Tools panel overview 

The first time you start the application, the Tools panel appears at the left side of the screen. You can move the Tools panel by dragging its title bar or the Illustrator icon. You can also show or hide the Tools panel by choosing Window > Tools.

You use tools in the Tools panel to create, select, and manipulate objects in Illustrator. Some tools have options that appear when you double-click a tool. These include tools that let you use type, and select, paint, draw, sample, edit, and move images. 

You can expand some tools to show hidden tools beneath them. A small triangle at the lower-right corner of the tool icon signals the presence of hidden tools. To see the name of a tool, position the pointer over it. 

View hidden tools

 Hold down the mouse button on the visible tool.

View tool options

 Double-click a tool.

Move the Tools panel

 Drag its title bar or the Illustrator icon.

Hide the Tools panel

 Choose Window > Tools.

Tear off hidden tools into a separate panel

 Drag the pointer over the arrow at the end of the Tools panel and release the mouse button.

Close a separate tool panel

 Click the close button on the panel’s title bar. The tools return to the Tools panel.

Hide or show all panels

• (Illustrator, InCopy, InDesign, Photoshop) To hide or show all panels, including the Tools panel and options bar or Control panel, press Tab. 
  
• (Illustrator, InCopy, InDesign, Photoshop) To hide or show all panels except the Tools panel and options bar or Control panel, press Shift+Tab. 
• You can temporarily display panels hidden by these techniques by moving the pointer to the edge of the application window (Windows) or to the edge of the monitor (Mac OS) and hovering over the strip that appears. 
• (Flash) To hide or show all panels, press F4.
  

Display panel menu options

  Position the pointer on the panel menu icon  in the upper-right corner of the panel, and press the mouse button.

(Illustrator) Adjust panel brightness

  In User Interface preferences, move the Brightness slider. This control affects all panels, including the Control panel.

Reconfigure the Tools panel

You can display the tools in the Tools panel in a single column, or side by side in two columns.

In InDesign, you also can switch from single-column to double-column display by setting an option in Interface preferences.

  Click the double arrow at the top of the Tools panel