Zoom to Selected Object Illustrator (Free Script)

[Pariah Burke]

I'm reposting this as a standalone post to make it easier for anyone to find and use.

A user asked in this thread about a keyboard shortcut to zoom to a selected object in Adobe Illustrator the way many 3D drawing tools can. Of course, Illustrator will zoom toward/away from a selected object using CMD/CTRL plus/minus, which is what I initially told the original poster. I learned that wasn't as convenient as the OP wanted, so I built the way they wanted.

Using my below script you can...

• zoom Illustrator's view port directly to any selected object, 
• whether that object is in view or not, 
• whether you're already zoomed to Fit to Artboard, 64,000%, or any other zoom level.

And, you can assign the function a keyboard shortcut to make it work as easily as CMD+0/CTRL+0.

Thanks to @RP_Schmidt for giving me an interesting challenge to solve, especially since JavaScript programming is decidedly not my forte.

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Zoom to Selected Object in Adobe Illustrator

Version 1.0 | 2025-04-06

by Pariah Burke, Adobe Community Professional, https://iampariah.com

First, download the script and the installation instructions, then follow the below (or included) instructions to add it to Illustrator and to bind it to a keyboard shortcut:

This script centers the view on the currently selected object(s) and adjusts the zoom so that the selection fits within the active artboard.

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Installation

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For Mac

1. Install the Script

• Move the Script:

Place the PSBZoomToSelected.jsx file into the Illustrator Scripts folder located at:

/Applications/Adobe Illustrator 2025/Presets.localized/en_US/Scripts

(Adjust the language folder if needed.)

2. Restart Illustrator

• If Illustrator is running, close and reopen it to load the new script.

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For Windows

1. Install the Script

• Move the Script:

Place the PSBZoomToSelected.jsx file into the Illustrator Scripts folder, typically located at:

C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Illustrator 2025\Presets\en_US\Scripts

2. Restart Illustrator

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Bind the Script to a Keyboard Shortcut

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1. Open the Actions Panel:

Go to Window > Actions.

2. Create a New Action:
   • Click the New Action button at the bottom of the panel.
   • Name the action (e.g., “Zoom to Selection”) and assign a function key (with optional modifier keys) for the shortcut.
   • Click Record.
3. Run the Script:
   • Navigate to File > Scripts and select PSBZoomToSelected.
   • The script will execute, and the action will record this step.
4. Stop Recording:
   • Click the Stop button in the Actions panel.
   • Your new keyboard shortcut is now active.

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Run the Script

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You can now execute the script either via the assigned keyboard shortcut or by navigating to File > Scripts > PSBZoomToSelected.

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By following these instructions, you’ll have the PSBZoomToSelected.jsx script installed and accessible via your custom keyboard shortcut in Adobe Illustrator 2025 on both Mac and Windows. Enjoy better zooming!

[jay fresno]

Thank you for sharing your scrpt!

[RP_Schmidt]

Wow, thank you very much!!!!

I've been on a development sprint for the last two weeks trying to catch up on projects, but I will definitely be adding this to illustrator and saving the installation instructions and script to my external folder for safekeeping (and in the event I have to reinstall).

I really appreciate the time you put into this and the consideration!

[Pariah Burke]

You're welcome! I hope it makes Illustrator a little easier to work with.

[Pariah Burke · Accepted solution]

Here are the usage and installation instructions in video form:

[rehana36276218]

• "Adobe, it’s 2025… AI is taking over the world, but Illustrator still makes ‘Zoom to Selection’ feel like a side quest in a 90s video game."

• "Why does zooming to a selection in Illustrator still feel like searching for buried treasure? Adobe has been hitting snooze on this feature for decades."

• "The world moved on, but Illustrator’s zoom workflow stayed in 1998. Adobe, wake up—2025 is calling!"

[Anubhav M]

Hello @rehana36276218, I'm sorry to hear about your experience. Could you share more details, like the version of the OS/Illsutrator installed, your system specs(CPU/GPU/Memory), if this happens with all files, and a small screen recording of the problem, so we can better assist you? Looking forward to your response. Anubhav