Where have the align options gone?

[J L Kyle]

Where is the align to selection drop down gone?

[Bobby Henderson]

Align to selection is the default alignment behavior. If you marquee select multiple objects at once all of those selected objects will move to a new "averaged" position. IMHO, I don't think that's a very useful default behavior, but that's what it is. In the image you posted the "Align To" options are align to artboard, align to selection and align to key object.

I am almost always aligning one or more objects to a certain "key" object I want locked in place. Most other vector graphics applications will lock in place either the first or last object shift+clicked into a selection. Illustrator is different. You can marquee select or shift+click objects one by one into a selection, but while all the objects are selected you have to click the intended key object once more to lock it in place for others to align to it. It takes some effort to get used to that behavior. My bigger complaint is I can't seem to come up with an effective custom "recipe" of keyboard shortcuts for alignment and distribution functions. Everything I've tried has created conflicts within Illustrator or in some cases conflicts with other applications, such as NVidia's graphics board applications.

[Anshul_Saini · Accepted solution]

Hi @J L Kyle,

Thanks for reaching out. The "Align to" drop-down menu in Adobe Illustrator has undergone a minor UI change. Starting from Illustrator 2022, all alignment options are now displayed side by side instead of being grouped in a drop-down menu.

You can find them directly on the Align panel or Control bar, making it easier and quicker to access the alignment options.

However, "Align to" options are still available in a drop-down menu located on the Control bar.

If you have any more questions or need further assistance, feel free to ask. Happy designing!

Best,

Anshul Saini