Expert: Laith Ibrahim - 11/23/2007

Question
Hi Laith

I wonder if you know why I can't drag over and highlight text in Illustrator or Photoshop.  I can in my colleagues computer in the same file, have I hit a button or something on my computer that has locked it?

Thanks

Kate

Answer
Hi Kate,
This usually happens when you have your text or the layer locked. However, saying that your colleagues have no problem with the same file is the strange part. You can unlock the text by clicking on the top menu/object/unlock all or simply  pressing CTRL-ALT-2. A layer can be unlocked by going to the layer menu and clicking next to the "eye" icon.

Since this issue is only happening on your computer, I think the best solution is to delete your illustrator preferences. To do that you need to search for a hidden file called "aiprefs". Make sure to include hidden files in your search. The file is usually located in "Documents and settings" on PC and in "Applications/system/preferences" on MAC. Once you find the file, delete and start Illustrator. AI will start with default preferences so anything that changed your settings and made it difficult to select the text.
Please let me know if this solution worked for you. If not you can email me the file and I'll check it but please give me more information about the operating system, Illustrator version and whether your colleagues are opening the same file and not a copy of it.
Best regards,

Laith