by Illustrator's perspective grid has a habit of appearing when nobody asked for it, and hiding it is one shortcut once you know the shortcut. This page is the short answer, then the longer one for the widget, the tool, presets, and objects that are stuck to a plane.
The short answer
Shift + Ctrl + I (Windows) or Shift + Cmd + I (Mac) hides the grid. The menu command is View > Perspective Grid > Hide Grid, and the same item reads Show Grid when the grid is hidden, so it is a toggle. That shortcut is also how the grid usually appears by accident: it sits next to other common combinations and is easy to press while aiming for something else.
The widget in the corner
The small cube-shaped plane-switching widget at the top left of the window belongs to the Perspective Grid tool. With that tool active, clicking the X on the widget hides the grid and the widget together. Choosing any other tool, for example pressing V for the Selection tool, removes the widget as well; the grid itself then stays until you hide it.
Leaving the tool
The Perspective Grid tool (Shift + P) shows the grid whenever it is selected, and the Perspective Selection tool (Shift + V) works on it. There is no exit command; pick another tool. If the grid keeps coming back as you work, one of the two tools is still active.
Presets
Saved grid setups live under Edit > Perspective Grid Presets, where you can select a preset you made and Delete it; the built-in one-, two- and three-point presets cannot be deleted. Deleting a preset does not change any artwork drawn with it. To save the current grid as a preset for another document, use View > Perspective Grid > Save Grid as Preset; to define the current one exactly, View > Perspective Grid > Define Grid.
Objects stuck to a plane
Artwork drawn on the grid, or attached to it with Object > Perspective > Attach to Active Plane, is edited in perspective from then on. To free it, select it and choose Object > Perspective > Release with Perspective: it keeps the distorted shape it has but becomes ordinary artwork, editable with the normal tools and unaffected by the grid. Restoring the undistorted original means drawing it flat again; Illustrator does not keep a pre-perspective copy.
When you wanted the grid after all
If the grid appeared because you were trying to draw in perspective and it looked wrong, the setup guide for the tool is Illustrator's perspective grid tool, including how to define a grid for a given lens. For the geometry itself, without the widget, the 2-point grid here shows horizon and vanishing points for any lens and exports an SVG you can place in Illustrator as a locked guide layer.
Related
Illustrator perspective grid tool · 2-point perspective grid · Affinity: fix perspective · perspective drawing tools compared
Questions
How do I turn off the perspective grid in Illustrator?
Press Shift + Ctrl + I on Windows or Shift + Cmd + I on Mac, or choose View > Perspective Grid > Hide Grid. The same command toggles it back on as Show Grid. If the grid keeps reappearing, you still have the Perspective Grid tool selected: press V to switch to the Selection tool.
How do I get rid of the perspective grid widget in the corner?
With the Perspective Grid tool active, click the small X in the top-left corner of the plane-switching widget. That hides the grid and the widget together. Choosing any other tool also removes the widget while the grid stays.
Why did the perspective grid appear by itself?
Shift + Ctrl + I is easy to hit while reaching for other shortcuts, and selecting the Perspective Grid tool (Shift + P) shows the grid immediately. Press the shortcut again or choose Hide Grid.
How do I release an object from the perspective grid?
Select it and choose Object > Perspective > Release with Perspective. The object keeps its distorted shape but is no longer attached to a plane, so it can be edited as normal artwork. To restore its original flat shape you have to draw it again or undo.
How do I delete a perspective grid preset?
Edit > Perspective Grid Presets, select the preset and click Delete. The built-in presets cannot be deleted, only your saved ones. Deleting a preset does not affect artwork already drawn on it.
Is hiding the grid the same as deleting it?
Hiding removes it from view; the document's grid settings remain and Show Grid brings it back exactly as it was. There is nothing to delete: a document has one perspective grid defined at all times, and hiding it is how you turn it off.
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