Welcome to Lucidchart

Watch: Get started with Lucidchart

The home page

When you sign in to your Lucid account, you will be navigated to your home page. Here you can view and organize documents, create and manage folders, access templates, and import files. This page also serves as a portal to the account settings page, the Lucid admin panel, the integrations marketplace, and the Lucidchart workspace. 

For an in depth overview, check out our Lucid Home Page article.

Create a document

You can start diagramming from scratch with a new blank document, build from a Lucidchart template, or import a file from another supported platform.

To create a document from the home page, follow these steps:

1. Click + New in the upper-left corner.
2. Hover over Lucidchart.
3. Select one of the following options:
   • Blank Document to start a document from scratch.
   • Create from Template to open the Template Gallery and then select a template to get started with.
   • Create using AI to start a document with the help of Lucid AI.

Alternatively, create a new document from an imported file. Here’s how:

1. Click New in the upper-left corner.
2. Select Import documents
3. Upload a file under “Drag and drop” or “Reconstruct from image”. 
4. Click Done.

The parts of the workspace

The Lucidchart workspace is where all of the diagramming magic takes place. Before you start creating, it is useful to become familiar with the different parts of the workspace.

The header

From the header you can click:

• The Lucidchart icon to return to the Documents page or leverage universal canvas to switch between Lucid products.
• The left panel icon to open and access Document tools.
• The title of the document to rename it.
• The file menu to access various menus. See the Menu options section below for more details.
• The Changes saved icon to access revision history. From here, you can see and restore old versions of your document.
  • This icon also indicates the save status of your document.
• The Collaboration Tools icon to view the document's active collaborators and toggle various collaboration settings such as collaborator colors and author names on sticky notes.
• The Profile image or initials in the upper right hand corner to update your profile photo, navigate to the Account Settings page, or log out.
• The Presentations icon to enter presentation mode. To add or edit slides, select the drop down to the right of the present icon. Check out our Create a presentation in Lucid article for more information.
• The right panel icon to open the right panel.
• The Share menu to open the share dialog, through which you can invite collaborators or create a shareable link. To learn more, check out our Share with collaborators in Lucid article.

For information on the header in the classic Lucidchart editor, expand the dropdown below.

File menu options

Select the file menu from the top-left of the document to open a dropdown of options: 

• Edit in Lucidspark uses universal canvas to switch your document from Lucidchart to Lucidspark, allowing you to access Lucidspark tools on the same canvas.
• New allows you to create a new Lucid document.
• Make a copy duplicates the current document, opening the new document in a new tab.
• Export provides the various export options available in Lucidchart.
• Publish allows you to publish your document as a URL, PDF, or image.
• File contains important features like page settings, comparing documents, revision history, managing document status, exporting/downloading your document, and publishing. 
• Edit provides options to copy and paste objects, set default style, turn on spell check and set the spell check language, and use find & replace.
• Select allows you to select different groupings of objects on your document—for example, all lines, all shapes, lines with a specific color, etc. This allows you to easily style multiple shapes or lines at once.
• View provides zoom options and the option to turn off webGL. From this menu you also have the ability to show or hide guides, rulers, and margins.
• Insert allows you to insert images, gifs, templates, and document specific information—for example, creator name, created date and time, last modified date, or page number. 
• Arrange contains arrangement options like bringing shapes to the front or sending them to the back, matching shape sizes, aligning and distributing shapes, and grouping shapes.
• Share allows you to publish or embed your document.
• Help provides access to onboarding tutorials, a link out to the Lucidchart Help center, hotkey shortcuts, and to see new product updates.

The toolbar

The toolbar can be found on the far left-hand side of the workspace.

In the toolbar, you may see the following options:

•  The search icon to open the search panel to find shapes, tools, integrations, and templates. From this panel, you can search for and access:
  • Toolkits: Use ready-made collections designed for specific workflows.
  • Shapes: Access and browse all shape libraries.
  • Tools: Browse all Lucid features and tools to create, collaborate, and build content.
  • Integrations: Access the Lucid Integrations Marketplace to browse and connect to third-party apps.
  • Import: Import tables, cards, CSVs, and external data.
  • Templates: Browse and open pre-built boards to help you get started faster.
• The Lucid AI icon to generate, summarize, and sort diagrams as well as get help from the Lucid Help Center.
• The Selection tools icon to arrange and resize your objects.
• The Sticky notes icon to add sticky notes for collaboration. 
• The Shapes icon to quickly add shapes to your canvas. To learn more, read our Add and customize shapes in Lucidchart article.
• The text icon to add text to your canvas. Read our article Add and style text in Lucidchart for detailed information.
• The line icon to add lines to your canvas. Check out our article with steps to  Add and style lines in Lucidchart.  
• The Containers and organizers icon to select and add a container or organizer to your canvas.
• The Images icon to import image, SVG, or gifs from your computer. You can also search for shapes, images, or icons by clicking the search bar and entering a keyword. See our Shape libraries in Lucidchart article for more information.
• The Pen icon to use the freehand drawing feature. 
• The Comment icon to comment on the document and discuss ideas with collaborators. For more information, refer to our Collaborate in Lucid article.

The left panel

Use the left panel to access your toolkits, shape libraries, and document tools. Every new document includes these shape libraries by default:

• Standard
• Flowchart
• Containers 
• Shapes
   

Customize the left panel by pinning and rearranging your favorite tools, toolkits, and shape libraries.
To pin an item to your document tools, follow these steps:

1. Click the Search icon to search for the tool, toolkit, or shape library.
2. Hover over its title.
3. Click the plus icon  that appears on the right.
4. Select to add the tool to Document tools (shared with collaborators) or to your Toolbar (available across all your documents).

