How to select under locked objects in Illustrator on Mac: fixes for designers in 2026

Why you can't select an object under a locked object in Illustrator

Illustrator sends your click to the top object under the cursor. If that object is locked, the click lands on it, not on the shape beneath. Locked objects cannot be edited, so Illustrator needs a separate path to reach them. A preference in Selection & Anchor Display controls that path. When it is on, a click can select a locked object on the canvas so you can release its lock. The same click cannot also pass through to what sits underneath.

Adobe staff confirmed the link in August 2024. Their reply on Adobe's UserVoice board called it a known problem with that option. They suggested splitting it into two separate settings, one for selecting locked objects and one for selecting underneath. Whether your version has that split is not confirmed here, so check your own preferences before you assume it exists.

The complaint is not a one-off. Adobe forum threads from 2020 through 2024 describe the same behavior. In one Adobe Community thread, a Community Expert said the option selects locked objects on the scratch area and releases them right away. One poster said the problem showed up in Preview mode, and locking objects with ⌘2 let them avoid it.

Fix 1: turn off the selection option in Preferences

This is the fastest fix, and it is the one Adobe staff pointed to. Open Illustrator > Preferences > Selection & Anchor Display. Some newer builds may label the menu item Settings. Forum posts also give the option different names, so look for the line about selecting locked objects on the canvas or the artboard. Clear it, then click again.

1. Choose Illustrator > Preferences > Selection & Anchor Display.
2. Find the option that lets clicks select locked objects on the canvas.
3. Clear its checkbox and close the dialog.
4. Click the object beneath the locked one. The selection should land on it now.
5. If nothing changes, check the label in your version, then repeat the test in Outline view.

Test the change with a two-shape file

Build a test before you change how you work. Start a new file. Draw a square, then draw a circle that covers part of it. Select the circle and press ⌘2 to lock it. Click the square where the circle covers it. If nothing selects, the option is on or the click hits the circle first.

Now turn the option off in Preferences and repeat the click. If the square selects, the preference was the cause. If it still fails, the cause is probably a locked parent group or layer. Keep the test file small so the check takes seconds, not minutes.

Release the locked object in the Layers panel

When you need the locked object itself, go through the Layers panel. Open Window > Layers. Find the layer or group that holds the object. The padlock column beside each row controls its lock. Expand the layer triangle to see objects inside. A locked parent can lock its children, so check the parent first if the child still refuses.

1. Choose Window > Layers to open the panel.
2. Expand the layer or group that holds your target.
3. Click the padlock on the parent, then on the child, if both are locked.
4. Select the object and carry on working.

Get in the habit of checking the panel first. It takes a few seconds and skips the guessing. The panel also shows what sits above your target, which is often the real cause.

How Figma handles locked layers

Figma handles this differently, so the habit does not carry over. Figma's help center says it includes locked layers in the Select layer menu, marked with a padlock icon. Right-click lists the layers underneath the cursor, so you can pick a locked one from that list.

The lesson still carries over to Illustrator. A locked object is reachable, just not by a plain click on the canvas. Go through a menu or a panel instead. If you move between the two tools, Figma for designers on Mac covers the Figma side.

What wasted clicks cost you in real money

Time is the main cost. The BLS puts median pay for graphic designers at $30.27 an hour in May 2025, or $62,960 a year. At that hourly rate, 5 minutes of hunting is about $2.52 of labor. That is arithmetic from the BLS hourly figure, not a published number. One miss is cheap. A bad week of misses adds up.

The scale is the other angle. The BLS counted about 253,100 graphic designer jobs in 2025, so many people share this kind of friction. A fix you pass to a teammate saves them time too.

Interruption research points the same way, with a caveat. Wikipedia's summary of interruption science cites a 2008 New York Times article. That article says a worker can take nearly a half-hour to resume the original task. It is a newspaper claim, not a measured study, and it covers interruptions in general. Treat it as a reason to keep your flow intact, not as a number to quote.

Where Lazur helps, and where it does not

Lazur works alongside Illustrator, not inside it. Hold ⌥⌘ to ask about anything on screen, and Lazur answers out loud. Ask where the padlock is, and Lazur draws a circle and a label around it. Ask how to change the preference, and Lazur guides you one click at a time, waiting for each click.

Lazur does not click the padlock or the checkbox for you. It does not change Illustrator's preferences. You do the clicking. For the search part, ask Lazur to research a fix for your exact version. It runs in its own Chrome tabs and comes back with a summary and a report.

Edge cases: groups, artboards, and stacked art

A locked group behaves like one locked object. Clicks inside it may not reach the child you want. Release the group in the Layers panel, then edit the child. Keep the group unlocked while you work inside it.

Multiple artboards add a second source of confusion. You may think you are on one artboard while the locked object sits on another. Check the artboard you are on before you blame the preference. Stacked art can also hide what you want. Hide the top object with its eye toggle in the Layers panel, click through, then show it again.

A simple locking rule that keeps the list short

Lock only what you need to protect, and do it late. Lock the template or the background once the layout is done. Leave working art unlocked. A short list of locked items is easier to scan in the Layers panel.

Name the locked layers clearly, such as Template or Background, so you spot them fast. If a teammate opens the file, the rule sits in the layer names, not in your memory.

Client files and what Lazur sends

If the file holds client work under contract, follow your employer's rules on where that file can go. Lazur sends the audio and a screenshot to AI providers to answer. Those are not stored. Lazur listens and looks at the screen only while you hold the shortcut. Content is never used to train AI models.

Start with the two-shape test. Leave the option off if clicks need to reach beneath. Use the Layers panel for release. Then pick the file habits that fit your work. Lazur offers a Pro trial with no credit card, and the trial starts when you first open the app. See pricing or download Lazur.