Aligning text/features on a map

Question

Sorry for the simple question .... but something odd is happening in ArcMap & I don't know why.

When I want to align text or features relative to each other, they are aligning relative to the layout screen instead. For example, if I wanted my north arrow to be perfectly centered in a text box, they are perfectly centered, however, ArcMap is moving them to the center of paper space instead of moving them relatively positioned in relation to the "last" element I selected (the way the command is supposed to work). Am I overlooking something simple here? It's very annoying, as I have to manually move everything back where it belongs every time.

Answer 1

If I understand your problem correctly, "Align to Margins" has been selected in the "Align" context menu.

In Layout View, select any object (such as your north arrow) and right click and select "Align" on the resulting context menu. The first option on the submenu that slides out will be "Align to Margins." There is a very subtle embossing effect to the icon if it is activated. Try clicking on "Align to Margins" to toggle this option and then select your layout elements again and align them relative to each other.

Because "Align to Margins" is at the top of the context menu for the align commands and the indicator that it is active is subtle, it is easy to click it on mistake and not notice.