The new toolkits, shape libraries, and tools you add appear at the bottom of the left panel. To rearrange your tool or shape libraries, hover over the title and click the three-dot icon and select an option.

The right panel

From the right panel, you can style your text, lines, and shapes. You can also use advanced formatting tools like actions, locking, and magnetizing.

The formatting options from top to bottom include:

Appearance

• Switch the current canvas background between light and dark options while keeping the surrounding workspace unchanged.
• Clicking Change user theme from the dropdown opens your account settings to update the workspace theme—including toolbars, menus, and sidebars—across the entire application.

Fill, Stroke, and Object

• Use the fill color dropdown to change the color of your object.
• Adjust line formatting such as fill color, line color, line width and style, endpoint style, and other shape options. 
• Set Object formatting such as corner radius and object height and width.

Text

Text formatting such as headers, font, font size, bold, italic, underline, text color, text alignment, and other text options. See Add and style text in Lucidchart for more information.

Attributes

• The Add reaction icon lets you leave an emoji response on objects. Refer to our Add emoji reactions to objects in Lucid to learn more.
• The Add tag icon to add labels or identifiers to your objects to highlight important information and categorize ideas. Learn more in our Add a tag to an object in Lucid article.
• The Link To icon links a shape to a URL, Lucidchart page, or other Lucid document. Learn more in our Add an Action or link to a shape in Lucidchart article.
• The Add actions icon adds actions to an object. You can learn more in our Add an Action or link to a shape in Lucidchart article.
• The Icon sets icon lets you add an icon to highlight important information or visually alert you. Learn more in our Add conditional formatting in Lucidchart article.
• The Add Comment icon to comment on the document and discuss ideas with collaborators. For more information, refer to our Collaborate in Lucid article.
• The Add note icon to add additional context to objects. To learn more, read our Add notes in Lucid article.
• The Add alt text icon to add alternative text to an object. Read Make Lucid documents more accessible to learn more.
• The Paint format icon to copy and paste shape style. To learn more, check out our Add and customize shapes in Lucidchart article.
• The Add connection points icon to add a new or custom connection point to a shape. For more information on custom line patterns, jump styles, and precise text placement, read our Add and style lines in Lucidchart article.
   

The shape editing bar

The shape editing bar opens automatically whenever you select a shape while the right panel is closed. Use the context menu to quickly modify shapes and lines. To reposition the menu for more editing space, select a shape or line, hover over the context menu, then click and drag the 6-dot icon to a new spot on the canvas.

Shape editing bar underneath a shape

When you select a shape, the context menu displays the following options:

• The Lucid AI icon to edit a shape with AI.
• The Change shape icon to change a shape’s type.
• The Fill color icon to change a shape’s color.
• The Line color icon to change a shape’s line color.
• The Text icon to edit a shape’s text.
• The Add reaction icon to leave an emoji response on objects.
• The Lock icon to lock the properties of a shape.
• The Add link icon to add an external link to a shape.
• The Open right panel icon to access advanced shape editing properties.

Shape editing bar underneath a line

When you select a line, the context menu displays the following options:

• The Lucid AI icon to edit a shape with AI.
• The Line shape icon to change your line connection type.
• The Line color icon to change a shape’s color.
• The Line width box to toggle the arrows and adjust your line’s width.
• The Line style icon to change a shape’s line style, endpoint size, and corner radius.
• The Endpoint icon to change the style of a line’s left endpoint (set to "None" by default).
• The Swap line endpoints icon to switch the styles between the left and right endpoints.
• The Endpoint icon to change the style of a line’s right endpoint.
• The Open right panel icon to access advanced shape editing properties.

The footer

Beneath the workspace you will find the footer.

Manage the pages on your document with the icons on the left side of the footer, including:

• The Page List icon to see and navigate to other pages in the document.
• The Page menu to the right of the current page's title to access the following page options: rename, duplicate, delete, move page right or left, choose a page color for the tab, convert to a master page, or create a new Lucidchart document from the page.
• The  Add Page icon to add an additional page onto your document.
• The  Layers icon to access and edit your layers. 
• The  Page Insights icon to access and create formulas.

You will find document options on the right side of the footer, including:

• Arrow icons to undo your last change or reverse an undo.
• The subtraction and addition icons to adjust your document’s zoom level.
  • Click the current zoom percentage to zoom to a specific percentage, zoom to content, reset zoom, select navigation mode, or view the mini map.
• The  Fullscreen icon to expand your canvas to take up the entire workspace.
• The Help icon to access the Learning center (including tutorial videos, interactive walkthroughs, and Lucid Training Labs), the Lucid Community, the Lucid Help Center, keybord shortcuts, or to report a bug.

Classic Lucidchart editor: The formatting bar

FAQ

Is Freehand Drawing available in Lucidchart?

No. Freehand drawing is supported in Lucidspark. For more information, check out our Freehand drawing in Lucidspark article.

How can I move around the canvas?

Right-click and drag the canvas to adjust your view. When you hold down the right-click, your cursor becomes a hand grabbing the canvas as you move the document to see other content.

Resources

To learn more about Lucidchart, explore the additional resources below. These resources are available in English only.

Course

Diagramming Foundations

Give feedback on this article