How to Turn On the iPhone Camera Grid (Plus the Level Tool)

If your product photos always seem to slope, or your shelf shots lean to one side, the grid is the quickest fix I know. It puts lines over the camera screen so you can line things up before you tap the shutter. It's a small setting, but for anyone posting to a shop, a blog or social media, it saves a lot of retaking.

I've followed Apple's own iPhone User Guide for this. Apple updates iOS often, so the wording in Settings can vary slightly between versions.

Turning on the grid in your iPhone camera settings

1. Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
2. Tap Camera.
3. Turn on Grid and Level.
4. Open the Camera app and look at the screen.

Apple's guide says this displays a grid or level on the camera screen to help you straighten and compose your shot. In the current guide the switch is named Grid and Level. If yours is labelled slightly differently, look for the Grid line in the same Camera section of Settings.

Why the iPhone camera grid helps with straight shots

The lines divide the screen into sections. They're a quick check that a horizon, a table edge, a door frame or a shelf is straight. Many photographers also use the lines to place a subject off-centre, which is my own tip rather than something Apple's page says. Try putting your subject where two lines cross, then see how the shot feels.

• Shop and product shots: line up the front edge of the product with a horizontal line.
• Screenshots of a screen or a document: keep the edges parallel to the lines.
• Event and team photos: keep the horizon level so people don't look as if they're sliding off the edge.
• Social posts: a straight shot looks calmer and more professional in a feed.

What the level does when the iPhone camera grid is on

The setting is called Grid and Level because it switches on both. Apple describes them together as a way to straighten and compose your shot. The grid gives you lines to line things up against, and the level gives you a guide to help you hold the phone straight. Apple's page doesn't go into more detail than that, so try it out on a flat surface and watch how the guide reacts.

Fixing a slanted photo after you've taken it

Apple says you can still tidy things afterwards. After you take a photo, you can use the editing tools in the Photos app to further align shots and adjust horizontal and vertical perspective. That's useful if you only remembered the grid after the shoot. Apple's guide has a separate page called Straighten or tilt a photo or video if you want the full steps.

Other iPhone camera tools that sit next to the grid

The grid lives in Settings, but Apple's same guide lists a few tools inside the Camera app that work well alongside it. They sit in a menu you open by tapping or swiping up from the camera modes at the bottom of the screen.

• Timer: tap Timer, then 3, 5 or 10. Tap the shutter button to start the countdown, which gives you time to get in the frame.
• Aspect: choose 1:1, 4:3 or 16:9. Square is handy for feeds, and 16:9 suits a wide banner.
• Flash: tap Flash, then switch between Auto, On or Off.
• Filters and Photographic Styles: preview a look before you shoot, depending on your iPhone model.

Apple adds a tip for flash: to always show the Flash button on the camera screen, go to Settings, Camera, Indicators, then turn on Flash.

Camera settings to check while you're in the iPhone Settings app

Since you're already in Settings, Camera, Apple's page on advanced camera settings lists a few more switches that change how the preview behaves:

• View Outside the Frame: on supported models, the preview shows content outside the frame. Apple says it's on by default and you can turn it off.
• Prioritize Faster Shooting: it changes how images are processed so you can capture more photos when you tap the shutter quickly. It's on by default.
• Lens Correction: on supported models, it adjusts front camera or Ultra Wide photos for a more natural look.
• Lens Cleaning Hints: on supported models, the phone suggests cleaning a smudged lens, and you can turn those hints off.
• Preserve Settings: lets you keep a Photographic Style the next time you open Camera.

If View Outside the Frame confuses you when you're lining up shots with the grid, turning it off can make the preview easier to judge. That's a personal preference, not something Apple recommends.

Using the iPhone camera grid for videos you share

The grid helps with straight horizons in video too, which matters if you film short clips for your business. If you're new to being in front of the lens, my founder on-camera confidence cheat sheet pairs nicely with a steady frame. And once your shots are level, my guide to editing an Instagram post with multiple pictures covers the next step if you share them there.

If you can't find the iPhone camera grid option

1. Make sure you're in the Settings app, not inside Camera.
2. Scroll down the Camera screen in Settings, since the options sit in a list.
3. Look for Grid and Level, or a Grid line.
4. Update iOS in case your version words it differently.
5. Check the Camera screen after you switch it on, since the lines only show while the camera is open.
6. If it still won't show, use Apple Support to check whether your model supports it.

To turn the grid back off, return to Settings, Camera and switch the same setting off.

Frequently asked questions

Where do I turn on the grid on my iPhone camera?

Open Settings, tap Camera, then turn on Grid and Level.

Why can't I find the grid inside the Camera app?

Apple puts it in the Settings app under Camera, not in the camera tools menu.

What does the grid do?

Apple says it displays a grid or level on the camera screen to help you straighten and compose your shot.

Can I straighten a photo after I take it?

Yes. Apple says the editing tools in the Photos app can align shots and adjust horizontal and vertical perspective.

Does the grid show on the saved photo?

Apple's guide describes the grid as a guide on the camera screen. It doesn't say the lines are added to your photo.

Does the iPhone have a camera timer too?

Yes. In the Camera app, open the camera tools menu, tap Timer, then choose 3, 5 or 10.