24 Lock, hide, and delete objects

While you are working with multiple objects it may be hard to keep an order. Locking objects prevents you from selecting and editing them. You can quickly lock multiple paths, groups, and sublayers by locking their parent layer.

To lock objects, click the edit column button (to the right of the eye icon) in the Layers panel for the object or layer you want to lock. Drag across multiple edit column buttons to lock multiple items. Alternatively, select the objects you want to lock, and then choose Object > Lock > Selection. To unlock objects, click unlock icon in the Layers panel for the object or layer you want to unlock. You can also use the following commands to lock and unlock objects:

• To lock all objects that overlap the area of the selected object and that are in the same layer, select the object, and then choose Object > Lock > All Artwork Above.
• To lock all layers other than the layer that contains a selected item or group, choose Object > Lock > Other Layers or choose Lock Others from the Layers panel menu.
• To lock all the layers, select all the layers in the Layers panel, and then choose Lock All Layers from the panel menu.
• To unlock all objects in the document, choose Object > Unlock All.
• To unlock all objects within a group, select an unlocked and visible object within the group. Hold down Shift+Alt (Windows) or Shift+Option (Mac OS) and choose Object > Unlock All.
• If you locked all layers, choose Unlock All Layers from the Layers panel menu to unlock them.