Design precision matters—especially when aligning elements, spacing content, or maintaining layout consistency. That’s where guides in Figma come in. They provide visual alignment aids that help you place elements accurately without needing to eyeball spacing. Whether you’re creating a complex grid or just centering a logo, guides are an essential tool in every designer’s workflow.
This article walks you through how to add, use, and manage guides effectively in Figma.
🎯 What Are Guides?
Guides are non-printing horizontal or vertical lines that help you align objects on your canvas. They’re perfect for:
- Lining up icons, buttons, or blocks of text
- Creating custom grid systems
- Maintaining margins and spacing in layouts
- Working with pixel-perfect design at any zoom level
✅ How to Add Guides in Figma
1. Enable Rulers
Guides come from Figma’s rulers, so first make sure rulers are visible:
- Go to the top menu:
View > Rulers - Or use the shortcut:
Shift + R
You’ll now see vertical and horizontal rulers on the top and left sides of your canvas.
2. Drag Guides Onto the Canvas
- To add a horizontal guide: Click and drag from the top ruler down onto the canvas.
- To add a vertical guide: Click and drag from the left ruler to the right onto the canvas.
A blue line will appear where you release, and it’ll stay fixed on the canvas.
3. Snap Objects to Guides
As you move objects around, they’ll automatically snap to nearby guides, helping with alignment.
You can toggle snapping under:
View > Snap to Geometry > Guides
🔧 Managing Guides
- Move a guide: Click and drag it to a new location.
- Delete a guide: Click and drag it off the canvas (back toward the ruler), or right-click and choose Remove Guide.
- Hide/Show guides:
Go to View > Guides or use shortcut ⌘/Ctrl + ; - Lock guides:
Prevent accidental movement by going to View > Lock Guides
🎨 Tips for Better Guide Usage
- Use guides to define column widths and gutters in custom grid systems.
- Combine guides with Layout Grids for both fixed and flexible alignment options.
- Place guides at breakpoints for responsive design mockups.
- Add guides to master components to ensure consistent alignment across instances.
🧼 Removing All Guides
To clear the canvas:
- Go to the menu:
View > Clear All Guides
⚠️ This will remove all guides from the current page—use with care.
Final Thoughts
Guides in Figma are simple but powerful tools that help you stay aligned—literally. Whether you’re mocking up interfaces, crafting pixel-perfect layouts, or just trying to keep things tidy, mastering guides makes your design process smoother and more accurate. Once you integrate them into your workflow, you’ll wonder how you ever lived without them.
Designilo 