How to Use Guides in Figma for Precise Design Alignment

In Figma, you can create guides by dragging from the rulers on the top or left edges of the canvas to help align objects precisely. You can move guides by dragging them or remove them by dragging them back to the ruler or right-clicking and selecting Remove Guide.

Syntax

Guides in Figma are created and managed through the canvas interface, not by code. Here is how you use them:

• Drag from Rulers: Click and drag from the top ruler to create a horizontal guide or from the left ruler to create a vertical guide.
• Move Guides: Click and drag an existing guide to reposition it.
• Remove Guides: Drag the guide back to the ruler or right-click on the guide and select Remove Guide.
• Show/Hide Guides: Use Shift + Ctrl + ; (Windows) or Shift + Cmd + ; (Mac) to toggle guides visibility.

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No code syntax; guides are created via drag-and-drop from rulers in the Figma UI.

Example

This example shows how to add a vertical guide at 200 pixels and a horizontal guide at 150 pixels to align design elements precisely.

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1. Make sure rulers are visible by pressing <code>Shift + R</code>.<br>2. Click and drag from the left ruler towards the canvas until the guide snaps at 200px.<br>3. Click and drag from the top ruler towards the canvas until the guide snaps at 150px.<br>4. Place your design elements aligned to these guides for consistent spacing.

Output

You will see a vertical blue guide line at 200px from the left and a horizontal blue guide line at 150px from the top, helping you align objects.

Common Pitfalls

• Rulers Not Visible: Guides cannot be created if rulers are hidden. Press Shift + R to toggle rulers.
• Accidental Guide Movement: Guides can be moved unintentionally. Lock guides by right-clicking and selecting Lock Guides to prevent this.
• Removing Guides Mistakenly: Dragging guides off the canvas removes them. Be careful when moving guides near rulers.
• Confusing Guides with Frames: Guides are non-printing lines for alignment only; they do not affect export or printing.

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Wrong way:
- Trying to create guides without rulers visible.
Right way:
- Press Shift + R to show rulers before dragging guides.

Quick Reference

Action	Shortcut / Method
Show/Hide Rulers	Shift + R
Create Horizontal Guide	Drag from top ruler
Create Vertical Guide	Drag from left ruler
Move Guide	Drag guide line
Remove Guide	Drag guide back to ruler or right-click > Remove Guide
Toggle Guides Visibility	Shift + Ctrl + ; (Windows) or Shift + Cmd + ; (Mac)
Lock/Unlock Guides	Right-click on guide > Lock Guides

Key Takeaways

Drag from rulers to create horizontal or vertical guides for precise alignment.

Use Shift + R to toggle rulers visibility before adding guides.

Move guides by dragging and remove by dragging back to rulers or right-clicking.

Lock guides to prevent accidental movement during design.

Toggle guide visibility with keyboard shortcuts to declutter your workspace.