Right Click doesn't work at all!

[jeremy_jiovonnim57189890]

suddenly my right click is not working with in illustrator. I can't select a line/shape and right click on it to see the arrangement or transformation options. the right click doesn't even bring up an option window at all. how do I change/fix that?

Ps. I have restarted the program several times, restarted my computer, I have even uninstalled and reinstalled illustrator.

[MikeGondek]

What OS & version of Illustrator are you using? Hard to help you out without knowing.

El Capitan update seems to have broken my right click just in Illustrator.... Any help would be appr...

[Jacob Bugge]

Jeremy,

You may try the list.

Sometimes, (certain) things may fail or stop working for no apparent reason. When the (other) possible reasons/cures fail to work, it may be some kind of (temporay or permanent) corruption, or even some inconvenient preference setting(s), which may be cured with something on the following list set up in an attempt to provide a catchall solution for otherwise unsolvable cases. It starts with a few easy and harmless suggestions 1) and 2) for milder cases, and goes on with two alternative ways 3) and 4) of resetting preferences to the defaults (easily but irreversibly and more laboriously but more thoroughly and also reversibly), then follows a list 5) of various other possibilities, and it ends with a full reinstallation 6). If no other suggestions work, or if no other suggestions appear, you may start on the list and decide how far to go and/or which may be relevant.

The following is a general list of things you may try when

A) The issue is not in a specific file,

B) You have a printer correctly installed, connected, and turned on if it is physical printer (you may use Adobe PDF/Acrobat Distiller as the default printer with no need to have a printer turned on, obviously you will need to specify when you actually need to print on paper), and

C) It is not caused by issues with opening a file from external media (see at the bottom).

You may have tried/done some of them already; 1) and 2) are the easy ones for temporary strangenesses, and 3) and 4) are specifically aimed at possibly corrupt/inconvenient preferences); 5) is a list in itself, and 6) is the last resort.

If possible/applicable, you should save current artwork first, of course.

1) Close down Illy and open again;

2) Restart the computer (you may do that up to at least 5 times);

3) Close down Illy and press Ctrl+Alt+Shift/Cmd+Option+Shift during startup (easy but irreversible);

4) Move the folder (follow the link with that name) with Illy closed (more tedious but also more thorough and reversible), for CS3 - CC you may find the folder here:

https://helpx.adobe.com/illustrator/kb/preference-file-location-illustrator.html

5) Look through and try out the relevant among the Other options (follow the link with that name, Item 7) is a list of usual suspects among other applications that may disturb and confuse Illy, Item 15) applies to CC, CS6, and maybe CS5);

Even more seriously, you may:

6) A) Uninstall (ticking the box to delete the preferences if applicable), B) run the Cleaner Tool (if you have CS3/CS4/CS5/CS6/CC), and C) reinstall. It is important to use this full three step way: otherwise, things may linger.

http://www.adobe.com/support/contact/cscleanertool.html

[Jacob Bugge]

Jeremy,

If it is with El Capitan and you have Suitcase, you may try to uninstall Suitcase until the issue is sorted between Apple and Extensis.

[Monika Gause]

Jacob Bugge schrieb:

Jeremy,

If it is with El Capitan and you have Suitcase, you may try to uninstall Suitcase until the issue is sorted between Apple and Extensis.

The issue is sorted. The update is ready.

http://blog.extensis.com/apple/extensis-compatibility-with-os-x-10-11-el-capitan.php

But I doubt it will sort the right click issue.

[Jacob Bugge]

Monika,

Thank you for the update.

I (think I) remember at least one case where it was the case.

[Pete Huh]

Hi Jacob,

You helped me through this problem when I first had it and we believed it centred around Suitcase at the time -  due to momentarily getting the menu back after the newest Suitcase update was installed. However, after a restart it was gone again.

So I don't think that is the cause now, as I still have the problem.

Unplugging one of my extra displays will ALWAYS bring the context menu back and plugging it back in will ALWAYS break it.

[Jacob Bugge]

Pete,

I have also followed the slow relentless accumulation of experience over many threads.

It would be nice with a warning before upgrading to El Capitan so everyone could at least have the choice to postpone, or a (another non) solution could be to let El Capitan go down with his ship until someone has sorted the issues if possible without too bad other (kinds of) losses.

http://www.planetquark.com/2015/09/28/how-to-create-yourself-a-backdoor-to-downgrade-os-x/comment-pa...

[Gabe_Berry]

This is happening to me also. Right clicking in Illustrator CC 2015 (19.1.0) using new OS El Capitan seems to have stopped working.

Right clicking doesn't seem do anything, I can' right click on an object, or the ruler to change units, etc.

[Gabe_Berry]

Well, right click has magically started working for me this morning. Don't know why really, although I did install Fireworks CS6 the other day.

I am now using ElCapitan 10.11 build number 15A284 and Illustrator CC 2015 19.1.0.  I am not sure what changed but it sure is good to have it working again. By the way, I am on an iMac using a second monitor.

