User Guide Cancel

Align and distribute objects

Search
  1. InDesign User Guide
  2. Get to know InDesign
    1. Introduction to InDesign
      1. What's New in InDesign
      2. System requirements
      3. Common questions
      4. Use Creative Cloud libraries
    2. Workspace
      1. Workspace basics
      2. Toolbox
      3. Set preferences
      4. Touch workspace
      5. Default keyboard shortcuts
      6. Document recovery and undo
  3. Create and lay out documents
    1. Documents and pages
      1. Create documents
      2. Work with parent pages
      3. Work with document pages
      4. Set page size, margins, and bleed
      5. Work with files and templates
      6. Create book files
      7. Add basic page numbering
      8. Number pages, chapters, and sections
      9. Convert QuarkXPress and PageMaker documents
      10. Share content
      11. Understand a basic managed-file workflow
      12. Save documents
    2. Grids
      1. Grids
      2. Format grids
    3. Layout aids
      1. Rulers
  4. Add content
    1. Text
      1. Add text to frames
      2. Threading text
      3. Arabic and Hebrew features in InDesign
      4. Create type on a path
      5. Bullets and numbering
      6. Glyphs and special characters
      7. Text composition
      8. Text variables
      9. Generate QR codes
      10. Edit text
      11. Align text
      12. Wrap text around objects
      13. Anchored objects
      14. Linked content
      15. Format paragraphs
      16. Format characters
      17. Find/Change
      18. Spell check and language dictionaries
    2. Typography
      1. Using fonts in InDesign
      2. Kerning and tracking
    3. Format text
      1. Format text
      2. Work with Style Packs
      3. Tabs and indents
    4. Review text
      1. Track and review changes
      2. Add editorial notes in InDesign
      3. Import PDF comments
    5. Add references
      1. Create a table of contents
      2. Footnotes
      3. Create an index
      4. Endnotes
      5. Captions
    6. Styles
      1. Paragraph and character styles
      2. Map, export, and manage styles
      3. Object styles
      4. Drop caps and nested styles
      5. Work with styles
      6. Leading
    7. Tables
      1. Format tables
      2. Create tables
      3. Table and Cell styles
      4. Select and edit tables
      5. Table strokes and fills
    8. Interactivity
      1. Hyperlinks
      2. Dynamic PDF documents
      3. Bookmarks
      4. Buttons
      5. Forms
      6. Animation
      7. Cross-references
      8. Structure PDFs
      9. Page transitions
      10. Movies and sounds
    9. Graphics
      1. Understand paths and shapes
      2. Draw with the Pencil tool
      3. Draw with the Pen tool
      4. Apply line (stroke) settings 
      5. Compound paths and shapes
      6. Edit paths
      7. Clipping paths
      8. Change corner appearance
      9. Align and distribute objects
      10. Linked and embedded graphics
      11. Integrate AEM assets
    10. Color and transparency
      1. Apply color
      2. Use colors from imported graphics
      3. Work with swatches
      4. Mix inks
      5. Tints
      6. Undertand spot and process colors
      7. Blend colors
      8. Gradients
      9. Flatten transparent artwork
      10. Add transparency effects
  5. Share
    1. Work with InDesign Cloud documents
    2. InDesign cloud documents | Common questions
    3. Share and collaborate        
    4. Share for Review
    5. Review a shared InDesign document
    6. Manage feedback 
  6. Publish
    1. Place, export, and publish
      1. Publish Online
      2. Copy, insert graphics
      3. Export content for EPUB
      4. Adobe PDF options
      5. Export content to HTML
      6. Export to Adobe PDF
      7. Export to JPEG format
      8. Export HTML
      9. DPS and AEM Mobile overview
      10. Supported File Formats
    2. Printing
      1. Print booklets
      2. Printer's marks and bleeds
      3. Print documents
      4. Inks, separation, and screen frequency
      5. Overprinting
      6. Create PostScript and EPS files
      7. Preflight files before handoff
      8. Print thumbnails and oversized documents
      9. Prepare PDFs for service providers
      10. Prepare to print separations
  7. Extend InDesign
    1. Automation
      1. Data merge
      2. Plug-ins
      3. Capture extension in InDesign
      4. Scripting
  8. Troubleshooting
    1. Fixed issues
    2. Crash on launch
    3. Preference folder read-only issue
    4. Troubleshoot file issues
    5. Unable to export PDF
    6. InDesign document recovery
Note:

Equitable Language: We are replacing non-inclusive language from InDesign 2022 (version 17.0) onwards, to reflect core Adobe values of inclusivity. Any reference to Master page is replaced by Parent page in our Help articles for the English, Danish, Hungarian, Spanish, Italian, Brazilian, Portuguese, and Japanese locales.

