Lock objects in their places

You can lock objects on the canvas by going to the Lock tab within the  Inspector. This will allow you to keep an object in place or precisely control the way the object moves on the canvas.

TipYou can select multiple objects with the  Inspector to change their behavior in one go. You can also drag the selection across the canvas so you don't have to select them one by one.

Lock an object in place

Locking an object will prevent it from moving completely. You'll still be able access it with the  Hand Tool for editing.

1. Select the  Inspector from the toolbar.
2. In the  Inspector, select the Lock tab.
3. Select an object (or objects) on the canvas that you would like to lock.
4. Choose  Lock.

Disable rotation

You can lock and object's rotation to maintain its orientation when you scale or move it around the canvas.

1. Select the  Inspector from the toolbar.
2. In the  Inspector, select the Lock tab.
3. Select an object (or objects) on the canvas that you would like to prevent from rotating.
4. Choose  Lock Rotation.

TipYou can always select an object twice with the  Hand Tool to make it snap back to the nearest right angle.

Prevent objects from scaling

When working on a precise layout you can Lock Scale of an object so you don't accidentally change its size.

1. Select the  Inspector from the toolbar.
2. In the  Inspector, select the Lock tab.
3. Select an object (or objects) on the canvas that you would like to prevent from scaling.
4. Choose  Lock Scale.

Make objects move only up and down

You can limit an object's movement so it will only move vertically. This way you can, for example, make documents stay in their place and scroll them as they would in a regular document viewer.

1. Select the  Inspector from the toolbar.
2. In the  Inspector, select the Lock tab.
3. Select an object (or objects) on the canvas that you would like move only vertically.
4. Choose  Lock Horizontal.

Make objects move only left and right

You can limit object movement so it will only move horizontally. This way you can create e.g. scrolling timelines, stories, or backgrounds.

1. Select the  Inspector from the toolbar.
2. In the  Inspector, select the Lock tab.
3. Select an object (or objects) on the canvas that you would like move only horizontally.
4. Choose  Lock Vertical.

Snap objects to right angles when rotating

You can make an object automatically snap to the right angle when rotating. This way you can keep them steady but still be able to rotate them.

1. Select the  Inspector from the toolbar.
2. In the  Inspector, select the Lock tab.
3. Select an object (or objects) on the canvas.
4. Choose  Snap Rotation.

 Snap Rotation is not available yet on Android and Chromebooks.

 Snap Rotation is not available yet on the web version of Explain Everything.