# Can't get protractor tool to make guidelines

**URL:** <https://forums.sketchup.com/t/cant-get-protractor-tool-to-make-guidelines/199704>\
**Category:** SketchUp\
**Tags:** guidelines, protractor\
**Created:** [May 28, 2022, 4:35am UTC](https://forums.sketchup.com/t/cant-get-protractor-tool-to-make-guidelines/199704 "2022-05-28T04:35:29Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 8\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![lord\_nimon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/278dde/32.png) [@lord\_nimon](https://forums.sketchup.com/u/lord_nimon)\
**Post date:** [May 28, 2022, 4:35am UTC](https://forums.sketchup.com/t/cant-get-protractor-tool-to-make-guidelines/199704/1 "2022-05-28T04:35:29Z")

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I’m trying to use the protractor tool to make a guideline on a perpendicular. Sketchup says to press Ctrl to toggle guides, but nothing seems to change when I press Ctrl. After clicking where I want the guideline, it just disappears once I move the mouse. What am I doing wrong?

I’m trying to use this technique to find the center of a circle that has been broken into segments: [https://www.reddit.com/r/Sketchup/comments/2cpkfz/how\_can\_i\_find\_the\_original\_center\_of\_this\_circle/](https://www.reddit.com/r/Sketchup/comments/2cpkfz/how_can_i_find_the_original_center_of_this_circle/)

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**Author:** ![Box](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/sketchup/user_avatar/forums.sketchup.com/box/32/235164_2.png) [@Box](https://forums.sketchup.com/u/Box)\
**Post date:** [May 28, 2022, 4:40am UTC](https://forums.sketchup.com/t/cant-get-protractor-tool-to-make-guidelines/199704/2 "2022-05-28T04:40:49Z")

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Go to View and make sure guides are ticked on.

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**Author:** ![lord\_nimon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/278dde/32.png) [@lord\_nimon](https://forums.sketchup.com/u/lord_nimon)\
**Post date:** [May 28, 2022, 4:56am UTC](https://forums.sketchup.com/t/cant-get-protractor-tool-to-make-guidelines/199704/3 "2022-05-28T04:56:17Z")

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Where do I do that? I’ve never heard of guide locks before.

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**Author:** ![Box](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/sketchup/user_avatar/forums.sketchup.com/box/32/235164_2.png) [@Box](https://forums.sketchup.com/u/Box)\
**Post date:** [May 28, 2022, 5:02am UTC](https://forums.sketchup.com/t/cant-get-protractor-tool-to-make-guidelines/199704/4 "2022-05-28T05:02:41Z")

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It will look different on Mac, but…  
 ![GIF 28-05-2022 3-01-17 PM](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/sketchup/original/3X/6/a/6aeb654737c02ae2b399a60a85a6da23ea216fbd.gif)

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![lord\_nimon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/278dde/32.png) [@lord\_nimon](https://forums.sketchup.com/u/lord_nimon)\
**Post date:** [May 28, 2022, 5:03am UTC](https://forums.sketchup.com/t/cant-get-protractor-tool-to-make-guidelines/199704/5 "2022-05-28T05:03:30Z")

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Doesn’t that just make the guides visible, rather than locked?

I have that option always enabled, so that’s not my problem.

Edit: for some reason, I read your post as “make sure guide locks are on”.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Box](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/sketchup/user_avatar/forums.sketchup.com/box/32/235164_2.png) [@Box](https://forums.sketchup.com/u/Box)\
**Post date:** [May 28, 2022, 5:04am UTC](https://forums.sketchup.com/t/cant-get-protractor-tool-to-make-guidelines/199704/6 "2022-05-28T05:04:36Z")

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I never mentioned ‘locks’

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![lord\_nimon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/278dde/32.png) [@lord\_nimon](https://forums.sketchup.com/u/lord_nimon)\
**Post date:** [May 28, 2022, 5:05am UTC](https://forums.sketchup.com/t/cant-get-protractor-tool-to-make-guidelines/199704/7 "2022-05-28T05:05:29Z")

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Sorry, I don’t know what I was thinking. Anyway, guides are enabled. I can see the guide when I use the tool, but when I click away, the guide disappears.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Box](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/sketchup/user_avatar/forums.sketchup.com/box/32/235164_2.png) [@Box](https://forums.sketchup.com/u/Box)\
**Post date:** [May 28, 2022, 6:05am UTC](https://forums.sketchup.com/t/cant-get-protractor-tool-to-make-guidelines/199704/8 "2022-05-28T06:05:50Z")

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While off doing something else it occurred to me what you may be doing.  
The protractor needs a start and end point, if you only click twice you are just creating the start point and that will go if you don’t choose a finish point.  
See here how I click the midpoint to position, then the endpoint to get the starting angle then the magenta to finish.  
 ![GIF 28-05-2022 4-00-58 PM](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/sketchup/original/3X/7/e/7e35ea745e79ef8c24a4d1c5888027bf6cf33f42.gif)