What is this weird overlay thing that I can't get rid of?

[benb98739948]

See below.  This weird pink/blue shadow thing showed up on my design and I can't figure out how to get rid of it.  It doesn't seem to be selectable, and even more strange, when you scroll around or zoom in/out, it will sometimes disappear and then come back once you move the screen again.  It's driving me crazy! Does anyone know what this is and how to get rid of it?  Thanks

[Bill Silbert]

Try resetting the Illustrator preference. To do so:

For Macintosh Users: With Illustrator closed launch a Finder Window in column view and click on your home folder. With the Option Key pressed choose Library from the Finder Go Menu. Within the Library folder find the folder called Preferences and within it find the following two files and delete them: “Adobe Illustrator <Version #> Settings” (earlier versions of Illustrator might just say “Adobe Illustrator”) and “com.adobe.Illustrator.plist”. When Illustrator is next launched it will create new preference files and the program will be restored to its defaults.

After you’ve reset up the program (make sure that no document window is open) to your liking, it is a really good idea to 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.

For Windows Users: Hold down Ctrl + Alt + Shift when launching Illustrator and respond affirmatively when asked if you want to reset.

[Monika Gause]

Does it appear in any file?

Or just this file?

Did it appear all of a sudden?

When you opened the file? Or when you applied some effect?

What kind of file is this?

Where did you get it from?

Can you please show a screenshot of the layers panel

[Chris Panny · Accepted solution]

I think I had this same problem with older versions of Ai. I'm on a Windows 10 machine, btw, but try going into the Preferences window and navigate to GPU Performance. Uncheck the GPU Performance box and click ok.

[Srishti Bali]

Hi benb,

Hope the issue is solved by steps suggested above, if not, please please share some more details like:

Operation System (Exact Version of Windows or MAC)

The version of Illustrator.

Graphics Card

Please update the discussion if the issue is resolved or if you have any further query.

Regards

Srishti