Gabe

[debgrogan]

Interesting Gabe, I wonder what is different, although have you shut it down and restarted it yet?  The issue tends to be when you set any prefs then shut down and restart.  I have to trash mine each time.  I too ran the update this am, but no changes....am running the same as you.

[Gabe_Berry]

DIdn't have to restart the computer, just quit Illy then when I started it up again... no right click. Kinda wished I hadn't quit the program now. Oh well, I did get a bunch of work done.

Back to no right click again.

Maybe that will give some clues as to what is going on.

[debgrogan]

gabe‌, shut down Illy, go to library/preferences/adobe illustrator 19 and delete that entire folder.  Then start Illy.  You will have to reset your workspace and do so every time you restart the program but it will bring them back  Each time you shut the program down you will need to trash your preferences folder for the right click to come back.

[Jacob Bugge]

Thank you very much for sharing, deb.

That may be the temporary solution for everyone until the issue is fixed permanently, or till the end of days, whichever occurs first.

[debgrogan]

lol...lets hope its not until end of days!  I hate resetting my workspace!  But I usually keep my mac on in sleep mode so I only need to do it once in awhile.....still its annoying to say the least.  I did offer to do a computer screen share with an Adobe rep that asked for offers on another thread but he never replied to my offer so perhaps he is talking to some one else.

Here’s hoping to a fix soon! 

[tudor-v]

You don't have to delete preferences or reset the workspace. The right click comes back just by restarting Illustrator. I also find it helpful to move the window on the display I want to work on BEFORE opening a file.

[debgrogan]

Sorry tudor-v‌ but the things you describe as a fix are working for you, unfortunately many of us have done all those things you mention and are still having issues so YES preferences must be trashed before restart, and NO just restarting doe snot work.  I have done all you have mentioned and more and the ONLY thing that works 100% of the time is to trash my prefs before starting......I am happy what you are doing works but if you read through this and many other threads what you describe does not work for others......

....and, case in point, if your right click comes back each time you start Illustrator, then it appears you do not have the same problem, or any problem at all for that matter.......

[tudor-v]

Sorry to hear a restart doesn't work for you, but I just wanted to let people know they don't necessarily have to perform ALL the drastic measures like trashing preferences, workspaces and restart. Sometimes a simple restart and immediately moving the window to the other monitor may be enough. That has been working for me every time when the right click was gone.

And no, my right click doesn't work each time I start Illustrator, otherwise I wouldn't waste my time here.

[debgrogan]

@tudor-v  Thanks, can I ask you when you say moving the window to the other monitor...can you describe exactly what you do in sequence?  May I also ask what kind of monitor?

Great that a restart works you   I’ve tried all of the above and then some....lol

I am using a Cintiq 22 HD.  I tried opening everything on my iMac side with the Cintiq off and still have the same issues.  Others I see have had issue it seems with monitors.  As I started the El Capitan beta testing back in June, I am still sending reports to Apple.  I have been dealing with this issue since the end of August....prior to that I had no problems...ugh....driving me a bit crazy....I have sent a few to them about this issue and sent bug reports to Adobe...not sure it is really any one thing, maybe a combo.  I do notice I have to recalibrate my Cintiq each time I do an OS update, except for this last one....I do know Wacom has not issued a new driver for the OS yet....thus my question about your monitor......I would rather trash my prefs when I need to do a restart than not use my $2,000 Cintiq however, given the choice at this point......

and the last Illy update messed up my blob brush.  it now does weird things and it not smooth.  I tried a fix for that, one thing that helps keep the size of the brush from defaulting back to the original size was to disable my GPU....but the brush itself it still off.

There are multiple issues going on and I am not sure if its the OS, or Illy or a combination.

[tudor-v]

debgrogan wrote:

@tudor-v  Thanks, can I ask you when you say moving the window to the other monitor...can you describe exactly what you do in sequence?  May I also ask what kind of monitor?

Retina MacBook Pro + Apple Cinema Display. I usually work on the Cinema Display since it's bigger. When the right click stops working I quit Illustrator, then restart it again, then I move the application window to the Cinema Display (because it always opens on the MBP screen). That's all I do.

[debgrogan]

Ugh....lol....I open the program on my iMac, but the right click never works if I do not trash the prefs first, have did over and over .....I also tried opening on the iMac side and moving to the Cintiq....it doesn’t seem to matter which side I open it on (she says growling....lol)

Well, they will have to fix it at some point.  As long as I can do what I need to I am okay with what I need to do now....oh...are you using El Capitan??

[tudor-v]

Yes, El Capitan.

[debgrogan]

Thanks .......at a loss as to the answer all the way around, which is making me nuts because I am kind of an OCD, methodically figure it out and fix it kind of girl....lol......will wait for some resolution   Thanks for the insight! 

[Pete Huh]

I have the same problem and I have noticed others have too.

Have you tried unplugging an additional display if you have one?

It has helped myself and others in other threads.

No real solution yet though as far as I am aware.

[ezequiela72512351]

Hey this thing worked for me, but then when I connect again the second display the problem is still there. It's weird, using Ai in my MacbookPro screen with out the 2nd display there is no problem, but If I connect it again there is not right click again.