Open the Artboard tool and select the board you want to resize

The fastest way to adjust an artboard is through the Artboard tool, which lives in Illustrator's left toolbar. Click the artboard icon (it looks like a rectangle with corner handles) or press Shift+O. Your cursor will change, and every artboard in your document will show a blue outline with resize handles at the corners and edges.

Click the artboard you want to change. It will highlight with a darker blue border and show eight white square handles around its perimeter. If you have multiple artboards, clicking selects just the one you want to work with. The Properties panel on the right will also update to show that artboard's current dimensions.

Resize by dragging handles or entering exact dimensions

You can resize in two ways depending on whether you need precision or just want to fit content. To resize visually, grab any of the eight white handles and drag. Corner handles resize both width and height at once. Edge handles resize only in that direction. Illustrator will show you the new dimensions as you drag.

For exact measurements, look at the Properties panel on the right side of your screen. You will see fields labeled W (width) and H (height). Click either field, clear the current number, type your desired dimension, and press Enter. You can also change the X and Y position if you need the artboard to move to a specific location on the canvas. This method is essential when you need artboards to match exact sizes — like 1920 × 1080 for web mockups or 8.5 × 11 for print.

Key Takeaways

  • The Artboard tool (Shift+O) is the main way to select and resize artboards; click the one you want to change and its handles will appear.
  • You can drag corner or edge handles to resize visually, or enter exact width and height numbers in the Properties panel on the right.
  • Resizing an artboard does not move or scale the artwork inside it — the art stays where it is unless you manually move it.
  • The Artboard panel (Window > Artboards) shows all artboards in your document and lets you rename, delete, or reorder them without selecting them individually.

Understand that resizing the artboard does not move your artwork

A common surprise: when you resize an artboard, the artwork inside does not automatically resize or reposition with it. The artboard is just a boundary — it defines what gets exported or printed, but it does not affect the objects you drew. If you make an artboard smaller and your artwork extends beyond the new edge, that artwork is still there; it just will not appear in the exported file.

If you need your artwork to fit the new artboard size, you have to move or scale it yourself. Select the artwork with the Selection tool (V), then drag it or use the Scale tool to resize it. This separation between artboard and content is actually useful — it means you can experiment with different artboard sizes without losing or changing your design.

Use the Artboard panel to manage multiple artboards at once

If your document has many artboards, the Artboard panel gives you a faster overview than clicking each one individually. Go to Window > Artboards to open it. The panel shows a thumbnail of every artboard in your document. Double-click any thumbnail to select that artboard and center it on your screen. You can also right-click a thumbnail to rename, delete, or duplicate an artboard without using the tool.

This panel is especially helpful when you are working on a multi-page design — like a presentation with 20 slides or a print brochure with front and back covers. You can see all your artboards at a glance, jump between them quickly, and keep track of which ones you have finished.

Set preset sizes for common formats

Illustrator includes preset artboard sizes for common formats. When you create a new document, you can choose from presets like Letter, A4, Instagram Post, or 1920 × 1080. If you already have a document open and want to explore a preset to an existing artboard, select the artboard with the Artboard tool, then look at the Properties panel. At the top, you will see a dropdown menu labeled Preset. Click it and choose from the list — the artboard will when ready resize to that format.

These presets save time when you are designing for known outputs. If you regularly create artboards at a custom size that is not in the presets, you can set your own dimensions once, then save that as a custom preset by clicking the menu next to the Preset dropdown and selecting Save as New Preset.

Resize all artboards to the same size at once

If you have multiple artboards and need them all to be the same size, you do not have to resize each one individually. Select all artboards by pressing Ctrl+A (Windows) or Cmd+A (Mac) while the Artboard tool is active. Then enter the width and height you want in the Properties panel. All selected artboards will resize to those dimensions at once.

This is useful when you are creating a series of designs that need to match — like social media graphics in a consistent size, or multiple pages of a document. After resizing, you may need to reposition some artboards so they do not overlap. You can drag them around the canvas while they are still selected, or use the Arrange options in the Artboard panel to space them automatically.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does resizing an artboard change the size of my artwork?

No. The artboard is just a boundary that defines what gets exported or printed. Your artwork stays exactly where it is. If you make the artboard smaller and your art extends beyond the new edge, the art is still there — it just will not be included in the exported file. You have to manually move or scale the artwork if you want it to fit the new artboard.

Can I make artboards different sizes in the same document?

Yes. Each artboard can be a different size. This is useful when you are designing multiple things in one file — like a poster, a business card, and a social media graphic, all at their own correct dimensions. Just select each artboard individually with the Artboard tool and resize it separately.

What happens to my artwork if I delete an artboard?

The artwork on that artboard is deleted too. If you think you might need it later, duplicate the artboard first (right-click it in the Artboard panel and select Duplicate) and hide the copy, or save a separate version of the file before deleting.

How do I add a new artboard to my document?

With the Artboard tool active (Shift+O), click and drag on the canvas to draw a new artboard. You can also right-click in the Artboard panel and select New Artboard, then resize it in the Properties panel. New artboards start at a default size, which you can change when ready.