Align panel overview

You use the Align panel (Window > Object & Layout > Align) to align or distribute objects horizontally or vertically along the selection, margins, page, or spread. Consider the following when working with the Align panel:

  • The Align panel doesn’t affect objects to which you’ve applied the Lock Position command, and doesn’t change the alignment of text paragraphs within their frames.

  • Text alignment is not affected by the Align Objects options. (See Align or justify text.)

  • You can use the Keyboard Shortcuts dialog box (Edit > Keyboard Shortcuts) to create custom align and distribute shortcuts. (Under Product Area, select Object Editing.)

Align panel

A. Vertical alignment buttons B. Vertical distribution buttons C. Use Spacing distribution D. Horizontal alignment buttons E. Horizontal distribution buttons F. Alignment location options 

Align or distribute objects

You can use the Align panel to align or space selected objects horizontally or vertically to the selection, margins, page, or spread.

Objects distributed horizontally to selection (top) and to margins (bottom)

  1. Select the objects to align or distribute.
  2. Choose Window > Object & Layout > Align to display the Align panel.
    Note:

    To show or hide additional panel options, choose Show Options or Hide Options from the panel menu.

  3. From the menu at the bottom of the panel, specify whether you want to align or distribute objects based on the selection, margins, page, or spread.
  4. Do one of the following:
    • To align objects, click the button for the type of alignment you want.
    • To distribute objects, click the button for the type of distribution you want. For example, if you click the Distribute Left Edges button when Align To Selection is turned on, InDesign makes sure that there is an equal amount of space from left edge to left edge of each selected object.
    Using the Distribute Horizontal Centers option for even spacing

    A. Creates even spacing between the centers of each object B. Keeps the overall width the same as before the transformation 

    • To set the space between objects, either center to center or edge to matching edge, select Use Spacing under Distribute Objects, and then type the amount of space you want to apply. Click a button to distribute the selected objects along their horizontal or vertical axes.

    Using the Distribute Horizontal Centers option and adding a value for Use Spacing

    A. Spaces the objects evenly from their centers by a specified value B. Changes the overall width of the objects as a whole 

    • To set the space between objects (facing edge to facing edge), under Distribute Spacing, select Use Spacing and type the amount of space you want between the objects. (If Distribute Spacing is not visible, choose Show Options in the Align Panel menu.) Then, click the Distribute Spacing button to distribute the objects along their horizontal or vertical axes.
    Using the Distribute Horizontal Space option and adding a value for Use Spacing

    A. Creates spaces of a specified value between each object B. Changes the overall width of the objects as a whole 

When you use spacing with vertical distribution, selected objects are spaced from top to bottom, starting with the top-most object. When you use spacing with horizontal distribution, selected objects are spaced from left to right, starting from the left-most object.

Note:

You can also use the Smart Spacing feature to align or distribute objects while moving them. For example, if two vertical objects are 12 points apart, moving a third object 12 points below the second object causes temporary guides to appear, allowing you to snap the object into alignment.

Align objects using the Gap tool

The Gap tool provides a quick way to adjust the size of a gap between two or more objects. It also lets you resize several objects that have commonly aligned edges simultaneously, while keeping the gaps between them fixed. It’s a one-step way to adjust your layout by directly manipulating the space between objects.

The Gap tool ignores locked objects and parent page items.

  1. Select the Gap tool .

  2. Move the pointer between two objects, and do any of the following actions:

    • Drag to move the gap and resize all objects aligned along the gap.

    • Shift-drag to move the gap between only the two nearest objects.

    • Ctrl-drag (Windows) or Command-drag (Mac OS) to resize the gap instead of moving it. Adding the Shift key resizes the gap between only the two nearest objects.

    • Alt-drag (Windows) or Option-drag (Mac OS) to move the gap and objects in the same direction. Adding the Shift key moves only the two nearest objects.

    • Ctrl+Alt-drag (Windows) or Command+Option-drag (Mac OS) to resize the gap and move the objects. Adding the Shift key to resize the gap and move only the two nearest objects.

Note:

To view hints on using the Gap tool, select the Gap tool and open the Tool Hints panel (Window > Utilities > Tool Hints).

Distribute objects using Live Distribute

When transforming multiple selected objects, you can resize the space between the selected objects proportionally instead of resizing the actual objects. For example, if you want to change the spacing between five aligned rectangles, you can do so without using any Distribute commands.

  1. Select the objects.

  2. Start dragging a selection handle and hold down the Spacebar while dragging. Continue dragging to change the spacing between the objects.

More like this

Adobe logo

Sign in to your account

Quick links

View all your plans Manage your plans

Legal Notices    |    Online Privacy Policy