# How do I keep elements from moving?

The [force-directed layout ](/guides/layouts/force-directed.md)(default layout for the [Stakeholder and Big Data template](/guides/templates.md)) let's Kumu decide where to place your elements on a map. However, sometimes you don't want your Kumu map to re-arrange the elements every time you open it. In that case, you can do a number of things:

### Temporarily pause element movement

If you'd like to **temporarily** stop moving elements in your map, press the `spacebar` on your keyboard. Press `spacebar` again and they will go back to floating. This is especially useful when you have a lot of data and Kumu takes a lot of time placing the elements, resulting in a "jiggly" map that lasts for a few second/minutes upon opening. 

### Permanently pin elements in place

If you'd like to **permanently** stop elements from moving, you'll want to pin elements in place. Do this by pressing `A` on your keyboard to select all elements, then click the pin icon in the left side panel so it turns blue, or press the `P` key on your keyboard. This will pin all existing elements in place. 

You can also select a few core elements to pin in place (hold `Shift` down on your keyboard and click any elements to select) so other elements remain force-directed. 

Want to un-pin elements again? Select all elements again by pressing `A` on your keyboard (or select just a few), then click the pin icon in the left side panel again so it turns grey, OR press the `Alt + P` key on your keyboard (`Option + P` for Macbook).

{% hint style="warning" %}
***Note** that you can't pin elements in place if you're importing data from Google Sheets. In that case, you'd have to disconnect your Google Sheet and* [*import your data with Excel*](/guides/import.md#import-from-excel-or-csv) *OR you can use automatic snap-to, as explained below.* 
{% endhint %}

### **Automatically snap elements to a certain position**

You can create a rule that snaps all or some elements on your map to a circle or a line whenever you open your map. To learn how to do this, visit the guide on [Automatic Snap-To](/guides/layouts/snap-to.md#set-snap-to-automatically). This option is especially great to use when you're importing data through Google Sheets, where you can't pin elements in place permanently. 

### More layout options

For more information about layout options, or to set the default element behavior (fixed vs. floating) check out the guides on the [fixed layout](/guides/layouts/fixed.md) and [force-directed layout](/guides/layouts/force-directed.md).


---

# Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation

If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question.

Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter:

```
GET https://docs.kumu.io/frequently-asked-questions/how-do-keep-elements-from-moving.md?ask=<question>
```

The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language.
The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation.

Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.