# Arrange items inside a board

> Select a board and open its layout menu to choose Freeform, Vertical, Horizontal or Grid; managed layouts line items up, resize the board to fit, and let you drag to reorder and adjust spacing.

Category: Boards and presenting
Web page: https://www.pactto.com/help/board-layout
All guides: https://www.pactto.com/help.md

## Board layouts

Each board has a layout that controls how the items inside it are placed. The layout also sets the order of slides when you present the board.

| Layout | What it does |
|---|---|
| **Freeform** | The default. Items stay where you put them and you can move and resize them freely. |
| **Vertical** | Items are stacked top to bottom with the same width. |
| **Horizontal** | Items are placed side by side with the same height. |
| **Grid** | Items are placed in rows and columns. |
| **Group by Status** | Items are sorted into columns by review status. See [Group a board by status](https://www.pactto.com/help/group-by-status.md). |

Who can change it: the room owner and people with **Can edit** access.

## Change the layout

1. Click the board's name (above its top left corner) to select the board.
2. In the bar next to the name, click the layout button. Its tooltip reads **Content alignment** followed by the current layout, for example "Content alignment: Freeform".
3. Pick **Freeform**, **Vertical**, **Horizontal** or **Grid**. The current layout has a check mark.

The new layout applies right away for everyone in the room, and you can undo it with Cmd+Z (Ctrl+Z on Windows).

## Working in Vertical, Horizontal or Grid

- **The board fits its content**: it grows and shrinks as you add or remove items. If you resize the board yourself, the items scale with it.
- **Reorder**: drag an item to a new spot. A highlighted line shows where it will land; the other items move when you drop it.
- **Add items**: drop an item or file onto the board. It goes where you drop it and takes the size of the other items.
- **Adjust spacing**: with the board selected, hover the gap between two items until a handle appears, then drag it to make the gaps wider or narrower. The spacing applies evenly across the board.
- **Resize one item**: allowed; the rest of the board re-arranges when you finish.

## Switching layouts

- Going from Freeform to Vertical, Horizontal or Grid sets the order from where items currently sit (top to bottom for Vertical, left to right for Horizontal).
- Going back to Freeform keeps items exactly where they are; their earlier free positions are not restored.

## Good to know

- Freehand drawings, shapes, arrows and lines inside a board are not moved by the layout.
- Connected arrows follow the items they are attached to.
- To line up a Freeform board in one click without changing its layout, use [Tidy up](https://www.pactto.com/help/tidy-up.md).

## Related guides

- [Create a board and add items to it](https://www.pactto.com/help/boards.md): A board is a named container on the room canvas that groups items; draw one with the Board tool (B) or select items and choose Convert to Board, then drag or drop items into it.
- [Group a board by review status](https://www.pactto.com/help/group-by-status.md): In a board's layout menu choose Group by Status, then Horizontal or Vertical; items are sorted into Draft, In progress, Needs review, Needs changes and Approved, and dragging an item to another column changes its status.
- [Tidy up items into a neat grid](https://www.pactto.com/help/tidy-up.md): Select three or more items on the canvas (or right-click a Freeform board) and choose Tidy up to line them up in an evenly spaced grid; then drag the spacing handles or dots to adjust.
- [Present in a room](https://www.pactto.com/help/present.md): Add your assets, put them in a board, select the board and click the play button (Enter presentation mode); turn on Spotlight so everyone in the room follows your slides.
- [Collapse or expand a board](https://www.pactto.com/help/collapse-board.md): Click the chevron to the left of a board's name (Collapse board) to shrink it to a single bar with its name and item count; click it again (Expand board) to restore it.