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Participant
April 12, 2019
Answered

guides snap to exact pixels

  • April 12, 2019
  • 5 replies
  • 4999 views

hey guys, i want my guides snap on every pixel while moving them, without point numbers like "652,8px. i want to be them like 650px, 651px, 652px. Holding down the shift key make the guides snap to pixels, but not every pixel, it goes like 600px, 610px, 620px...

is it possible?

thanks.

Correct answer Michael Bullo

The snapping of guides to pixels with the shift key is dependent upon the level of zoom. Zoomed out it may snap to every 10 pixels. Zoom in further and it will snap to 5 and then 2 pixels. Zoom in far enough and it snaps to single pixels.

5 replies

russg22417893
Inspiring
May 14, 2025

Agreed; this seems like a real oversight to me; I also drag guides from the rulers usually (quicker and easier). Sure, typing in guide positions is an option, but I'm not that good at doing math that quickly when working on tight schedules. EIther way, it feels like this SHOULD be something that just works; so bizarre it would not just automatically default snap to individual pixels when dragging a guide, given this is a pixel-based software.

But as a relatively easy workaround: you can right-click the ruler and change it to pixels, then hold shift when dropping a guide. Works fine.

jane-e
Community Expert
Community Expert
April 15, 2019

Hi Christoph,

In Illustrator, you can hold Shift and double-click in the ruler to make the guide snap to the nearest tic mark. That sounds like what you are looking for. I am not at my computer, but I don’t think this works in Photoshop.

It would be a great feature request — feature requests are made to another forum where they can be tracked. You can make it here:

Photoshop Family Customer Community

~ Jane

jane-e
Community Expert
Community Expert
April 13, 2019

christophh92046171  wrote

i want to be them like 650px, 651px, 652px

Hi Christoph,

Do you want guides on every pixel in your entire image? You might try the Create Guides from the View menu to see if that works for you.

I’m trying to imagine why you might want guides on every pixel, though?

Jane

Participant
April 15, 2019

Because its faster and easier to drag a guide from the ruler. Lets say i want a guide at 21px an it jumps from 20 to 22px, which is really annoying. Sure I can do it from the menu > set a new guide to 21px. But its inconvenient. Or I want to change it later from 21px to 23px, and its start jumping again between 22 and 24px.

Participant
April 15, 2019

You can move the guide line freely but it only lands on the whole pixel.


absolutely no effect for me. :/

Michael Bullo
Community Expert
Michael BulloCommunity ExpertCorrect answer
Community Expert
April 12, 2019

The snapping of guides to pixels with the shift key is dependent upon the level of zoom. Zoomed out it may snap to every 10 pixels. Zoom in further and it will snap to 5 and then 2 pixels. Zoom in far enough and it snaps to single pixels.

Legend
April 12, 2019

On my computer (Win 7) it is snapping to pixels...