: How to Subtract A Rectangle From a Circle in Illustrator I'm new to Illustrator and it is driving me nuts. What I want to do is simply subtract a rectangle from a circle On top of it,

@Fox8063795

Outline the circle first - it appears that your stroke is fairly thick, and it's just taking that small chunk out.

Create your circle, select it, then select Edit -> Path -> Outline Stroke (you'll want to make sure your stroke is thick enough). Then perform your subtraction operation.

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@Nimeshi706

Simply use the Direct Selection Tool (the white arrow) to click the two inner anchors and hit delete.



It merely takes an extra step. Not everything is possible with a single click.

You will notice however, with your current method the ends of the open section will be angled on the circle's arc. They will not be square as in your desired example.

If you want the end caps to be squared, you need to expand the circle so it's a shape rather than a stroked path. Simply select the circle and choose Object > Expand. Then proceed to draw a rectangle and use pathfinder to minus front and you will get the desired results.

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