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New Participant
July 3, 2014
Answered

Why can't I select and move guides with selection tools?

  • July 3, 2014
  • 21 replies
  • 107697 views

I'm using Illustrator CC and I cannot select and move guides with the selection tools. The guides are not locked. I can select the guides in the Layers Panel, but I can only move with the arrow keys. I can also "Release" the guides once they are selected in the Layers Panel, but I still cannot move them with the mouse - only the arrow key.

Summary of Problem:

  1. Guides are not locked.
  2. Some guides can only be moved when they are selected in the Layer Panels and when using the arrow keys
  3. Non-selectable Guides can be "Released" but only altered in color and line weight and still only moved with the arrow keys.

Desired Outcome:

I want to be able to move all guides using the mouse for greater accuracy vs the arrow keys.

Thank you for your help.

Correct answer logogogue

Got it!

In my scenario (AICC2015) the Guides do not show as locked but they are!


Go and unlock them from the View Menu.

Adobe Documentation here...

How to use rulers, grids, and guides in Illustrator
Does not seem to alert users to this bug/feature, unless I'm missing something?

Or perhaps it's in the manual


This is the answer that worked for me! In my layers panel, I couldn't select the guides but going to Alt + Ctrl + ; did my bidding. Guides move freely. I must have inadvertently locked it when I did some weird keyboard combos by accident.

21 replies

Kris Hunt
Brainiac
July 3, 2014

Does it happen all the time, or just with certain documents? If you create a new file and throw some guides on it, can you move them around with the mouse immediately?

New Participant
July 3, 2014

Only on certain documents, infrequently. The file I'm working on right now will allow me to move some but not others.

If I create a new file, I can move them with the mouse immediately.

Kris Hunt
Brainiac
July 3, 2014

And the layers the guides are on aren't locked, either, I assume?