Clean up
Clean up removes the anchor points that change nothing: points stacked on each other, points on a straight run, and empty paths. The outline stays exactly where it was. Simplify further removes more, and says first how far the outline will move.
How to use it
Open Specs
Select the mark, open the Specs tab, then Clean up. It appears only when there is something to remove.
Read what it found
The line names only the reasons this mark has.
6 of 48 anchors are redundant: stacked on each other, exactly on a straight run. The outline does not move.
Remove them
Press Remove 6. Inspect measures the mark again and says what happened.
Removed 6 anchors, outline unchanged
Free. Remove is free on every licence. Stacked anchors also have their own Remove on the Findings tab.
Simplify further
Choose a Tolerance: 0.05%, 0.2%, 0.5% or 1% of the mark’s long side. Linyal says how many more anchors can go, and how far the outline would move:
4 more can go within 0.2%, and the finished outline moves at most 0.03 pt.
Preview shows them on the drawing. Remove takes them out and refits the neighbouring handles, so the curves keep their shape.
Pro. The 0.05% step is free. The 0.2%, 0.5% and 1% steps are Pro; on Free the button reads “Upgrade to simplify”. Until 31 January 2027, Pro is open to everyone.
What it never removes
- A point where the shape turns.
- A stacked point that carries a curve’s handle.
- A short stroked path, such as a dot.
- A closed two-point lens with a curved side.
- An open two-point arch with a fill.
Limits
- Clean up doesn’t fix near misses, such as two radii that almost match. Those stay findings for you to decide.
- A path edited after Linyal measured it keeps its points, and the result line says so.
- The panel has no undo for Clean up. Use Edit › Undo in Illustrator.