Moving objects forward or to the front in Adobe Illustrator allows you to control their stacking order on the artboard, determining which objects appear on top of others.
You can arrange objects using keyboard shortcuts, menu commands, or the right-click context menu.
Bringing an Object Forward One Step
To move a selected object one position forward in the stacking order (placing it on top of the object directly below it):
- Keyboard Shortcut: Use Command + ] on Mac or Ctrl + ] on Windows.
- This shortcut, Command right bracket, for bringing an object forward step by step is demonstrated in the referenced video clip.
- Menu Command: Go to Object > Arrange > Bring Forward.
Using the "Bring Forward" option repeatedly will move the object up through the stack one layer at a time.
Bringing an Object All the Way to the Front
To move a selected object to the very top of the stacking order, placing it in front of all other objects on its layer:
- Keyboard Shortcut: Use Command + Shift + ] on Mac or Ctrl + Shift + ] on Windows.
- Menu Command: Go to Object > Arrange > Bring to Front.
This is the quickest way to ensure an object is visible on top of everything else within its current layer.
Using the Context Menu
Another convenient way to access arrangement options is by right-clicking (or Control-clicking on Mac) the selected object.
- Select the object(s) you want to arrange.
- Right-click on the selected object(s).
- From the context menu that appears, hover over Arrange.
- Choose either Bring Forward or Bring to Front.
Understanding Object Stacking Order
Objects in Illustrator are arranged in layers, and within each layer, they have a stacking order based on when they were created or last moved. The most recently created or moved objects are typically on top by default. The "Arrange" options allow you to manually control this order.
Moving an object "to the front" places it at the highest position within its current layer. If you have multiple layers, objects on a layer higher in the Layers panel will always appear in front of objects on a layer lower in the Layers panel, regardless of their individual stacking order within those layers.
