Position your pointer inside the horizontal ruler (for a horizontal guide) or vertical ruler (for a vertical guide).
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Create ruler guides
Last updated on
Jun 2, 2026
Learn how to use ruler guides to position objects precisely on pages and spreads in Adobe InDesign.
InDesign offers two types of ruler guides: page guides that appear only on individual pages and spread guides that span entire spreads, including the pasteboard. Ruler guides appear on the layer where you create them and follow that layer's visibility and lock settings.
Before you begin
Make sure that rulers are visible (View > Show Rulers) and that the document is in Normal mode, not Preview mode.
Create page and spread guides
For page guide: Drag from the ruler onto the page at your desired location.
For spread guide: Drag from the ruler onto the pasteboard area surrounding your spread at your desired location.
Release the mouse button when the guide is positioned correctly.
Tip
Select a guide and enter X and Y coordinate values in the Control panel to position the guides precisely.
Select a guide and hold down Alt (Windows) or Option (macOS) to toggle between horizontal and vertical guides.
Create evenly spaced guides
If your document has multiple layers, select the target layer in the Layers (Window > Layers) panel.
Select Layout > Create Guides.
Enter the number of rows or columns you want in the Number fields.
Specify spacing between guides in the Gutter fields.
Select Margins to fit guides within page margins or Page to fit guides within page edges.
Select Remove Existing Ruler Guides to delete any existing guides (including guides on locked or hidden layers).
Select Preview to view your settings before applying.
Select OK.
Additional guide creation methods
Press Ctrl (Windows) or Command (macOS) while dragging from the ruler to create a spread guide when the pasteboard isn't visible.
Double-click a specific position on the horizontal or vertical ruler to create a spread guide without dragging.
Press Ctrl (Windows) or Command (macOS) and drag from the ruler intersection to create vertical and horizontal guides at once.
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