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Move, align, and distribute objects

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Illustrator

Illustrator

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  1. Illustrator User Guide
  2. Get to know Illustrator
    1. Introduction to Illustrator
      1. What's new in Illustrator
      2. Common questions
      3. Illustrator system requirements
      4. Illustrator for Apple silicon
      5. GPU performance
    2. Workspace
      1. Workspace basics
      2. Create documents
      3. Learn faster with the Illustrator Discover panel
      4. Accelerate workflows using the Contextual Task Bar
      5. Toolbar
      6. Default keyboard shortcuts
      7. Customize keyboard shortcuts
      8. Introduction to artboards
      9. Manage artboards
      10. Customize the workspace
      11. Properties panel
      12. Set preferences
      13. Touch Workspace
      14. Microsoft Surface Dial support in Illustrator
      15. Undo edits and manage design history
      16. Rotate view
      17. Rulers, grids, and guides
      18. Accessibility in Illustrator
      19. View artwork
      20. Use the Touch Bar with Illustrator
      21. Files and templates
    3. Tools in Illustrator
      1. Tools at a glance
      2. Select tools
        1. Selection
        2. Direct Selection
        3. Group Selection
        4. Magic Wand
        5. Lasso
        6. Artboard
      3. Navigate tools
        1. Hand
        2. Rotate View
        3. Zoom
      4. Paint tools
        1. Gradient
        2. Mesh
        3. Shape Builder
      5. Text tools
        1. Type
        2. Type on a Path
        3. Vertical Type
      6. Draw tools
        1. Pen
        2. Add Anchor Point
        3. Delete Anchor Point
        4. Anchor Point
        5. Curvature
        6. Line Segment
        7. Rectangle
        8. Rounded Rectangle
        9. Ellipse
        10. Polygon
        11. Star
        12. Paintbrush
        13. Blob Brush
        14. Pencil
        15. Shaper
        16. Slice
      7. Modify tools
        1. Rotate
        2. Reflect
        3. Scale
        4. Shear
        5. Width
        6. Free Transform
        7. Eyedropper
        8. Blend
        9. Eraser
        10. Scissors
        11. Dimension
    4. Generative AI (not available in mainland China)
      1. Generate scenes, subjects, and icons using text prompts
      2. Generate vector patterns using text prompts
      3. Generate vector shape fills using text prompts
      4. Recolor your artwork using text prompts
    5. Quick actions
      1. Retro text
      2. Neon glow text
      3. Old school text
      4. Recolor
      5. Convert sketch to vector
  3. Illustrator on the web (beta)
    1. Illustrator on the web (beta) overview
    2. Illustrator on the web (beta) FAQ
    3. Troubleshooting issues FAQ
    4. Keyboard shortcuts for Illustrator on the web (beta)
    5. Create and combine shapes on the web
    6. Add and edit text on the web
    7. Apply colors and gradients on the web
    8. Draw and edit paths on the web
    9. Work with cloud documents on the web
    10. Invite collaborators to edit on the web
  4. Illustrator on the iPad
    1. Introduction to Illustrator on the iPad
      1. Illustrator on the iPad overview
      2. Illustrator on the iPad FAQs
      3. System requirements | Illustrator on the iPad
      4. What you can or cannot do on Illustrator on the iPad
    2. Workspace
      1. Illustrator on the iPad workspace
      2. Touch shortcuts and gestures
      3. Keyboard shortcuts for Illustrator on the iPad
      4. Manage your app settings
    3. Documents
      1. Work with documents in Illustrator on the iPad
      2. Import Photoshop and Fresco documents
    4. Select and arrange objects
      1. Create repeat objects
      2. Blend objects
    5. Drawing
      1. Draw and edit paths
      2. Draw and edit shapes
    6. Type
      1. Work with type and fonts
      2. Create text designs along a path
      3. Add your own fonts
    7. Work with images
      1. Vectorize raster images
    8. Color
      1. Apply colors and gradients
  5. Cloud documents
    1. Basics
      1. Work with Illustrator cloud documents
      2. Share and collaborate on Illustrator cloud documents
      3. Share documents for review
      4. Upgrade cloud storage for Adobe Illustrator
      5. Illustrator cloud documents | Common questions
    2. Troubleshooting
      1. Troubleshoot create or save issues for Illustrator cloud documents
      2. Troubleshoot Illustrator cloud documents issues
  6. Add and edit content
    1. Drawing
      1. Drawing basics
      2. Edit paths
      3. Draw pixel-perfect art
      4. Draw with the Pen, Curvature, or Pencil tool
      5. Draw simple lines and shapes
      6. Draw rectangular and polar grids
      7. Draw and edit flares
      8. Trace images
      9. Simplify a path
      10. Symbolism tools and symbol sets
      11. Adjust path segments
      12. Design a flower in 5 easy steps
      13. Create and edit a perspective grid
      14. Draw and modify objects on a perspective grid
