Short answer: Your options for Show Rulers and Show Guides are grayed out in Adobe Premiere because you do not have the Program window/panel selected and active. Read on for more details.
In recent years, Adobe Premiere added rulers and guides to the program’s features. As a designer, I’m thrilled because I’m accustomed to using guides and rulers in all other Adobe programs and thoroughly welcome this aligning addition.
The Trick
There is a trick to using guides and rulers in Adobe Premiere; otherwise, the View > Show Rulers or View > Show Guides are always grayed out. You must have the Program window/panel selected to use rulers and guides. You know what window is selected because Adobe Premiere highlights the active panel with a thin blue stroked line.
![To drag rulers and guides, the active Adobe Premiere window must be "Program." You'll know Program is active because it has a thin blue line around it.](https://designertofullstack.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/add-guides-and-rules-to-adobe-premiere.jpg)
In the below screen capture, you’ll see I have the Sequence Panel active (note the blue exterior panel outline) and not the Program panel (show in the top left with a red star). This is why when I go to View > Show Rulers, the options are grayed out and can not be selected.
![In this screen capture, you'll see I have the Sequence Panel active (note the blue outline) and not the Program panel (top with the star). This is why when I go to View > Show Rulers, the options are grayed out and can not be selected.](https://designertofullstack.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/if-any-other-window-other-than-program-is-selected-rulers-are-grayed-out.jpg)
If I click on the Program Panel (note the blue exterior outline below), I can now turn on Rulers and drag rulers (blue guides) onto my video. Active Show Rulers are shown as a checkmark in the View dropdown menu.
![If I click on the Program Panel, I can turn on Rulers and drag rulers (blue guides) onto my video.](https://designertofullstack.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/program-panel-active-show-rulers.jpg)
Where’s my Program Panel? If you can’t find your Program Panel, you can view it by selecting window> Program Monitor.
![In Adobe Premiere, if you can't find your Program Panel, you can view it by selecting window> Program Monitor.](https://designertofullstack.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/adobe-premiere-window-program-monitor.jpg)
If you found learning about guides a valuable Premiere tip, you’ll probably find how to save or package an Adobe Premiere project useful.