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Introduction to artboards

Learn how to create and work with artboards.

Artboards let you streamline the design process and work on designs on an infinite canvas. In Illustrator, an artboard is like a sheet of white paper that forms the base for your artistic work. You can use provided presets for popular devices or create custom-sized artboards to design your artwork. You can also export or print them.

When you create a document or open a new file in Illustrator, you can choose your artboard's preset and dimensions. If you have more than one design, you can add or create multiple artboards. You can also resize, rename, replicate, and remove artboards according to your requirements. 

Adobe Illustrator deeplink

Try it in the app
You'll get a sample file to follow along with as you learn how to use the Artboards panel.

Keep your Artboards, Properties, or Control panel handy to start with the artboard. Choose the below options to activate the panels after you create or open a document:

Windows > Artboards

Artboards panel
Artboards panel

Windows > Properties

Properties panel
Properties panel

Windows > Controls

Control panel
Control panel

Create an artboard

Let's say, you want to develop your design, export, or print them on multiple pages. Instead of creating multiple documents, you can create multiple artboards in the same document.
You can create an artboard using the Artboard tool or add new artboards to design your artwork. 

  1. Click the Artboard tool   in the tool panel, or press Shift + O.

    Preset ot custom
    Artboard tool

  2. To apply preset or custom dimensions, use the artboard options or press Esc to exit the artboard-editing mode.

Use the artboard options

To use Artboard options, do the following:

  1. Click the Artboard tool   and double-click your artboard.

  2. In the Artboard Options dialog, specify the Name of your artboard and do any of the following:

    • Select an option from the Preset drop-down list.
    • Enter values in the W and H fields to modify the width and height of the artboard.
    Preset ot custom
    Artboard Options

  3. Select Landscape or Portrait to set the Orientation of your artboard.

    If you want to modify the display settings of the artboard, see the additional artboard options.

Add new artboards

Follow these steps to add new artboards to your document:

  1. Click the Artboard tool   and do one of the following:

    add an artboard
    Artboards panel

    A. New Artboard B. More options 

  2. Press Esc to exit the artboard-editing mode.

Select artboards

Selecting multiple artboards can save your time while duplicating, copying, moving, or deleting them.

Follow these steps to select multiple artboards:

  1. Click the Artboard tool   and do any of the following:

    • To select an artboard, click the artboard.
    • To select multiple artboards, Shift-click the artboards.
    • To select all the artboards, press Ctrl + A (Windows) or Cmd+ A (macOS).
    Select artboards
    Select multiple artboards

Resize, rename, and duplicate artboards

While working with designs on multiple artboards, you'd want to resize, rename, duplicate, delete, or manage artboards to provide a convenient layout to your artwork. An artboard's name appears in its upper-left corner.


When you want to resize, rename, or duplicate artboards, ensure that the Artboard tool   is selected.

Resize artboards

Resize artboard
Resize artboard

Select the artboard and drag the bounding box to resize your artboard.

Rename artboards

Preset ot custom
Rename artbaord

In the Properties panel, enter the new name in the Name field.

Duplicate artboards

Duplicate artboards
Duplicate artboards

Select your artboard. In the Artboards panel, click More options > Duplicate Artboards. Press Esc to exit the artboard-editing mode.

Scale artwork with artboard

When designing for multiple screen sizes like desktop, tablet, and mobile, scale the artboard and artwork together to maintain layout integrity and proportions and ensure a consistent experience across devices.

  1. Select the object you wish to scale and then select the Artboard tool   .

  2. In the Properties panel, select Scale artwork with Artboard.

    Adobe Illustrator workspace showing the Properties panel with the "Scale artwork with Artboard" option checked.
    Scale Options

  3. Drag the bounding box to resize your artwork and artboard proportionally.

How to set reference points when resizing artboards?

A reference point allows you to hinge a corner or center of an artboard when you resize it.
To set a reference point, do the following:

  1. In the Artboards options, click one of the nine reference points in the reference point grid.

    Reference point
    Reference point grid

  2. Specify width and height values.

Delete artboards

Artboards are the base of your designs. You can remove artboards that are inessential or do not contribute to your artwork. However, your document needs at least one artboard in it. If you try to delete all the artboards, the artboard that's numbered 1 will remain.

Follow the steps below to delete your artboards:

  1. Click the Artboard tool  .

  2. Select one or multiple artboards that you want to delete and click the   icon in the Artboards, Properties, or Control panel.

    Artboards panel
    Artboards panel

    A. Delete Artboard B. More options 

  3. To delete all empty artboards at once:

    1. Click More options in the Artboards panel.
    2. Select Delete Empty Artboards.

Tips and tricks

Learn more

Watch these 4-minute videos to learn how to create and edit artboards in Illustrator. To learn more, see Work with artboards.

Create artboards

Edit artboards


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