Pixel Ruler

Measure distances on your screen, in pixels.

For designers, devs, and anyone who's ever wondered "exactly how wide is that?"

A semi-transparent on-screen ruler that lets you measure pixel distances between any two points. Drag the endpoints anywhere on screen and read off the distance, angle, and bounding box.

What it does

The ruler floats above every other window. Drag its endpoints to the two points you want to measure between. The readout shows horizontal distance, vertical distance, total length, and angle. Pin the ruler at any angle — horizontal, vertical, or any rotation.

When you need it

  • UI design — sanity-checking that a screen element is exactly N pixels
  • Web development — verifying gaps and paddings match the design
  • Screenshots — confirming spacing in a delivered mockup
  • Accessibility checks — touch-target sizes
  • Pixel-perfect annotation when you need to call out a dimension

Features

  • Always-on-top semi-transparent overlay
  • Horizontal, vertical, and arbitrary-angle modes
  • Live readout: distance, angle, bounding box
  • Drag endpoints with pixel precision (arrow keys for fine-tuning)
  • Portable single executable

System requirements

  • Windows 7, 8, 10, 11
  • A few MB of free RAM
  • Under 1 MB of disk space

Browse the full catalog

49 small, sharp Windows utilities. All freeware. All by the same author.

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