Shape libraries in Lucidchart

Enable and use a shape library

To browse and enable standard and custom shape libraries in Lucidchart, follow these steps:

1. Open a Lucidchart document.
2. Click More shapes at the bottom of the Shape menu. 
   • The Shape menu is located on the left side of a document.
   • You can also press the “M” key on your keyboard.
3. In the “Shapes” tab, check the boxes next to shape libraries you want to use.
   
4. Click Use Selected Shapes.

You can access all enabled shape libraries from the Shape menu on the left side of your document's workspace.

Default shape menu

By default, the following shape libraries appear in the Shape menu for new documents:

• Standard
• Flowchart
• Containers
• Shapes

To keep your workspace consistent and easy to navigate, two shape libraries stay in fixed positions in the Shape menu and cannot be reordered. 

• Shapes in use: Permanently fixed at the top of the Shape menu. This section automatically displays shapes currently placed on your document canvas.
• My saved shapes: Permanently fixed at the bottom of the Shape menu. This section is where you can find your custom shape libraries you’ve added.

Favorite and reorder shape libraries

Favorite your most used shape libraries to make them appear by default every time you open a new Lucidchart document.

To favorite a shape library, follow these steps:

1. Select the shapes icon in the Primary Toolbar to the left of the canvas.
2. Click More shapes at the bottom of the Shape menu.
3. Select the shape library you want to favorite.
4. Click Use selected shapes.
5. Click the Favorite icon to the right of the shape library in the Shape menu.
    

Manage how shape libraries appear in your document:

• To unfavorite a shape library, click   the Unfavorite icon to the right of the shape library’s title. Unfavoriting a shape library keeps it in your current document, but stops it from automatically appearing in new ones.
• To hide a shape library from the Shape menu, click the Hide icon. This also hides the shape library from collaborators.
• Click and drag the reorder icon to the left of the shape library’s title into your preferred order.

Work with custom shape libraries

Create a shape library and add custom shapes for ease of use on your documents. Read on to learn how to create, add shapes to, remove shapes from, share, and delete a custom shape library.

Create a custom shape library

1. Click More shapes at the bottom of the Shape menu.
2. Expand the “My libraries” tab to the left of the shape library manager.
3. Click the plus icon next to “My libraries”.
4. Rename the new library by clicking the title in the shape manager.
5. Check the box next to the custom shape library to enable it for use in a document.
6. Click Use Selected Shapes or click the X to close the shape library manager.

Add shapes to a custom shape library

Add a shape from the canvas
To add a shape from the canvas to a custom shape library, drag the shape from the canvas into an existing custom shape library.

If you have edit access to a custom shape library, you can also add a shape to it by following these steps:

1. Right-click the shape from the canvas.
2. Select Add to Custom Shape Library.
3. Choose a shape library from the list.
4. Name the shape.
5. Click Done.

Add a shape from your device
To add an SVG or Visio stencil from your device as a shape to a custom shape library, follow these steps:

1. Click More shapes at the bottom of the Shape menu.
2. Expand the “My libraries” tab in the left-hand navigation of the shape library manager.
3. Select the library you want to add a shape to or create a new one.
4. Click the plus sign tile.
   • If the custom shape library doesn't have any shapes in it, click Choose file(s) or drag the file from your device into the shape library.
5. Select an SVG or Visio stencil file from your device.
6. Click Use selected shapes.

Remove a shape from a custom shape library

To remove a shape from a custom shape library:

1. Click More shapes at the bottom of the Shape menu.
2. Expand the “My libraries” tab to the left of the shape library manager.
3. Check the box associated with the custom shape library that has a shape you would like to remove.
4. Right-click on the shape.
5. Click Delete.

Share a custom shape library 

If you are on a Team or Enterprise account, you can share your custom shape libraries with other Team and Enterprise account users. Here’s how:

1. Click More shapes at the bottom of the Shape menu.
2. Expand the “My libraries” dropdown in the left-side panel.
3. Select the custom library you want to share.
4. Click Share in the upper-right corner.
5. In the share window that appears, add collaborators by name or email address.
6. Select Invite.

Collaborators can find and enable the custom shape library you’ve shared with them in the "Shared with Me" section of their shape library manager.

Manage collaborator permissions

Once you share a custom shape library, you can see and manage collaborators at the bottom of the Share menu under “Collaborators”. 

You can choose from three tiers of sharing permissions when sharing custom shape libraries:

• Can use means collaborators have access to the shapes in the shape library.
• Can edit means collaborators can access, edit, and add shapes in the shape library.
• Can edit and share means in addition to accessing, editing, and adding shapes in the shape library, collaborators can also share the library and adjust access permissions for others.

You can set different permissions for each collaborator and adjust them any time.

To adjust permissions, follow these steps:

1. Navigate to the custom shape library share menu.
2. Select Manage in the Collaborators section.
3. Click the sharing permissions icon for the collaborator you want to adjust sharing permissions for.
4. Select a permission option from the dropdown.

