Comparing selection methods
Illustrator provides the following selection methods and tools: - The Layers palette lets you quickly and precisely select individual or multiple objects. You can select a single object (even if it's in a group), all objects within a layer, and entire groups. (See Selecting objects using the Layers palette.)
- The Selection tool
lets you select objects and groups by clicking any spot on them (or within them if the object or group is filled) or by dragging over them. (See Selecting objects using the selection tools.) - The Direct Selection tool
lets you select individual anchor points or path segments by clicking on them, or select an entire object or group by selecting any other spot on the item. You can also select one or more objects in a group of objects. (See Selecting objects using the selection tools, Selecting groups or an object within a group using selection tools, or Selecting path segments or anchor points.) - The Group Selection tool
lets you select an object within a group, a single group within multiple groups, or a set of groups within the artwork. Each additional click adds all objects from the next group in the hierarchy. For information on selecting groups with this tool, see Selecting groups or an object within a group using selection tools. - The Lasso tool
lets you select objects, anchor points, or path segments by dragging around all or part of the object. (See Selecting objects using the selection tools and Selecting path segments or anchor points.) - The Magic Wand tool
lets you select objects of the same color, stroke weight, stroke color, opacity, or blending mode by clicking the object. (See Using the Magic Wand tool and palette.) - Selection commands (located in the Select menu) let you quickly select or deselect all objects, and select objects based on their position relative to other objects. You can also select all objects of a specific type or that share specific attributes, and save or load selections. (See Selecting or deselecting using selection commands.)
To use the last-used selection, direct selection, or Group Selection tool when using any other tool (except these selection tools), hold down Ctrl (Windows) or Command (Mac OS).
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