can't snap circle center to guide

[Timur26770648crpp]

I have created two nice guides for a technical graph I am working on, and the next step is to put a circle at the intersection of the two guides, but I am struggling with this for an hour now, and the circle center doesn't snap there.

I can snap the GUIDE to the circle center, but I want the CIRCLE CENTER to snap to the guide. The guide MUST stay where it is. What am I doing wrong?

[Ton Frederiks]

Try turning on Smart Guides: Cmd or Ctrl U

[Timur26770648crpp]

Smart guides are on. But I have changed so many settings while struggling with this, maybe I should just reset everything. Any easy way to return all settings to defaults so that I start from a known point?

[Monika Gause]

In the Preferences > Smart guides you need to turn on All the options. Particularly the transformation tools. It's also important to press the cmd key (on Win the ctrl) while you move the object.

[Ton Frederiks]

I have in the Preferences > Smart Guides everything on except Transform Tools and Construction Guides.

Smart Guides are on but I have all the Snapping options off.

No need to press the Cmd key, grab the circle by the center point to the intersection of the guides and you will see Intersect when you are there.

[Monika Gause]

Are you moving the circle with the mouse or are you using the Align panel?

[Timur26770648crpp]

Grabbing the circle at its center and moving with the mouse.

[RvdT]

Try holding Ctrl, when snapping (if on pc).

[DAN5EE8]

Hi. Do you know how to do this on Mac?    I want to snap the center of the circle to grid. I too have spent over an hour, even hit up support chat and they said control click, but we can't control click on mac OS, that is a right click, which baffled support.  I just get the context menu if I do that.  Please let Illustrator do this basic rudimentary thing easily.   Many thanks for any info

[Ton Frederiks]

No need for Ctrl click in this case. The Mac equivalent for Ctrl would be Cmd

[DAN5EE8]

Ok but unfortuantely that doesn't change the snapping behaviour.  Only the edges of the circle snap to the grid etc.  Any idea how to just snap the center point of a circle to the grid, or anything else?   Seems like the most rudimentary thing but I cannot get Illustrator to do it. Any ideas?

[Ton Frederiks]

The topic was snap center to guides. It looks almost impossible to have the edges as well as the center snap to grid.

Snapping the center to guides works well.

But you may want to do a feature request:

https://illustrator.uservoice.com/

[DAN5EE8]

Sorry, there's a misunderstanduinig.   I do not want to snap edges of my circles.  I want to snap the center of the circle to guides or grid.   The center does not snap to anything.  After reading many help threads, also Adobe documentation, talking to support, watching videos, I cannot get circle centers to snap to anything.

How do I get circle centers snapping to guides or grid.  Does this work for everyone else?  is it my Illustrator?

[Monika Gause]

Tell us about your exact set up.

Which version is it?

Is snap to point turned on?

Smart guides? Which options for them?

Snap to grid? It will conflict with smart guides.

And a screenshot would be nice.

[DAN5EE8]

Hi.  I am using the latest and current version of Illustrator, on mac OS Big Sur.

I would like to create a document (can do that), create a grid (can do that), draw circles (can do), and then have the centers of the circles snap to the grid.  The circles are not always equivalent in size to the grid so I must snap the centers, not the perimeter /edge

Can you suggest what options or keys I need to use?   many thanks

Screen shot included

[Ton Frederiks]

Snap the center to guides works with Smart Guides if the grid snapping is turned off

[DAN5EE8]

Ok yes I've just discovered, as you say, it's only possible with smart guides, and only if snap to grid is off because it defeats the center point snapping altogether, what a puzzle and fantastic undocumented feature

I must say it's not just snapping the center point to grid, things are snapping all over the place and I'm having to zoom in to get it right anyway. It's a bit like carving text into a stone with a spoon but at least I can get it done now

Many thanks for the help

[DAN5EE8]

Actually it's not working.  It was only smart guide aligning to other things placed on grid lines