# Align, distribute and Tidy up
> Line layers up, share out the space between them, set an exact gap, or tidy a loose group into neat rows and columns.
Source: https://uxdeck.app/guide/align (checked against uxdeck on 16 October 2026)
Aligning and spacing are commands: you select the layers, choose what should happen, and they move. Nothing moves until you ask. Use **Align** to line layers up on an edge or a centre, **Distribute** to share out the space between them, **Space across** and **Space down** to put an exact gap between them, and **Tidy up** to turn a loose scatter into a neat grid.
If the layers should stay arranged as you add and remove things, put them in an auto layout frame instead. See [Auto layout](/guide/auto-layout).
## Align
The six align buttons sit on the **Layout** heading of the Design tab.
| Button | Keys |
|---|---|
| Align left | ⌥A |
| Align horizontal centres | ⌥H |
| Align right | ⌥D |
| Align top | ⌥W |
| Align vertical centres | ⌥V |
| Align bottom | ⌥S |
- **Several layers** line up with each other, within the box around the whole selection. Align left moves each one to the leftmost edge.
- **One layer** lines up inside its parent: Align horizontal centres puts a button in the middle of its card.
## Distribute
Open the **…** button (**Distribute and resize**) beside the align buttons:
- **Distribute horizontally** gives three or more layers equal gaps from left to right.
- **Distribute vertically** does the same from top to bottom.
On a Mac, ⌃⌥H distributes horizontally and ⌃⌥V vertically. On Windows, CtrlAltH distributes horizontally; distribute vertically from the menu.
The first and last layers stay where they are; the ones between move so every gap is the same.
The same menu has **Tidy up**, plus **Resize to fill** (fill the parent) and **Resize to fit** (hug the content) for a single layer.
## Space across and Space down
When you need an exact gap, not just an even one, use the **Spacing** section. It appears in the Design tab when you select two or more layers that sit loose in the same parent.
1. Type the **Gap** you want. It starts at 16 and remembers the last value you used until you reload.
2. Press **Space across** to set the layers side by side that far apart, or **Space down** to stack them.
The layers keep the order they stand in, starting from the first one's place. Only one direction changes: Space across leaves their heights where they are.
## Tidy up
Press ⌃⌥T, or **Tidy up** in the **Spacing** section or the **…** menu. The selection is lined up in rows and columns:
- Layers that overlap vertically are read as one row, from the top down.
- Each column is as wide as its widest layer, each row as tall as its tallest.
- The gap is the typical gap already between them, or 10 if there is none to go by.
- The grid starts from the selection's top-left corner. A single row or column stays one.
Tidy up is the quickest fix for a set of thumbnails or cards you dropped roughly in place.
## Shortcuts
| Action | Keys |
|---|---|
| Align left / right | ⌥A / ⌥D |
| Align top / bottom | ⌥W / ⌥S |
| Align horizontal / vertical centres | ⌥H / ⌥V |
| Tidy up | ⌃⌥T |
## Catches
- **Layers placed by auto layout cannot be arranged.** Their frame decides where they go; change its gap and alignment instead. Tidy up says "These layers are placed by auto layout". A layer set to **Ignore auto layout** can be arranged.
- **The layers must share a parent.** Space across, Space down and Tidy up work on layers in the same frame (or all on the canvas), with none locked. Otherwise the **Spacing** section does not appear.
- **A frame on its own canvas has nothing to align to.** The align buttons are unavailable for a single layer straight on the canvas.
- **Distribute needs three.** With two layers there is only one gap; use **Space across** or **Space down** to set it.
- **Arranging moves layers on the canvas only.** Their order in the layers list stays the same.
- **Aligning one layer that ignores auto layout** also pins its constraint to that side, so it stays there when the frame resizes.