Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and Word in Microsoft 365. If you are using an earlier version (Word 2003 or earlier), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for earlier versions of Word, click here: Using the Drawing Grid.

Using the Drawing Grid

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated October 12, 2022)
This tip applies to Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and Word in Microsoft 365

When you are working with Word's drawing tools, you might find it difficult to align objects. Fortunately, there is a drawing feature that you can use to assist you in doing this. You can use the drawing grid to provide a temporary, nonprinting straight edge. In this way you can easily align other objects in your drawing.

Follow these steps to make sure the drawing grid is turned on:

Display the Page Layout tab (or the Layout tab if you are using Word 2016 or a later version) of the ribbon.
Within the Arrange group, click the Align drop-down list. Word displays a list of available commands.
Choose Grid Settings. Word displays the Drawing Grid dialog box (if you are using Word 2007 or Word 2010) or the Grid and Guides dialog box (if you are using Word 2013 or a later version.) (See Figure 1.)

Figure 1. The Grid and Guides dialog box.

Use the controls in the dialog box to set the specifics of the grid. You can use the controls to specify the horizontal and vertical spacing used in the grid. You should also make sure the Snap Objects to Grid When the Gridlines Are Not Displayed option is selected.
Make sure the Display Gridlines on Screen check box is selected. (You can turn the gridlines on and off later by using the View tab of the ribbon, in the Show group.)
Click on OK.

WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (5947) applies to Microsoft Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and Word in Microsoft 365. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Word here: Using the Drawing Grid.

Author Bio

Allen Wyatt

With more than 50 non-fiction books and numerous magazine articles to his credit, Allen Wyatt is an internationally recognized author. He is president of Sharon Parq Associates, a computer and publishing services company. Learn more about Allen...

MORE FROM ALLEN

Duplicating Styles without Dependency

Creating new styles in Word is a great way to ensure that your document has a uniform look. But what if you want to ...

Discover More

Using Optional Hyphens

Adding hyphens to your document can affect the way in which Word wraps text from one line to the next. Optional hyphens, ...

Discover More

Counting Asterisks

For some operations and functions, Excel allows you to use wild card characters. One such character is an asterisk. What ...

Discover More

Comprehensive VBA Guide Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) is the language used for writing macros in all Office programs. This complete guide shows both professionals and novices how to master VBA in order to customize the entire Office suite for their needs. Check out Mastering VBA for Office 2010 today!

More WordTips (ribbon)

Cropping Graphics

Need your hide some of the outside edges of a graphic? You can instruct Word to crop (or hide) those outside edges by ...

Discover More

Turning Off Borders for Data Series

Don't want a border to appear around a data series represented in a Microsoft Graph chart? You can easily control the ...

Discover More

Rotate a Graphic Using the Keyboard

Rotating a graphic using the mouse is rather easy. Rotating a graphic using the keyboard is a bit trickier. This tip ...

Discover More

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

View most recent newsletter.

Comments

If you would like to add an image to your comment (not an avatar, but an image to help in making the point of your comment), include the characters [{fig}] (all 7 characters, in the sequence shown) in your comment text. You’ll be prompted to upload your image when you submit the comment. Maximum image size is 6Mpixels. Images larger than 600px wide or 1000px tall will be reduced. Up to three images may be included in a comment. All images are subject to review. Commenting privileges may be curtailed if inappropriate images are posted.

Notify me about new comments ONLY FOR THIS TIP

Notify me about new comments ANYWHERE ON THIS SITE

Hide my email address

What is three more than 2?

2024-03-14 09:51:53

THANK YOU FOR THIS INFORMATION!my vertical gridlines were not visible in a document, and googling the problem resulted in many useless results before i found this one. it's such a simple fix but an obscured setting.thank you, too, for all your info on this site! i rely on your tips regularly!

2019-09-17 16:09:56

Laura

Unfortunately the grid does not display on top of the drawing when I follow your directions. :(

This Site

Got a version of Word that uses the ribbon interface (Word 2007 or later)? This site is for you! If you use an earlier version of Word, visit our WordTips site focusing on the menu interface.