Pins decide where objects go when their parent grows.
When a parent that holds objects, such as a frame or a scene, changes size, each object inside follows its own pin. A button pinned right stays in its corner, a title pinned center stays centered, and a bar pinned to both sides stretches.
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Left · Top
Every new object starts with this pin. The object keeps its distance from the parent’s top left, so it stays in place even when the parent grows to the right or downward.
Even as the frame widens to the right, the logo pinned top left stays where it is. Video: Even as the frame widens to the right, the logo pinned top left stays the same distance from the frame’s top left corner. -
Right · Bottom
Keeps the distance to the parent’s right (or bottom) edge. Use it for things that should stay in a corner, such as a close button or a page number.
As the frame widens, the close button pinned right follows the right edge. Video: As the frame widens, the close button pinned right follows it, keeping the same distance from the right edge. -
Center
Moves half as far as the parent grows, keeping its distance from the parent’s center. A centered title always stays centered. Horizontal and vertical are set separately, so you can pin an object to the center horizontally and to the top vertically.
As the frame widens, the title pinned center moves half as far and stays centered. Video: As the frame widens, the title pinned to the horizontal center moves by half the added width and stays centered. -
Left & Right · Top & Bottom
Keeps the distance to both edges. So when the parent grows, the object stretches by the same amount, and when the parent shrinks, it shrinks. Use it for full-width bars and backgrounds.
As the frame widens, the bar pinned left and right stretches, keeping its margins on both sides. Video: As the frame widens, the bar pinned left and right stretches while keeping its margins on both sides, and it shrinks when the frame narrows. -
Scale
The position and size change in proportion to the parent’s size. When the parent becomes 1.5 times as wide, the object’s position and width also become 1.5 times as large. Use it to scale a whole layout proportionally.
Widening the frame to 1.5 times its width also makes the position and width of the rectangle set to Scale 1.5 times as large. Video: When the frame becomes 1.5 times as wide, the rectangle whose horizontal pin is set to Scale also has its position and width multiplied by 1.5.
Where to set pins
When you select an object, Pin is below Size in the Object panel on the right. The outer box is the parent, and the small inner box is the object. The four bars between them are the pins for each edge (Pin Left and so on), and the cross in the middle is Center Horizontally and Center Vertically. Click a bar or the cross to set a pin. Changing a pin doesn’t move the object, so to put it in the center, move it there first (see Align and number keys). You can also choose the horizontal and vertical pins from the two lists beside it, and Scale is only in the lists.
Each click turns a bar on or off, but the last bar left on an axis can’t be turned off. At first, the left and top bars are on, so clicking just Pin Right turns it on along with the left one, making Left & Right. To pin to the right only, choose Right from the list. In Auto Size text, only one bar is on at a time, so clicking Pin Right switches straight to Right.
Pin shows only for objects directly inside a frame or directly on a scene. Objects inside a group move with the group, so they have no pins. Auto Size text gets its size from its characters, so you can’t choose Left & Right or Scale for it.
When objects follow their pins
Whenever the parent’s size changes, objects follow their pins. That includes while you drag a frame’s handles on the canvas, when you type a value in W in the Object panel, and when you undo and redo. Positions in the object’s keyframes also shift by the same amount.
Scenes are parents too. All scenes share one size, so when you change Size in the Scene panel, the outermost objects in every scene move according to their own pins. To convert landscape scenes for a portrait screen, first pin backgrounds to both sides, logos to corners, and titles to the center. Each one then moves to a fitting spot. Objects pinned to a corner or the center keep their size, so shrink any title that overflows the narrower screen yourself.
Objects inside also follow their pins while a frame’s size changes on the timeline, or while a transition connects two frames of different sizes.
Pins don’t hold objects in place
Pins act only when the parent’s size changes. They don’t stop you from moving or resizing the object directly. To keep an object from moving by accident, select it and press ⌘⇧L, or right-click the selected object and choose Lock.
Objects pinned to both sides disappear if the parent gets too narrow
An object pinned Left & Right gets a width of 0 when the parent becomes narrower than its two margins combined, and widening the parent again doesn’t bring back its original width. If you narrowed the parent by dragging handles on the canvas, even ⌘Z won’t bring the original width back. So when you shrink a parent a lot, type the size in the Object panel or the Scene panel. Sizes you change by typing go back with ⌘Z. The same goes for Top & Bottom.
Updated 10/12/2026 · The videos on this page were recorded in the current editor.