Every shape, text object, or image you add to the canvas has its own layer. In this article, we'll show you how to adjust the alignment, position, dimensions, and rotation of your layers. You'll find most of these properties at the top of the Design panel in the right sidebar. Alignment tools allow you to arrange layers on the canvas in relation to one another.
Basic positioning and alignment
Select one object or layer: Figma will align the layer to its parent. Hold Shift and click the alignment controls to align multiple objects as a group to their parent frame. When resizing an object, moving layers, or moving vector points, use the snap to settings to help align them to other elements on the canvas.
Snap to geometry: Used only in vector edit mode. Snap to pixel grid: Align objects to an underlying grid to prevent misaligned pixel errors when exporting elements. To turn Snap to settings on and off, open a Figma Design file and go to > Preferences. To temporarily disable Snap to pixel grid with Control, make sure you’re in vector edit mode and zoomed in to the canvas.
To know if you’re zoomed in enough, turn on the pixel grid ⇧ Shift ' and zoom in until the grid is visible. Tip! If you’ve toggled on Ctrl+click opens right click menus, click and hold the object before using Control to temporarily disable snapping. Use distribution to create equal space between layers in a selection.
Distribute and tidy up: arranging space between layers
You can then adjust the horizontal and vertical spacing between the objects in your selection with smart selections. When using tidy up on objects in two dimensions, like a grid, the tidy up process is much stricter. The vertical and horizontal spacing will depend on their starting position and can be the same or unique. If you're using tidy up on a one dimensional selection, you'll notice that this functions similarly to the distribute function. The main purpose of the tidy up function is to arrange layers so they meet both the criteria for a smart selection. Distribute will only set a uniform distance between layers, it doesn't require layers to overlap on either axis. Tidy up lets you align objects along both axis at the same time. For both distribute and tidy up, Figma will show the space between in the or field.
Note: If you have Snap to pixel grid enabled, you may see subtle discrepancies in spacing between layers. When Snap to pixel grid is disabled, Figma may distribute layers with decimal spacing values.
Position coordinates and basic arithmetic
Figma represents a layer's position on the canvas using X and Y coordinates. You can also use basic mathematical equations (- + * / ^ () ) to quickly adjust the values of the X and Y co-ordinates. You can add an equation before or after the existing value, or replace it with a new equation entirely. Use your arrow keys to nudge the position of your layers. By default, small nudge is set to 1 and big nudge set to 10. Both of these values are in resolution-independent points.
You can also use the arrow keys to nudge your selection. Every layer in the canvas will have its own dimensions. Select a layer to make changes to a layer's dimensions. To adjust the width of a layer: hover over the layer's left or right bounds until the appears. To adjust the height of a layer: hover over the layer's top or bottom bounds until the appears. To adjust both the width and height of a layer: hover over any corner of the layer's bounds until the appears.
Tip: Create fixed layers and control how layers respond as you resize them with constraints. To enable this setting, select a layer and click Lock aspect ratio in the Layout or Auto layout section of the right sidebar. When resizing a layer from the canvas with aspect ratio unlocked, you can temporarily enable the setting by holding ⇧ Shift. The aspect ratio setting is not available on child layers of component instances.
If minimum or maximum dimensions are set on a layer with aspect ratio locked, Figma will set a proportional minimum or maximum value on the opposite dimension property.
Rotation, scale, and corner radii
Rotate individual layers, like objects, frames and groups, or a selection of layer. Every layer you add to the canvas will have a default rotation of 0°. Once you pass 180 in either direction, Figma will count down towards 0° in that direction. Caution: Figma uses the rotate CSS transform property to apply rotation to a layer or selection. Tip! You can animate layers rotating between frames in your prototypes. When rotating objects, Figma uses the horizontal and vertical center of the current selection as the point of rotation by default.
Note: Figma uses the matrix CSS transform property for flip transformations. Every shape, text object, or image you add to the canvas has its own layer in the canvas. Unlike the X and Y axes, there isn't a specific field you can adjust for the Z axis. This allows you to move layers to the front or back of the canvas, as well as move layers in or out of groups or frames.
Note: Layer order works the opposite way inside an auto layout frame. If you change the order of layers in an auto layout frame, this will change the position and order of the layer within the frame.
You can use equations to resize layers by adding +, subtracting -, multiplying *, or dividing / the existing value. Equations can also be applied to a mixed selection of values. Note: You'll need to edit the field and add the equation to the existing number. In addition to manually entering values, you can also "scrub" fields. Hover over the label next to the input field until the scrubbing cursor appears. Click on the icon and drag to change the input value.
Scrubbing, vector edit mode, and vector points
You'll see a notification at the bottom of the screen for the current speed, as well as a difference in the cursor's width. Tip: Figma will continue scrubbing the field, even if your cursor goes off the screen. Hover your cursor over the center of the shape's top path. We want to move this point towards the center of the shape. For this lesson, we recommended using math in the position field to move the vector point.
In Figma Design, you can use math equations to change the values of some properties like position, dimension, and rotation. This is an extremely helpful workflow as it is precise and flexible for even larger calculations. If the values we used seem a little backward, it's because unlike a traditional coordinate system, the Y-axis in Figma Design-and other design tools-is flipped, meaning an increase moves the node downward instead of upward.
Position properties consist of the X-axis and Y-axis. You can select and move an object to change the position it holds, or you can input X and Y values to change the position more precisely. Let's see how scrabbling works. Press 'R' on your keyboard or select the Rectangle tool from the Tool panel, and create a rectangle on your canvas.
