How to Hang Pictures Straight With Your Phone

To hang a picture straight with your phone, mark where the center of the frame should be (about 57 to 60 inches, or 145 to 152 cm, from the floor), mark the hook positions, and then use a level app against the top of the frame to check it. Use two hooks so the frame cannot tip, and adjust until the app reads 0 degrees.

Crooked pictures are usually a measuring problem, not a nail problem. The steps below cover one frame, frames with a wire, and a gallery wall, and show where the level app helps most.

What You Need

• An Android phone with a level app. See our comparison of the best level apps for Android.
• Pencil, tape measure and painter’s tape.
• Hooks or picture hangers rated for the weight of the frame (check the packaging), and a hammer.

Get the Phone Ready

• Remove the phone case so the phone sits flat against the frame.
• Calibrate the app on a surface you know is level (see how to use your phone as a level).
• Use Edge Mode. In Bubble Level: Spirit Level Tool, Edge Mode is a 1D level for walls, frames and vertical surfaces, with landscape and portrait support. Hold the long edge of the phone against the top of the frame.

How High Should You Hang a Picture?

The common rule is to put the center of the picture at eye level, about 57 to 60 inches (145 to 152 cm) from the floor. That works for most rooms. Above furniture such as a sofa, hang it lower so the two read as one group.

How to Hang One Picture Straight

1. Hold the picture where you want it to hang and make a light pencil mark on the wall at the center of the top edge.
2. If the frame has a wire, pull the wire up tight (as it will hang) and measure the distance from the wire to the top edge of the frame.
3. Measure down that same distance from your center mark and make a second mark. That is where the wire will rest.
4. Use two hooks instead of one, even for a light frame, because one hook lets the frame slip and tip. Mark both hook positions, spaced evenly either side of the center mark and at the same height.
5. Check that the two marks are at the same height with the level app, then fit the hooks.
6. Hang the frame and hold the phone along the top edge in Edge Mode. Nudge the frame until it reads 0 degrees.

A Faster Way for Frames With Two Hooks: Painter’s Tape

1. Put painter’s tape across the back of the frame, just under the hooks, and mark a dot on the tape at each hook.
2. Stick the tape on the wall where you want the picture and use the level app to make sure the tape is straight.
3. Hammer the nails in at the dots, then peel the tape off.

Hanging a Gallery Wall

1. Trace each frame on kraft paper, cut the shapes out and mix them on the floor until you like the layout.
2. Tape the paper shapes to the wall with painter’s tape, and use the level app along the top and sides of each one as you go.
3. Check the spacing between the frames. A consistent gap looks tidier than a perfect layout.
4. Hammer the hooks through the paper, tear the paper away and hang the frames.

Common Mistakes

• Using one hook. A single hook lets the frame pivot and slide out of level.
• Measuring from the hanger instead of the wire. The wire stretches when it is pulled up, so measure with it pulled taut.
• Using the ceiling or floor as a guide. Many are not level. Check with the level app instead.
• Leaving the phone case on, so the phone does not sit flat against the frame.

See also our guides on how to level a washing machine or fridge with your phone and how to level an RV or camper with your phone.

Setting up a game room? See how to level a pool table with your phone.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I hang a picture straight?

Mark the center of the frame about 57 to 60 inches from the floor, measure from the wire to the top of the frame to find the hook height, use two hooks, and check the top of the frame with a level. A level app on your phone works for this.

How high should I hang a picture?

The common rule is to place the center of the picture at eye level, about 57 to 60 inches (145 to 152 cm) from the floor, and lower above furniture.

Why do my pictures keep going crooked?

Usually because the frame hangs from a single hook, so it can pivot. Use two hooks, spaced evenly and at the same height, and check the frame with a level.

Can I use my phone as a level to hang a picture?

Yes. Remove the phone case, calibrate the level app, then hold the long edge of the phone against the top of the frame and adjust it until the reading is 0 degrees.

How do I hang several pictures in a gallery wall?

Trace the frames on paper, tape the paper shapes to the wall, check each one with a level and keep an even gap between them, then hammer the hooks through the paper.