Panels cover specific functionality.

All Panels are listed alphabetically in the Window Menu and a checkmark means a panel is currently open.

Default Layers Panel Icons (left image – see below)
Grab the side to open the Layers Panel Dock (center image – see below)
The Layers Panel Dock opened (right image – see below):

The entire right side of the screen where the Layers Panel is found is called a Panel Dock. (A Dock will have a dark bar across the top.) Expand and collapse the Layers Panel Dock here (see below):

All Panel Docks contain either a single Panel or a Panel Group or multiple Panel Groups. (ex: ARTBOARDS and LAYERS are one Panel Group. APPEARANCE and GRAPHIC STYLES are another Panel Group.)

Re-arrange the Panels by either grabbing a Group by the dotted lines above it – or – click on a Panel icon and move it within the Group it is in, to another Group – or – drag it outside of the Group and have it create its own Panel Dock.

When Groups are expanded they become Tabs (see below):

Click on a Tab to make it active and click and drag to slide a Tab back and forth within its Tabs Group.

You can create more Panel Docks. Ex: Go to Window - Align and a separate Floating Panel will open with a Panel Group consisting of TRANSFORM, ALIGN and PATHFINDER (see below):

Grab the dark bar at the top of a Floating Panel Dock and move it around. If you move it on top of any other dock (Tools Dock, Panels Dock, another Floating Panel Dock) – a thin blue line will appear and if you release your mouse it will attach and make a new Panel Dock (see below):

You can also expand and collapse your new dock on its own (see below):

If you want a Panel Group you've created to go away again, you'll have to pull it away using the dotted lines first and make it a Floating Dock again or else any other dock that it's attached to will go away too.

Use the Tab key to make all your Panels and Docks disappear – until you move your cursor all the way to the edge of your screen and then the Panels and Docks on that side will temporarily re-appear. (Hit the Tab key again to have them stay visible.)

Shift-Tab will remove all other Panels except the Tools Panel. (Hit Shift-Tab again to have them stay visible.)

Any questions?

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