Pasting artwork between layers

The Paste Remembers Layers option determines where artwork is pasted in the layer hierarchy. By default, Paste Remembers Layers is off, and artwork is pasted into the whichever layer is active in the Layers palette. When Paste Remembers Layers is on, artwork is pasted into the layer from which it was copied, regardless of which layer is active in the Layers palette.

Turn on Paste Remembers Layers if you're pasting artwork between documents and you want to automatically place it into a layer of the same name from which it originated. If the target document does not have a layer of the same name, Illustrator creates a new layer.

To set the Paste Remembers Layers option:

Choose Paste Remembers Layers from the Layers palette menu. A check displays when the option is on.