Lock Unlock

Clicking on an art object with the Lock Unlock tool will lock it (if it is unlocked) or unlock it (if it is locked). The cursor will change to reflect the operation which will be performed by clicking. To help distinguish locked from unlocked items, the tool highlights all locked objects in red. When the cursor is passed over them, objects which will be affected by the tool will be additionally highlighted in blue.

Lock Unlock Tool Highlighting

Normally, the Lock Unlock tool will affect only one grouping level at a time. For example, suppose there is a group of two rectangles, and, using the Layers panel, one of the rectangles is locked. Suppose then that the group itself is locked, and then the layer containing the group is locked. When the Lock Unlock cursor is hovered over either of the rectangles, both will be highlighted in blue, indicating that the unlock operation will affect both of them (because they belong to the same locked layer). After clicking, the layer will have been unlocked, but not the group; the rectangles still appear highlighted in red. It would take a second click to unlock the group, and a third click to unlock the locked rectangle.

Lock Unlock Tool Normal Mode

However, if the Option/Alt key is held down when clicking, then all children of the top-most locked group or layer will also be unlocked. The cursor will appear with a small arrow when unlocking all children.

Lock Unlock All the Children

When locking with Option/Alt pressed, it is the top-most parent group that is locked (if the object is grouped). However, this locking does not extend up to layers and sublayers.