Adobe Illustrator CC 18 (20.0.1) on a mac running OS 10.11.6. A number of my toolbars are not providing dropdown menus. More specifically, I cannot click on the arrow next to the type size to see a drop down of menu options. Noticed the same for Transparency tool; the drop down does not work so I cannot change the transparency effect. Has anyone experienced this issue and found a fix? Thanks.

[Srishti Bali · Accepted solution]

Hi designmade,

As per your query, drop-down menus of few panels are not working. In that case please try resetting preferences for Illustrator.

How to set preferences in Illustrator

Regards,

Srishti

[designmade]

Hi, Thank you for your response, but I hope you do realize that this is the Adobe suggestion for every bug that we encounter and it does not work. At this point, the first thing we do is reset the preferences. Still have problems. By the time we finally resolve the problems, if we do, then you upgrade the software and new problems arise. This problem has been replaced by host of new problems in the latets release. Thank you, but not really. 

[swestfall98]

I had this same problem...I use 2 monitors. Monitor 2 has the menus on it. Those option pull downs dont work on the 2nd monitor. They DO work on the main monitor.

[Elpeeda]

Are there any other suggestions for this issue? I m encountering the same problem in Illustrator on Windows. Drop down menus won't work for any panels. I did reset preferences and nothing changed.

[default9pn64fme22pn]

I have the same issue since the update... Did you manage to solve it?

[abiwilliams]

Can I jump on this too - same issue. 

[Tayyab S]

hey Dear
you nedd to right click on any tool bar till more than 3 to 4 seconds then
dropmenus will be opened.

[abiwilliams]

Thank you @Tayyab S - feel a little stupid now but I am sure pre-update that you just hovered over!!!! 

[adobeme1]

This is absolutely horrible and unacceptable. I basically cannot do anything in Illustrator: choose transparencies, fonts, toolbars, set format settings, dpi's, and a lot more. Stupid.

[defaultmi1zhc221xrm]

I also have the same problem, when I click on the drop down menus, it doesn´t show me any off the options, and i just downloaded it and started working on it today, so i have never messed with the preferences

[CGB_CGB]

Yep - Same issue.

My mac is up to date, my Ai is up to date.
The very top bar "File, Edit, Object, Type..." etc are not responding.
I can click them, nothing happens, I click again and get a flash of the menu.
This is rendering my Adobe Illustrator as completely USELESS without my knowledge of hot-keys.
What can I do?!?!?!

[Monika Gause]

Yep - Same issue.

My mac is up to date, my Ai is up to date.
The very top bar "File, Edit, Object, Type..." etc are not responding.
I can click them, nothing happens, I click again and get a flash of the menu.
This is rendering my Adobe Illustrator as completely USELESS without my knowledge of hot-keys.
What can I do?!?!?!

By @CGB_CGB

Current version?

Which system?

Are you using more than one monitor?

Did you already reset the preferences?

[CGB_CGB]

Hi Monika,

I am on the latest version of Adobe Illustrator from Creative Cloud.
My mac is the most upto date it can be.

I am only using one monitor,
And I cannot get to the Preferences section of the menus, as my menus will not drop down.

I shall continue to restart Ai and hope for the best.

[Monika Gause]

But your Mac is not running a beta system, no?

To reset the preferences, you do not need to open the dialog box.

https://helpx.adobe.com/illustrator/using/setting-preferences.html

[CGB_CGB]

My mac isnt running a Beta system as far as I am aware. 

I will try the Option+Cmd+Shift shortcut to reset preferences now!

[CGB_CGB]

No idea how to use this shortcut "as you start illustrator" 

Rebooted a few times, still to no avail. I guess I will have to await an update or something! 
I cant use any of the drop down menus to disable any of my plugins etc either

[Monika Gause]

Please contact Customer Care: https://helpx.adobe.com/contact.html

They can login to your system to check this out.

[kenm808 · Accepted solution]

Prefernece dump did not solve. I have no sub-menus; cant change arrow tool; can‘t change units. Been corresponding and chatting with Adobe with no solve.  Just did deep clean app remove and re-install. Found it works on newly created user. Very puzzling and annoying.

[JoeLloyd33 · Accepted solution]

This seemed to work for me. Go to 3 dots to 'edit toolbar' then go up to the top right corner of the window and click on the drop down icon which has the option for advanced. That added the arrow for the drop down list to my shape builder tool as well as others. 

[kenm808]

Update for my experience:

My solution ended up being migrating the new test user space where the application performed as expected.

Adobe was unable to determine a fix on my MacOS user–after hours of unhelpful, and hard to understand at times tech support could only advise building a new user.

Very frustrating and disappointing experince causing hours of productivity loss.

[Andrew278497746kpd]

A dual monitor setup was the culperate for me. I'm in Ai 2024 running Sonoma. First time I've ever had this happen. I'm just trying to get a few things done and have not tried to kick the 2nd monitor back on yet.

[Andrew278497746kpd]

*culprit. 

[Ali-O]

I'm having this issue with my dual monitors. Did you ever find a fix for this issue? It seemed to start once I updated to Sonoma. Very frustrating as I can not use all my monitors. 

[digital@iit]

It's quite ridiculous but the only solution I found that resolves the issue, so that I can get on and do some work, is before launching AI I disconnect the external monitor on my Mac and then launch AI and then reconnect the monitor.