Size properties consist of Width (W) and Height (H). These are located after the Position properties at the top of the Properties panel. You can select an object and drag the corner areas to increase or decrease the size, or you can input width and height values (in Pixel) to change the size more precisely. To understand it better, press 'R' on your keyboard or select the Rectangle tool from the Tool panel, and create a rectangle on your canvas.
Rotation property is located after the Size (W and H) properties at the top of the Properties panel. When you place an object or create a shape on your artboard, by default the angle is set to 0°. After selecting an object and hovering over the corner areas you'll see the arrow to rotate the shape. Or, you can input the value (in Degrees) to change the angle more precisely. Press 'R' on your keyboard, or select the Rectangle tool from the Tool panel, then create a rectangle on your canvas.
Make sure the Move tool is selected. You can set rounded corners by changing the radius of the corners. In Figma, the Corner Radius property is located after the Rotation property at the top of the Properties panel. After selecting a shape and hovering over its areas you'll see circlular dots on the corners. Hover over the corners, and you'll see arrows to change the radius. Or, you can input the value (in Pixels) to change the radius more precisely. Let's try scrabbiling to change the radius. First, press 'R' on your keyboard, or select the Rectangle tool from the Tool panel to create a rectangle on your canvas. By default the Corner Radius is set to 0, which means the corners are sharp-edged.
Vector edit mode lets you select, adjust, and change the properties of vector layers, including basic shapes and custom vector networks drawn with the Pen, Brush, or Pencil tools. Enter vector edit mode by selecting one or more vector layers and pressing Enter. While in vector edit mode, you’ll be able to see and interact with the existing points and paths of the vector layer. Move points: To move an existing point, select the Move tool in the secondary toolbar or press V. Add points: To add additional points, select the Pen tool in the toolbar or press P. The Variable width tool cannot be used on vector networks with branching paths. Click to add a new width point, then use the handles to expand or contract the stroke or enter a new value in the field.
You can hover your cursor along a vector path to locate and place a width point directly on a vector point, in the middle of two vector points or in the middle of two width points. Click and drag the width point to reposition it along the stroke’s path. Hold Shift and click to select multiple width points at once. Tip: If Snap to pixel grid is enabled, you can hold Control while adjusting the handle to temporarily ignore the pixel grid.
Note: You can also use pre-configured width profiles to convert uniform strokes into lines with smoothly tapered ends and varying thickness. Learn more about width profiles.
Vector operations: cutting, joining, and fills
Ccut vector paths: The Cut tool lets you divide vector objects exactly where you want. Note: To move both handles in the same direction, press Shift and select each handle, then click and drag one handle to adjust its position. Click and drag to draw a shape around the points and paths you want to select. Reposition while resizing or rotating: Hold Space while in the middle of another action to move the points.
Add fills to closed regions. You can add fills to any closed regions of a vector network. Hover over the region of the vector network you want to add a fill to. Figma uses a grey fill by default. You can change the fill using the settings in the Fill section of the right sidebar. Learn more about fill properties.
Round the corners of a shape. You can round individual corners of a vector network using the Corner radius setting in the right sidebar. If the vector network is an open path, you can use caps to round endpoints. In any design project, whatever you place an element in your frame or artboard, it will fall into a position.
Vector networks are shape layers consisting of vector paths. Many vector tools only allow you to draw vector paths in a single direction, often ending at the original starting point. Vector networks are unique in that they don’t require a specific direction. They can have multiple paths that branch out in various directions without the need for creating and combining separate paths. Use vector networks to create your own unique shapes, detailed icons, and even intricate illustrations. The Pen tool allows you to precisely create your own vector networks from scratch. Or you can use vector edit mode to modify any vector layer, including basic shapes and vector paths drawn with the Brush or Pencil tools, to create a vector network.
Note: This video uses Figma’s old interface. Continue repositioning the Pen tool and clicking to add additional points and paths. To add curves to the path, click and drag your cursor to determine the length and slope of the curve. To close the path, position the Pen tool over another point in the vector network. A small circle appears next to the cursor, indicating that the path will be closed at that point. Once created, you can use vector edit mode to continue to refine and modify the vector network. You can add styling to the end point of any open paths. Figma will display cap properties in the right sidebar if a vector path with only two endpoints is selected. You cannot edit end caps independently when the entire vector path selected. None: Adds no cap to the end of the path. Line arrow: Adds two 45-degree lines to either side of the end point(s). This uses the same stroke weight as the path itself. Triangle arrow: Add a triangle arrowhead to both end points.
Vector edit mode notes: You can enter vector edit mode by pressing Enter after selecting vector layers. While in vector edit mode, you’ll be able to see existing points and paths and adjust them precisely. Use the Move tool to reposition points and the Pen tool to add new points. Cap options appear when a two-ended path is selected, and can be adjusted in the right sidebar.
Практические советы и заметки
Always check the lock aspect ratio when you need to preserve proportions during resizing. If you want to temporarily disable snapping while adjusting points, hold Control in vector edit mode with Snap to pixel grid on. Scrubbing helps speed up precise tuning without leaving the canvas.
Remember: the Y-axis is flipped compared to traditional coordinates in many design tools, so increasing Y moves you downward. You can use equations to adjust positions and sizes precisely, and you can scrub numeric fields for rapid iteration.