      15. Use objects as symbols for repeat use
      16. Draw pixel-aligned paths for web workflows
    2. Measurement
      1. Measure and plot dimensions
    3. 3D objects and materials
      1. About 3D effects in Illustrator
      2. Create 3D graphics
      3. Map artwork over 3D objects
      4. Create 3D Text
      5. Create 3D objects
    4. Color
      1. About color
      2. Select colors
      3. Use and create swatches
      4. Adjust colors
      5. Use the Adobe Color Themes panel
      6. Color groups (harmonies)
      7. Color Themes panel
      8. Recolor your artwork
    5. Painting
      1. About painting
      2. Paint with fills and strokes
      3. Live Paint groups
      4. Gradients
      5. Brushes
      6. Transparency and blending modes
      7. Apply stroke on an object
      8. Create and edit patterns
      9. Meshes
      10. Patterns
    6. Select and arrange objects
      1. Select objects
      2. Layers
      3. Expand, group, and ungroup objects
      4. Move, align, and distribute objects
      5. Align, arrange, and move objects on a path
      6. Snap objects to glyph
      7. Snap objects to Japanese glyph
      8. Stack objects    
      9. Lock, hide, and delete objects
      10. Copy and duplicate objects
      11. Rotate and reflect objects
      12. Intertwine objects
      13. Create realistic art mockups
    7. Reshape objects
      1. Crop images
      2. Transform objects
      3. Combine objects
      4. Cut, divide, and trim objects
      5. Puppet Warp
      6. Scale, shear, and distort objects
      7. Blend objects
      8. Reshape using envelopes
      9. Reshape objects with effects
      10. Build new shapes with Shaper and Shape Builder tools
      11. Work with Live Corners
      12. Enhanced reshape workflows with touch support
      13. Edit clipping masks
      14. Live shapes
      15. Create shapes using the Shape Builder tool
      16. Global editing
    8. Type
      1. Add text and work with type objects
      2. Reflow Viewer
      3. Create bulleted and numbered lists
      4. Manage text area
      5. Fonts and typography
      6. Convert text within images into editable text
      7. Add basic formatting to text
      8. Add advanced formatting to text
      9. Import and export text
      10. Format paragraphs
      11. Special characters
      12. Create type on a path
      13. Character and paragraph styles
      14. Tabs
      15. Find missing fonts (Typekit workflow)
      16. Arabic and Hebrew type
      17. Fonts | FAQ and troubleshooting tips
      18. Creative typography designs
      19. Scale and rotate type
      20. Line and character spacing
      21. Hyphenation and line breaks
      22. Spelling and language dictionaries
      23. Format Asian characters
      24. Composers for Asian scripts
      25. Create text designs with blend objects
      26. Create a text poster using Image Trace
    9. Create special effects
      1. Work with effects
      2. Graphic styles
      3. Appearance attributes
      4. Create sketches and mosaics
      5. Drop shadows, glows, and feathering
      6. Summary of effects
    10. Web graphics
      1. Best practices for creating web graphics
      2. Graphs
      3. SVG
      4. Slices and image maps
  7. Import, export, and save
    1. Import
      1. Place multiple files
      2. Manage linked and embedded files
      3. Links information
      4. Unembed images
      5. Import artwork from Photoshop
      6. Import bitmap images
      7. Import Adobe PDF files
      8. Import EPS, DCS, and AutoCAD files
    2. Creative Cloud Libraries in Illustrator 
      1. Creative Cloud Libraries in Illustrator
    3. Save and export
      1. Save artwork
      2. Export artwork
      3. Create Adobe PDF files
      4. Adobe PDF options
      5. Use Illustrator artwork in Photoshop
      6. Collect assets and export in batches
      7. Package files
      8. Extract CSS | Illustrator CC
      9. Document info panel
  8. Printing
    1. Prepare for printing
      1. Set up documents for printing
      2. Change the page size and orientation
      3. Specify crop marks for trimming or aligning
      4. Get started with large canvas
    2. Printing
      1. Overprint
      2. Print with color management
      3. PostScript printing
      4. Print presets
      5. Printer's marks and bleeds
      6. Print and save transparent artwork
      7. Trapping
      8. Print color separations
      9. Print gradients, meshes, and color blends
      10. White Overprint
  9. Automate tasks
    1. Data merge using the Variables panel
    2. Automation with scripts
    3. Automation with actions
  10. Troubleshooting 
    1. Fixed issues
    2. Known issues
    3. Crash issues
    4. Recover files after crash
    5. Safe mode
    6. File issues
    7. Supported file formats
    8. GPU device driver issues
    9. Wacom device issues
    10. DLL file issues
    11. Memory issues
    12. Preferences file issues
    13. Font issues
    14. Printer issues
    15. Share crash report with Adobe
    16. Improve Illustrator performance

Learn how to align, distribute, and move objects in Illustrator.

