Align or arrange objects

Align multiple objects

1. Select the first object, and then press and hold Ctrl while you select the other objects.

2. Do one of the following:

   • To align a picture, select the Picture Format tab.
   • To align a shape, text box, or WordArt, select the Shape Format tab.

3. In the Arrange group, select Align, and then choose one of these commands from the menu:

   Option	Description
   Align Left	Aligns objects along their left edges
   Align Center	Aligns objects vertically through their centers.
   Align Right	Aligns objects along their right edges
   Align Top	Aligns objects along their top edges
   Align Middle	Aligns objects horizontally through their middles.
   Align Bottom	Aligns objects along their bottom edges

   Important

   If the Align options are unavailable, you may only have a single item selected. Select one, or more, additional items, and then you should be able to continue.

Arrange objects equal distances from each other

1. Select at least three objects that you want to arrange equal distances from each other. To choose multiple objects, select the first object, and then press and hold Ctrl while you select the other objects.
   To select objects that are hidden, stacked, or behind text, do the following:

   • On the Home tab, choose Select, pick Select Objects,  and then draw a box over the objects.

2. Do one of the following:

   • To arrange pictures equally, select the Picture Format tab.
   • To arrange a group with shapes, text boxes, or WordArt equally, select the Shape Format tab.

3. In the Arrange group, select Align, and then do one of the following:

   • To arrange the objects horizontally, select Distribute Horizontally.
   • To arrange the objects vertically, select Distribute Vertically.

Word

Align an object with other objects

1. Hold down Shift, select the objects that you want to align.
2. On the Shape Format tab, select Arrange, choose Align and select Align Selected Objects if not already selected
3. Select Arrange Align again and choose the alignment that you want.

Align an object on the page

1. Hold down Shift, and select the objects to align.
2. On the Shape Format tab, select Arrange, choose Align and select Align to Page.
3. Select Arrange and Align, again, and then choose the alignment that you want.

Align objects on a grid

Use a grid to more easily align objects. Or, you can snap your objects to a grid line that runs through the vertical edges, horizontal edges, and center of other objects. The line becomes visible only when you drag an object near another object.

To turn on the grid option.

1. On the Word menu, select Preferences.

2. Select Edit in the Word Preferences pane.

3. Select Grid Options, and choose the type of snap-to behavior that you want:

   • To snap objects to a grid, select To grid in Print Layout View under Snap Objects.
   • To snap objects to other objects, select To other objects under Snap Objects.

4. (Optional) You can set other grid settings such as spacing.

5. To show the gridlines, under Show Grid, select Display gridlines on screen.

   Note

   You can also toggle the gridlines on and off by selecting or clearing the Gridlines check box on the View tab or View menu.

6. Click OK.

After you choose a grid option, align your objects as follows.

1. Hold down Shift, select the objects to align, and then select the Shape Format tab.

2. select Arrange, choose Align and pick an alignment option. With the gridlines displayed, you see that the objects are aligned on the grid.

   Tip

   If you set the preference to align to grid but want to suspend this setting while you move an object, hold down ⌘ command as you drag the object.

PowerPoint

Align an object with other objects

1. Hold down Shift, select the objects that you want to align.

2. On the Shape Format tab, choose Align and select Align Selected Objects if not already selected.

   If Align Selected Objects is not available, in the presentation, select at least two objects. The Align Selected Objects option becomes enabled.

3. Select  Align, and then choose the alignment that you want.

Align an object on the slide

1. Hold down Shift, select the objects that you want to align.
2. On the Shape Format tab, choose Align and select Align to Slide.
3. Click Align, and then click the alignment that you want.

Turn on snap to grid

To more easily align objects, you can snap your objects to a grid line that runs through the vertical edges, horizontal edges, and centers of other objects. The line becomes visible only when you drag an object near another object.

1. On the PowerPoint menu, select Preferences.
2. Select View and choose Snap objects to Grid.

Align objects by using Smart Guides

Smart Guides — lines that run through the center of other objects and the center of the slide  — appear when you drag an object. You can use Smart Guides to align an object relative to another object. Or, you can align an object relative to the center of a slide.

1. On the View menu select Grid and Guides and choose Smart Guides.

2. Select the object that you want to align.

   Tip

   To select multiple objects, hold down Shift, and then select the objects that you want.

3. Drag the object near another object that you want to align it with, or drag the object near the center of the page.

   Note

   To temporarily hide Dynamic Guides, hold down ⌘ command while you drag the object.

4. Use the grid lines that appear to obtain the alignment that you want.

Excel

Align an object with other objects

1. Hold down Shift, select the objects that you want to align.
2. On the Shape Format tab, select  Align and then choose the alignment that you want.

Aligning shapes and pictures features in Word for the web and Excel for the web are limited. Use the desktop version for more flexibility. 

Arrange shapes in Word for the Web

Move a shape in front or behind other objects on the slide.

1. Double-click the shapes you want to arrange. 
2. On the Shape tab, select  Arrange.
3. On the Arrange menu, select how you'd like to arrange the shape.

Arrange shapes in Excel for the Web

Move a shape in front or behind other objects on the slide.

1. Select the shape you want to arrange. 

2. On the Shape or Picture tab, select Bring Forward or Send Backward.

3. Do any of the following:

   1. On the dropdown menu for Bring Forward, select Bring Forward to move one layer at a time, or select Bring To Front. 
   2. On the dropdown menu for Send Backward, select Send Backward to move one layer at a time, or select Send To Back. 

Arrange objects in PowerPoint for the Web

Move a shape in front or behind other objects on the slide.

1. Press and hold Ctrl and select each of the shapes or pictures you want to arrange.

2. On the Shape or Picture tab, select Bring Forward or Send Backward.

3. Do any of the following:

   1. On the dropdown menu for Bring Forward, select Bring Forward to move one layer at a time, or choose Bring To Front. 
   2. On the dropdown menu for Send Backward, select Send Backward to move one layer at a time, or choose Send To Back. 

Align objects in PowerPoint for the Web

1. Press and hold Ctrl and select each of the shapes or pictures you want to arrange.
2. On the Shape or Picture tab, select Align.
3. On the Align menu, choose the alignment that you want.