---
title: Align Multiple Controls
ms.date: 03/30/2017
f1_keywords:
 - Designer_Microsoft.VisualStudio.Windows.Forms.Design.DocumentDesigner
helpviewer_keywords:
  - "forms [Windows Forms], aligning controls"
  - "Windows Forms, aligning controls"
  - "controls [Windows Forms], positioning"
  - "controls [Windows Forms], aligning"
ms.assetid: b7175656-f532-49e9-b0b1-177d1b40af3e
author: jillre
ms.author: jillfra
manager: jillfra
---
# How to: Align Multiple Controls on Windows Forms

To standardize the layout of the user interface (UI) of your Windows-based application, you can position groups of controls with a single command.

## To align multiple controls on a form

1. In Visual Studio, open the form that contains the controls you want to position in the **Windows Forms Designer**.

2. Select the controls you want to align. The first control you select is the primary control to which the others will be aligned.

3. On the **Format** menu, select **Align**, and then select one of the seven choices available.

## See also

- [Windows Forms Controls](index.md)
- [How to: Add Controls to Windows Forms](how-to-add-controls-to-windows-forms.md)
- [Controls to Use on Windows Forms](controls-to-use-on-windows-forms.md)
- [Windows Forms Controls by Function](windows-forms-controls-by-function.md)
- [Walkthrough: Arranging Controls on Windows Forms Using Snaplines](walkthrough-arranging-controls-on-windows-forms-using-snaplines.md)
- [Walkthrough: Arranging Controls on Windows Forms Using a TableLayoutPanel](walkthrough-arranging-controls-on-windows-forms-using-a-tablelayoutpanel.md)
- [Walkthrough: Arranging Controls on Windows Forms Using a FlowLayoutPanel](walkthrough-arranging-controls-on-windows-forms-using-a-flowlayoutpanel.md)
- [How to: Reassign Existing Controls to a Different Parent](how-to-reassign-existing-controls-to-a-different-parent.md)
