How to Use Ruler in Figma: Simple Steps for Beginners

In Figma, you can use the Ruler by pressing Shift + R to toggle rulers on or off. Then, click and drag from the ruler edges to create guides that help you align and measure elements precisely in your design.

Syntax

The ruler in Figma is toggled using the keyboard shortcut Shift + R. Once enabled, rulers appear on the top and left edges of the canvas. You can click and drag from these rulers to create guides.

• Shift + R: Toggle rulers on/off
• Click and drag from ruler edge: Create a guide
• Drag guide: Move the guide
• Drag guide back to ruler: Remove the guide

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Shift + R  // Toggle rulers
Click and drag from ruler edge  // Create guide
Drag guide to move
Drag guide back to ruler to remove

Output

Rulers appear on top and left edges; guides appear as blue lines on canvas

Example

This example shows how to enable rulers and create guides to align a rectangle precisely in Figma.

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1. Press <code>Shift + R</code> to show rulers.
2. Click and drag from the top ruler down to create a horizontal guide at 100px.
3. Click and drag from the left ruler right to create a vertical guide at 150px.
4. Place a rectangle shape so its edges snap to these guides for perfect alignment.

Output

Rulers visible; two guides placed at 100px (horizontal) and 150px (vertical); rectangle snaps to guides

Common Pitfalls

Some common mistakes when using rulers in Figma include:

• Not toggling rulers on first with Shift + R, so guides cannot be created.
• Trying to create guides by clicking on the canvas instead of dragging from the ruler edges.
• Forgetting to remove unused guides, which can clutter the workspace.
• Not using guides for snapping, missing precise alignment benefits.

Always ensure rulers are visible and drag from the ruler edges to create guides.

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Wrong way:
Click on canvas expecting to create guide (does nothing)

Right way:
Press Shift + R
Drag from ruler edge to create guide

Output

No guide created when clicking canvas; guide created when dragging from ruler

Quick Reference

Action	Shortcut / Method
Toggle rulers	Shift + R
Create guide	Click and drag from top or left ruler
Move guide	Drag guide on canvas
Remove guide	Drag guide back to ruler edge
Snap objects to guides	Move objects near guides to snap

Key Takeaways

Press Shift + R to toggle rulers on or off in Figma.

Create guides by dragging from the ruler edges, not by clicking on the canvas.

Use guides to align and measure elements precisely for cleaner designs.

Remove unused guides by dragging them back to the ruler to keep your workspace tidy.

Objects snap to guides automatically, helping with exact placement.