How to Keep Snapping On Permanently in Procreate Dreams

Snapping in Procreate Dreams is a powerful tool that helps your shapes and elements align perfectly. Whether you’re creating detailed illustrations or animating scenes, keeping snapping on can save time and bump up precision. But how do you make it stick—permanently? Let’s dive in and simplify this for you.

TLDR (Too Long, Didn’t Read):

To keep Snapping permanently on in Procreate Dreams, you need to tweak a few settings tied to your canvas and tools. You’ll also need to build a habit of saving these settings with project templates. Sadly, as of now, Snapping resets on new canvases, so it’s all about smart workarounds and personalization. This guide will show you how to make it as “permanent” as possible.

What Is Snapping?

Snapping is a helper tool in Procreate Dreams that aligns your shapes or layers when moving them. It “snaps” them into position—on the center, corners, or alongside guidelines. Super handy for layout work!

But here’s the twist: Snapping doesn’t always stay on when you start a new project. It can reset. That’s where this guide steps in.

Why Keep Snapping On?

Here’s why artists love having Snapping always on:

• Perfect alignment — Your layers and shapes line up like magic.
• Works faster — No more dragging tiny circles into place pixel by pixel.
• More professional results — Everything just looks cleaner and intentional.

So now the question is… how?
Let’s walk through it, step by step.

Step 1: Turn On Snapping

First, you need to activate Snapping if it’s not on already.

1. Open your project in Procreate Dreams.
2. Select the Transform tool (it looks like an arrow).
3. Look for options at the bottom. Tap on Snapping.
4. Enable both Magnetics and Snapping from there.

When you drag something on your canvas now, you’ll see sweet little golden lines as guides. Those mean it’s working!

Step 2: Customize the Snapping Settings

If snapping feels too “snappy” or not snappy enough, tweak the sensitivity.

• Distance — This controls how close something has to be before it snaps.
• Velocity — This controls how fast you’re moving the layer and still get snapping.

Adjust those sliders until it feels just right. Every artist has their sweet spot.

Step 3: Save Snapping in Your Workflow

Here’s the tricky truth: Snapping doesn’t “stick” permanently across all new canvases yet in Procreate Dreams. But you can use a neat little trick.

Create a custom canvas template!

Here’s how to do that:

1. Create a new canvas and set up Snapping exactly the way you like it.
2. Add any extra layers, grids, or backgrounds you want to always have.
3. Go to the Gallery and tap “Select” on this canvas.
4. Then tap “Duplicate” or “Duplicate & Rename”.
5. Name it something like “Snapping Template.”

Whenever you want to start a new project with Snapping on, just duplicate your template. Boom—settings saved!

Bonus: Use Grids for Ultimate Control

Snapping gets even better when you pair it with Procreate’s built-in grids.

1. Tap the wrench icon to open Actions.
2. Tap Canvas, then tap Drawing Guide.
3. Turn on the guide and press Edit Drawing Guide.
4. Pick a grid style—2D, isometric, or perspective—for your needs.

Combine this with Snapping, and your elements fall into place flawlessly.

When Things Go Wrong

Sometimes Snapping just doesn’t…snap. Let’s fix that too!

• Check Layers: Make sure the layer isn’t locked or grouped oddly.
• Snapping Option: Confirm it’s actually turned on for that layer.
• Restart Procreate: Sometimes, a quick restart does wonders.

Think of this like your creative safety net. If Snapping acts weird, pulling a few of these levers usually gets things back on track.

Advanced Trick: Long Press to Snap On Demand

Did you know you can press and hold to activate temporary snapping too? Just drag and pause; those golden lines will appear. It’s a great shortcut when you don’t want snapping on all the time, but still need perfect alignment occasionally.

But we like it on permanently, right? Just reminding you this exists!

What About Animations?

Procreate Dreams supports simple animations. If you’re layering frames, Snapping is a blessing!

To keep things neat:

• Enable snapping before duplicating animation frames.
• Use alignment lines to match the position of a shape or object.
• Create keyframe templates with Snapping on to build consistent motion.

Your bouncing ball or dancing character just went from wobbly to wonderful.

Is There a “Global Snapping” Setting?

As of now: No, there isn’t a global setting that keeps it on permanently across all Procreate Dreams sessions. Bummer, we know.

But rumor has it that the development team listens to user feedback. So hop on those forums or feedback forms and ask for it!

Recap: How to Keep Snapping On

Let’s wrap it up in a nice quick checklist!

• Turn on Snapping in each project using the Transform tool.
• Adjust Snapping sensitivity to suit your workflow.
• Use drawing guides and grids for even more precision.
• Create a reusable project template with Snapping already enabled.
• Use long-press snapping when needed.

Final Thoughts

While there’s no built-in “always-on” switch just yet, with a few smart habits, you can make Snapping feel permanent. Templates are your best friend. And remember, the real magic comes from combining tools—grids, layers, and snapping—to make something amazing.

Until Procreate Dreams gives us an official “snapping always on” setting, this strategy is the next best thing to pro-level precision without frustration.

Now go ahead—snap those pieces into place and wow the world!