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How to Edit the Grid Size in Illustrator

Published in Illustrator Grid Settings 3 mins read

To edit the grid size in Adobe Illustrator, you need to access the Guides & Grid settings within the application's preferences. This allows you to define the spacing of the grid lines and their appearance.

Adjusting Grid Preferences

The most direct way to change the grid spacing and appearance is by using the Grid Preferences. As mentioned in the reference, you can Adjust grid preferences (Illustrator > Preferences > Guides & Grid) to change these settings.

Here’s a step-by-step guide:

  1. Open Preferences:

    • On macOS, go to the top menu bar and select Illustrator > Preferences > Guides & Grid.
    • On Windows, go to the top menu bar and select Edit > Preferences > Guides & Grid.

  2. Access Grid Options: In the Preferences dialog box that appears, select Guides & Grid from the list on the left.

  3. Modify Grid Settings: Within the Guides & Grid preferences, you'll find various options to customize your grid. The key settings for controlling grid size are:

    Setting Description How to Edit Grid Size
    Color Changes the color of the grid lines. Affects appearance.
    Style Choose between Lines or Dots for the grid appearance. Affects appearance.
    Gridline every Sets the distance between the primary grid lines. Main Grid Size.
    Subdivisions Sets how many smaller divisions appear between primary grid lines. Divides Grid Size.

  4. Set Your Desired Grid Size:

    • Enter a value in the Gridline every field. This defines the distance between your main grid lines (e.g., 1 inch, 10 mm, 72 pt).
    • Enter a number in the Subdivisions field. This divides the "Gridline every" distance into smaller segments. For example, if "Gridline every" is 1 inch and "Subdivisions" is 4, you'll have grid lines every 0.25 inches.

  5. Unit: Ensure the correct unit of measurement (e.g., inches, pixels, millimeters) is selected next to the "Gridline every" field.

  6. Confirm Changes: Click OK to apply your new grid settings.

By modifying these settings, particularly "Gridline every" and "Subdivisions," you can efficiently tailor the grid spacing to your specific design requirements in Adobe Illustrator.

Remember that the grid can be shown or hidden via View > Show Grid or View > Hide Grid, and you can snap objects to the grid by enabling View > Snap to Grid.

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