Adding or Deleting Points on Paths

The following table compares the different tools and commands as to their effect when adding or deleting points on a path.

Tool or Command	Action	Result
Add Anchor Point tool	Click a segment on the path	Always adds a point to the path.
Delete Anchor Point tool	Click an existing point on the path	Deletes the point. Path reshapes without any break.
Erase tool	Drag along a path	Creates a break in the path
Scissors tool	Click a point or a segment	Creates two end points at that position. Points can then be separated to create a break in the path.
Open Path command	Applied to a path	Creates two end points at the origin of the path. Points are indicated by selection. Points can then be separated to create a break in the path.
Close Path command	Applied to a path	Creates a segment that joins two end points of a path.
Delete command	Applied to points or segments selected with the Direct Selection tool	If applied to a selection in the middle of a path, the command breaks the path into two segments. If applied to a selection at the end of a path, the command shortens the path.