Locking objects

Locking an object not only prevents it from being accidentally changed, but it prevents it from even being selected. If you click a locked object, it's as though you were clicking right through it. In a complex illustration, it's often helpful to lock an object so that you can draw or edit around it without it getting in your way.

You can lock an object or a group of objects by choosing the object (or group of objects or the entire layer) and clicking Lock from the Arrange menu (or press CTRL+2). You can also lock an object or a group of objects in the Layers panel by clicking the padlock icon . When an object is locked, the padlock changes to a locked icon  . For more about identifying and manipulating objects in the Layers panel, see The Layers panel.

The Layers panel showing one locked layer and one locked object

You can unlock a single locked object or group by clicking its padlock icon in the Layers panel. Alternately, you can unlock all locked objects by clicking Unlock All from the Arrange menu (or press CTRL+ALT+2).