Why can't I drag and drop or place images into illustrator any more?

[joanna34002217vyhh]

Recently I've been having problems getting images into illustrator.  I can't drag and drop, copy and paste or place them. This has been an issue on and off for the last few months. It worked ok last week but stopped working again today. They just don't appear.

I'm using a mac with the Mojave operating system and a 2021 version of illustrator. I'm struggling to upgrade due to the age of my mac (which otherwise works fine).

[Monika Gause]

When was the last time you rebooted the computer?

Did you try different kinds of images?

[joanna34002217vyhh]

I last restarted the computer yesterday.  I just tried a JPG and that works. It seems to be PGN files that aren't working.

[Monika Gause]

Did someone send it to you via Whatspp?

PNGs definitely work, but WhatsApp images don't

[joanna34002217vyhh]

No, generally they're screenshots that I've saved to my desktop.

[Monika Gause]

How is your color management set up?

Have you already tried resetting the preferences?

[joanna34002217vyhh]

Colour management is CMYK colour.

I reset preferences, I still have the issue that I can't import PNG files, although I now receive an error message which i've attached.

[Monika Gause]

Color management can be found in Edit > Color settings. What did you set up?

Did you reboot and reset the Illustrator preferences?

Did you already try and open the image in Photoshop and then save as a new file?

[MAY2012]

I am having the same issue. No matter what file type I drop in from my hard drive I get an empty white image box.

[Monika Gause]

Which version, which system, which file type?

Dopes this also hapüpen with brand new files?

Are those files sent to you via WhatsApp? THat won't work anyway. Open them in Photoshop and then save again.

[MAY2012]

MacOS running on Sonoma 14.1.1
This happend with any and all file types
No files are from my own hard drive.

[Monika Gause]

Does rebooting the computer or resetting the preferences help?

[MAY2012]

nope notihng has helped. I imagine the next steps are uninstall and reinstall Illustrator but I feel like it will be a waste of time.

[Monika Gause]

Can you place it via File > Place?

[MAY2012]

nope. same result.

[Monika Gause]

You could try and contact Customer Care: https://helpx.adobe.com/contact.html

They might not be available until after the weekend.

[Klaur35609226ml30]

I have this problem too. From Photoshop 2024 to Illustrator 2024 drag and drop cant work, but from Photoshop 2024 to Illustrator 2023 works. Adobe say that is bug.

[Monika Gause]

It's not a recommended workflow anyway, because it can seriously mess up color management of your document.

[bigsplashstudio]

I'm having the same problem but with the 2024 versions of Photoshop and Illustrator.  Since the last revision, I cannot drag and drop from Photoshop to Illustrator anymore.

[Anshul_Saini]

Hi @bigsplashstudio,

Thank you for bringing this issue to our attention. I'm sorry to hear that you're experiencing difficulties with dragging and dropping from Photoshop to Illustrator in the 2024 versions of both applications.

This sounds like an unexpected behavior, and I understand how it can impact your workflow. We'll definitely look into this with our product team to determine the cause and find a solution.

Please allow us some time to investigate further. We'll get back to you as soon as we have more information or a potential workaround for you.

If you have any other questions or concerns in the meantime, feel free to reach out.

Best regards,

Anshul Saini

[Ton Frederiks]

Hi @Anshul_Saini this is another post about the subject:

https://community.adobe.com/t5/illustrator-discussions/cannot-drag-amp-drop-png-amp-jpg-to-illustrat...

It seems that it works from Photoshop 2024 (25.5.1) > AI 2023 (27.0) but not to 2024

And works from Photoshop 2024 (25.4) > AI 2024 (28.3)

But when drag&drop works, it can silently change the document color profile of the Illustrator file, changing all colors in the document. So maybe it is a blessing that it does not work.

[ACKERMAN]

Im having the same problem, i cant drag from photoshop to illustrator, it just doesnt do anything, i hope theres a fix soon

[camilav70272100]

Another polite "I don't care about your problem, you will still pay for our apps" kind of answer disgused as "i'm trying to fix this"

THANKS ADOBE!!!!

[abuse removed by moderator]

[Ton Frederiks]

You are answering to a post from a year ago. The most recent beta works.

[bigsplashstudio]

Yes, I posted a year ago about this, then it was fixed.  It is happening again with the 2025 verisions of Illustrator & Photoshop