Beam position stability is one of the challenging issues associated with the operation of third‐generation synchrotron light sources. At the ESRF, experimental requirements call for stability of 1/10 of the beam sizes and divergences over eight hours. This paper will review the measures implemented to guarantee stability performance. Emphasis will be put on the closed orbit correction procedures which routinely bring orbit distortions within 0.2 mm rms and on the strategy for ensuring reproducibility of the X‐ray beam position. The combination of a periodic closed orbit correction and local static feedback leads to long‐term stability smaller than 2% of the beam size even in the more difficult vertical plane. To control rapid variations of the X‐ray beam center of mass position induced by vibrations, the switching on of a fast feedback system based on the use of X‐ray beam position monitors leads to dramatic improvements of the stability with figures in the micron range. © 1994 American Institute of Physics