Use alignment guides

Use alignment and spacing guides to help you place objects precisely. When guides are turned on, they appear as you drag an object on a page in alignment with, or equidistant to, another object. You can turn the guides off and on as needed.

Yellow alignment guidelines over two objects

You can also add your own horizontal or vertical alignment guides, and place them anywhere on a page. These alignment guides don’t appear and disappear as you drag objects, but remain visible while you’re working.

Turn on alignment guides

  1. Choose Pages > Preferences (from the Pages menu at the top of your computer screen), then click Rulers.

  2. Select any of the alignment guides:

    • Center guides: Indicate when an object’s center aligns with another object’s center or the center of the page.

    • Edge guides: Indicate when an object’s edges aligns with another object’s edge or an edge of the page.

Add persistent alignment guides

You can drag alignment guides from the ruler. If you don’t see the ruler, click View , then choose Show Ruler.

With the ruler showing, do any of the following:

  • Add a horizontal guide: Click outside of text, then drag down from the top ruler.

    If no guide appears, try clicking a shape or object so the insertion point isn’t in text, then try again.

  • Add a vertical guide: Drag to the right from the left ruler.

  • Move a guide: Drag to reposition it.

  • Change the color of alignment guides: Choose Pages > Preferences (from the Pages menu at the top of your computer screen), then click Rulers. Click the color well next to Alignment Guides, then choose a color.

Tip: You can add a button to the toolbar to show and hide guides.

Remove persistent alignment guides

Do any of the following:

  • Remove a horizontal guide: Drag it to the top of the page.

  • Remove a vertical guide: Drag it to the left of the page.

  • Hide all guides: Choose View > Guides > Hide Guides (from the View menu at the top of your computer screen).

  • Clear all guides: Choose View > Guides > Clear All Guides on Page (from the View menu at the top of your computer screen).