Align and distribute objects

You use the Align panel (Window > Align) and the align options in the Control panel to align or distribute selected objects along the axis you specify. You can use either the object edges or anchor points as the reference point, and you can align to a selection, an artboard, or a key object. A key object is one specific object in a selection of multiple objects. To align objects along a path, use the Objects on Path tool.

The Align options are visible in the Control panel when an object is selected. If they don't appear, choose Align from the Control panel menu.

Note:

By default, Illustrator calculates alignment and distribution based on the objects’ paths. However, when working with objects that have different stroke weights, you can use the edge of the stroke to calculate alignment and distribution instead. To do this, select Use Preview Bounds from the Align panel menu.

Align or distribute relative to the bounding box of all selected objects

  1. Select the objects to align or distribute.

  2. 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.

Align or distribute relative to one anchor point

  1. 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.

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

Align or distribute relative to a key object

  1. Select the objects to align or distribute.

  2. 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.

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

    Note:

    To stop aligning and distributing relative to an object, click again on the object to remove the blue outline, or choose Cancel Key Object from the Align panel menu.

Align or distribute relative to an artboard

  1. Select the objects to align or distribute.

  2. 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.

  3. 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.

Distribute objects by specific amounts

You can distribute objects using exact distances between their paths.

  1. Select the objects to distribute.

  2. 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.

  3. 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.

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

Move objects

You can move objects by dragging them with specific tools, by using the arrow keys on the keyboard, or by entering precise values in a panel or dialog box.

You can use snapping to help you position objects as you move them. For example, you can snap the pointer to guides and anchor points and snap object boundaries to gridlines. You can also use the Align panel to position objects in relation to each other.

You can then use the Shift key to constrain the movement of one or more objects so that they move in a precise horizontal, vertical, or diagonal direction relative to the current orientation of the x and y axes. You can also use the Shift key to rotate objects in multiples of 45°.

Move objects
Hold down Shift while dragging or drawing to limit movement to the nearest 45° angle.

Move or duplicate an object by pasting

  1. Select one or more objects.

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

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

  4. Choose one of the following commands:

    Edit > Paste

    Pastes the object into the center of the active window.

    Edit > Paste In Front

    Pastes the object directly in front of the selected object.

    Edit > Paste In Back

    Pastes the object directly in back of the selected object.

    Edit > Paste in Place

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

    Edit > Paste on All Artboards

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

Move an object by dragging

  1. Select one or more objects.

  2. 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.)

    Note:

    You can use the Snap To Point command in the View menu to have the cursor snap to an anchor point or guide when you drag an object within 2 pixels of the anchor point or guide.

Move an object using the arrow keys

  1. Select one or more objects.

  2. 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).

Move an object by a specific distance

  1. Select one or more objects.

  2. Choose Object > Transform > Move.

    Note:

    When an object is selected, you can also double-click the Selection, Direct Selection, or Group Selection tool to open the Move dialog box.

  3. 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°).

  4. 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.

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

    Directions relative to the x axis
    Directions relative to the x axis

Move an object using x and y coordinates

  1. Select one or more objects.

  2. 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.

Move multiple objects at once

  1. Select one or more objects.

  2. Choose Object > Transform > Transform Each.

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

  4. 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.

Paste an object relative to other objects

  1. Select the object you want to paste.

  2. Choose Edit > Copy or Edit > Cut.

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

  4. 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.

Paste objects 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 whichever layer is active in the Layers panel. 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 panel.

You set this option by selecting Paste Remembers Layers from the Layers panel menu. A check mark displays when the option is on.

Note:

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 as that from which it originated. If the target document does not have a layer of the same name, Illustrator creates a new layer.

Paste in place and paste on all artboards

The Paste in Place command pastes artwork on the active artboard. To use this command, click Edit > Paste in Place. The keyboard shortcut is Ctrl+Shift+V (Windows) or Cmd+Shift+V (Mac).

The Paste on All Artboards command pastes the selected artwork on all the artboards. Before using the Paste on All Artboards command, make sure that the artboard from which you are copying the object, is the active artboard.

To use the Paste on All Artboards command, click Edit > Paste on All Artboards when you cut or copy the artwork.

If you copy artwork, and then select Paste on All Artboards, the artwork is repasted on the artboard from where it is copied. (Recommended) Cut and then paste objects if you do not need to modify the original objects before using the Paste on All Artboards command.

Note:

Paste in Place and Paste on All Artboards commands paste the object at the same position as the copied objects referenced from the active artboard at the time of copying.

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