Export a custom shape library

To export a custom shape library, follow these steps:

1. Click More shapes at the bottom of the Shape menu.
2. Expand the “My libraries” dropdown in the left-side panel.
3. Select the custom library you want to export.
4. Click the three-dot icon in the upper-right corner.
5. Select Export.

The custom shape library will be downloaded to your device. You can import it to another Lucid account by following the steps in the Import SVGs and Visio stencils section below.

Delete a custom shape library

1. Click More shapes at the bottom of the Shape menu.
2. Expand the “My libraries” dropdown in the left-side panel.
3. Select the custom library you want to remove.
4. Click the three-dot icon in the upper-right corner.
5. Select Delete Library.

Import and search for shapes and images

Lucid’s search and import tools make it easy for you to find the shapes and images you need. We integrate with third party-websites, services, or resources to give you access to third-party content, including GIFs (powered by Giphy), Images (Bing Image Search, powered by Microsoft), and Icons (powered by Iconfinder) (collectively, “Non-Lucid Applications”). Please review the terms of service and privacy policy of any third party site or service applicable to your use of Non-Lucid Applications.

Image search, Iconfinder, and the OneDrive integration are not available in the FedRAMP environment. To learn more, see our FedRAMP overview article.

Search for shapes, images, icons, and GIFs
To perform a keyword search in Brave, Streamline, Iconfinder, or using the Giphy integration, click the Images Panel icon from the left-hand navigation menu. Select Images, Streamline, Icons, or GIFs. Enter a keyword into the search bar, click the magnifying glass icon next to the search bar, and browse the results. Once you find an item you want to use, you can drag it directly onto your canvas.

Import images and GIFs
You can import a PDF, PNG, JPEG, or GIF file into Lucidchart by dragging or copying and pasting it directly onto your canvas. You can also add a file from your device by clicking the Import Image icon to the right of the search bar.

Import images from OneDrive
You can also import images directly from OneDrive by setting up the OneDrive integration. To do so, follow these steps:

1. Open a Lucidchart document.
2. Click the Images Panel icon from the navigation menu on the left-hand side.
3. Click the Import Image icon to the right of the search bar.
4. From the dropdown, select OneDrive.
5. Sign in to your Microsoft account.
6. Grant Lucidchart authorization to access your Microsoft files.
7. Choose an image and click Select.

The image will appear on your Lucidchart canvas.

Import SVGs and Visio stencils 

If you cannot find the shape or image you are looking for, you can bring your own shapes into Lucidchart by importing SVGs and Visio stencil files (.vss, .vssx, and .vsx) to custom shape libraries.
To import an SVG or Visio stencil file, follow these steps:

1. Click More shapes at the bottom of the Shape menu.
2. Click Import Shapes in the bottom-left corner of the Shapes library manager.
3. Choose to "Add to Existing Library" or "Add to New Library" to determine where your imported file will be saved.
   • If you "Add to New Library" be sure to specify a name for the library on the import page.
4. Click Choose File and select the SVG or Visio stencil file(s) you want to upload from your computer.
5. Click Upload.
   • Files larger than 1 MB can take longer than one minute.

To add your new library to your document's shape panel, click the checkbox next to the library's name. Your new shape library will be available in the Shapes Panel.

Insert a YouTube or Vimeo video
To insert a YouTube or Vimeo video into your diagram, follow these steps:

1. Click More shapes at the bottom of the Shape menu.
2. Search for the "Video" standard library and check the box next to its name to add the library to the Shapes menu.
3. Drag the video shape to the canvas. When you drop the shape, a dialog will appear asking you to enter a YouTube or Vimeo URL.
4. Add a YouTube or Vimeo link to embed your video.

You can double-click on the shape to change the URL at any time. In presentation mode or in an embedded diagram, click the shape to play the video within your diagram. If you include the video shape in a PDF, clicking the shape will take you to the YouTube or Vimeo URL.

FAQ

Why do different shapes show up in different documents?
A few basic shape libraries are automatically enabled in every document. Additionally, documents created from templates will also contain any shape libraries with shapes that the template contains; for instance, the Entity Relationship shape library will automatically display in a document created from an ERD template.

Where can I find a shape library that has been shared with me?
To access shared shape libraries, open the Shapes section of the Workspace Manager and click the triangle next to "Shared With Me" in the bottom left corner. A list of all shape libraries shared with you will expand.

Can I share a custom shape library if I’m on a Free or Individual account?
No. Sharing custom shape libraries with collaborators is only available to Team and Enterprise accounts.

What happens for collaborators when I delete a shared custom shape library that I own?
When you delete a custom shape library, it will be removed as an option from all collaborators' shape libraries. However, any shapes they've already added to the canvas will remain and will be accessible from the Shapes in Use section of their Shape menu.

What happens to custom shape libraries owned by a user that is deleted or delicensed?
If a user's account is deleted on a Team or Enterprise account, or delicensed on an Enterprise account, their custom shape libraries can be transferred alongside their documents following the instructions in our Lucid admin panel: User management article.

Resources

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

Blog post
BPMN Diagram Symbols & Notation

Course
Customizing Your Diagrams

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