Top 5 Smart Ways to Remove Anchor Points in Adobe Illustrator
4 minute readIn this article, we break down the top 5 smart ways to remove points without destroying your shapes in Adobe Illustrator. From quick one click tools to powerful cleanup options for complex files, these techniques will help you work cleaner and faster.
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Ensure you have the VectorScribe and VectorFirstAid plugins installed through your Astute Manager. Need more help on this? Here's the full documentation website…
1. PathScribe: Smart Remove Point Button
Select your artwork or specific anchor points
Open the PathScribe panel (Window > Astute Graphics > PathScribe)
Click the Smart Remove Point button to intelligently remove unnecessary anchor points while preserving geometry
Optional: Record this button as an Illustrator Action to apply smart point removal to selected artwork. Take it even further, and make a keypress for that Action, reducing Smart Remove Points to one click.
2. VectorScribe: Smart Remove Brush Tool
Select the Smart Remove Brush tool from the Astute Graphics toolset (stacked under the PathScribe tool)
Brush over unwanted anchor points to remove them intelligently
Illustrator evaluates curvature and removes points only where they are not needed
Hold Alt/Option to override tolerance for precise control
Assign a custom keyboard shortcut for fast, repetitive point cleanup during drawing or refinement
3. VectorFirstAid: Super Smart Remove Points Button
Select the artwork you want to clean up
Open the VectorFirstAid panel (Window > Astute Graphics > VectorFirstAid)
Click the Smart Remove Points button to automatically analyze and reduce excess anchor points
Ideal for batch cleanup of complex or imported artwork
To adjust the tolerance, Alt/Option + click the button to open the settings dialog
4. AG Utilities: Smart Remove Points Live Effect
Select one or more paths
Go to Effects > AG Utilities > Smart Remove Points to apply the live effect
Adjust the tolerance and precision settings
View results in real time without permanently altering the path structure
Keep the effect editable or expand it later once you are satisfied with the result
Bonus: Watch how to create this path visualizer effect on YouTube
5. PathScribe: Fix broken rounded corners
Use PathScribe to marquee-select the anchor points
Shift + Click the Smart Remove Points button in the PathScribe panel to access the straight-segment corner method
The segments will extend in straight lines until they intersect creating a sharp corner
You can now use your chosen method to reapply a rounded corner
