Show or hide guides, grids, and smart guides

Last updated on Oct 27, 2025

Control the display of Adobe Photoshop alignment tools to help position elements with precision while keeping your workspace clean.

Guides, Grids, and Smart Guides help you position elements with precision in your Photoshop documents. These non-printing visual aids make it easier to align objects, create symmetrical layouts, and maintain consistent spacing.

Guides appear as non-printing lines that float over your image and can be moved or removed as needed. Grids provide a consistent pattern of lines for symmetrical layouts, while Smart Guides appear automatically when you create shapes, selections, or move objects to help with alignment. All of these tools are visible only in the workspace and never appear in the final output.

Show or hide visual alignment tools

Select View > Show > Grid to toggle the grid visibility.

Select View > Show > Guides to toggle guides visibility.

Select View > Show > Smart Guides to toggle Smart Guides visibility.

Select View > Extras to show or hide all non-printing elements including guides, grid, selection edges, target paths, and slices.

Toggle visibility with keyboard shortcuts

Press Ctrl + ' (Windows) or Command + ' (macOS) to show or hide the grid.

Press Ctrl + ; (Windows) or Command + ; (macOS) to show or hide guides.

Press Ctrl + Shift + ; (Windows) or Command + Shift + ; (macOS) to show or hide Smart Guides.

Tip

For the most accurate positioning, view your image at 100% magnification or use the Info panel to see precise measurements.