Move, align, and distribute objects

Select the objects to align or distribute.

In the Align panel or Control panel, select Align To Selection , and then click the button for the type of alignment or distribution you want.

Click the Direct-Selection tool, hold down Shift, and select the anchor points you want to align or distribute. The last anchor point you select becomes the key anchor point.

The Align To Key Anchor  option is automatically selected in the Align panel and Control panel.

In the Align panel or Control panel, click the button for the type of alignment or distribution you want.

Select the objects to align or distribute.

Click again on the object you want to use as a key object (you don’t need to hold down Shift as you click this time).

A blue outline appears around the key object, and Align To Key Object  is automatically selected in the Control panel and Align panel.

In the Align panel or Control panel, click the button for the type of alignment or distribution you want.

Select the objects to align or distribute.

Using the Selection tool, Shift-click in the artboard you want to use to activate it. The active artboard has a darker outline than the others.

In the Align panel or Control panel, select Align To Artboard  , and then click the button for the type of alignment or distribution you want.

Select the objects to distribute.

Use the Selection tool  to click the path of the object you want the other objects to distribute around. The object you click will remain fixed in its position.

In the Align panel, enter the amount of space to appear between objects in the Distribute Spacing text box.

If the Distribute Spacing options aren’t displayed, select Show Options from the panel menu.

Click either the Vertical Distribute Space button or the Horizontal Distribute Space button.

Select one or more objects.

Choose Edit > Cut to move the selection or Edit > Copy to duplicate the selection.

To paste an object into another file, open the file. (To paste between layers, see Pasting objects between layers.)

Choose one of the following commands:

Pastes the object into the center of the active window.

Pastes the object directly in front of the selected object.

Pastes the object directly in back of the selected object.

Pastes artwork on the active artboard at the same position as the artboard from where the artwork is copied.

Pastes artwork on all the artboards at the same location where the artwork is on the current artboard.

Select one or more objects.

Drag the object to a new location.

If a selected object is filled, you can drag from anywhere on the object. If a selected object is unfilled, if you are viewing artwork as outlines, or if the Object Selection By Path Only preference is selected, you must drag from the object’s path. (See Duplicate selections using drag and drop.)

Select one or more objects.

Press the arrow key for the direction in which you want to move the object. Press Shift+arrow to move the object ten times the value specified by the Keyboard Increment preference.

The distance the object moves each time you press an arrow key is determined by the Keyboard Increment preference. The default distance is 1 point (1/72 of an inch, or .3528 millimeter). To change the Keyboard Increment preference, choose Edit > Preferences > General (Windows) or Illustrator > Preferences > General (Mac OS).

Select one or more objects.

Choose Object > Transform > Move.

Do any of the following:

• To move the object left or right, enter either a negative value (moves left) or a positive value (moves right) in the Horizontal text box.

• To move the object up or down, enter either a negative value (moves up) or positive value (moves down) in the Vertical text box.

• To move the object by an angle that’s relative to the object’s x axis, enter either a positive angle (counterclockwise movement) or a negative angle (clockwise movement) in the Distance or Angle text box. You can also enter values between 180° and 360°; these values are converted to their corresponding negative values (for example, a value of 270° is converted to –90°).

If the objects contain a pattern fill, select Patterns to move the pattern. Deselect Objects if you want to move the pattern but not the objects.

Click OK, or click Copy to move a copy of the objects.

Select one or more objects.

In the Transform panel or Control panel, enter new values in either the X or Y text box, or both.

To change the reference point, click a white square on the reference point locator  before you enter the values.

Select one or more objects.

Choose Object > Transform > Transform Each.

Set the distance you want to move the selected objects in the Move section of the dialog box.

Do one of the following:

• To move the objects by the specified amounts, click OK.

• To move the objects randomly, but no more than the specified amounts, select the Random option. For example, if you draw a brick wall and want the bricks to appear slightly offset from each other instead of perfectly aligned, you could select the Random option. Then click OK.

Select the object you want to paste.

Choose Edit > Copy or Edit > Cut.

Select the object in front or in back of which you want to paste.

Choose Edit > Paste In Front or Edit > Paste In Back.

If you paste more than one object, all pasted objects appear in front or in back of the selected artwork. However, the relative painting order among the individual pasted objects remains the same.