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Cannot Move an object in Adobe Illustrator: Click & Drag not working [Fix]

In this guide, we will show you the steps to fix the issue of being unable to move an object in Adobe Illustrator due to the click & drag feature not working. If we talk about the vector graphics editor software, then there’s no denying the fact that the offering from Adobe is probably the best in this domain. Beholds the slew of nifty tools, including the likes of Selection, Pen, Paintbrush, and Pen all of which makes it quite easy for the editors to get their job done.

drag and drop not working in Adobe Illustrator

Hiowever, in spite of all the goodies attached, it isn’t free from its fair share of issues either. As of now, various users have voiced their concern that the click to drag function is not working in Adobe Illustrator which is resulting in their inability to move an object. Be it the normal click-drag, click-opt (copy) drag, or the click-shift (constrained) drag, all three aren’t performing along the expected lines.

drag and drop not working in Adobe Illustrator

Moreover, users have also reported that a green circle plus sign appears next to the arrow, which is preventing them from draggin the objects. The plus sign only goes away once the user leaves the mouse click or the Shift key. What is even more concerning is the fact that this issue was fixed in v26.1 but later came back in v26.4.1. On the good side though, there does exist a workaround that shall help you out. Follow along for the fix.

Fix Cannot Move an object in Adobe Illustrator: Click & Drag not working

drag and drop not working in Adobe Illustrator

In order to rectify this issue, you will have to downgrade Adobe illustrator to version  v26.3.1. For that, you may either refer to our detailed guide on How to Downgrade Adobe Creative Cloud Apps to an Earlier Version or check out the below shorter instructions:

  1. Open the Creative Clouds app and scroll to the app that you wish to downgrade.
  2. Then click on the More (…) button next to that app.
    drag and drop not working in Adobe Illustrator
  3. After that, select Other Versions from the drop-down menu.
    drag and drop not working in Adobe Illustrator
  4. Now click on the Install button next to the app version of your choice.
    drag and drop not working in Adobe Illustrator
  5. That’s it, the older build of that app will now be installed onto your PC and this should resolve the underlying issue.

So these were the steps to fix the issue of being unable to move an object in Adobe Illustrator due to the click & drag feature not working. As far as the official stance on this matter is concerned, the developers are aware of this issue, but they haven’t given out any ETA for the rollout of a fix. As and when that happens, we will update this guide accordingly. In the meantime, the aforementioned workaround is your best bet.


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