Flowcharts are one of the most universal diagrams. They are commonly used to develop, document, and improve processes, systems, and algorithms. In basic flowcharts, lines connect a series of shapes to illustrate the path through a process. Read this article to learn more about how to build a basic flowchart.

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Watch: Flowcharts in Lucidchart

Build a flowchart

Customize one of our flowchart templates or use the Flowchart shape library to create your own.

flowchart

Use a template

Organize your process into one of our flowchart templates. Here’s how:

Navigate to the Lucid Home Page.
Click the Templates icon in the Lucid menu to the top-left of your screen.
Search “Flowchart”.
Choose a template.
Click Use template.

Create from scratch

Begin with a blank document, and build your flowchart from scratch with shapes and lines.

Navigate to the Shape menu on the far-left side of the screen.
Drag a shape onto the canvas.
Click and drag from a red connection point on the shape’s border to create a line pointing away from the shape.
Select a shape to attach from the auto-prompt menu.
Repeat steps one through four to expand your flowchart.

Note: If you don’t see the Flowchart shape library, click More shapes to add it to your Shape menu.

Basic flowchart elements

Shapes

You can use shapes from any shape library to build a flowchart. To find universal flowchart symbols, use the Flowchart shape library. Hover your cursor over a shape in the Shape menu to see its functionality.
hover

Lines

Lines connect shapes and direct the flowchart’s path. Use lines to add new shapes to an existing flow or connect free-floating shapes.

draw

Flowchart lines automatically end with an arrowhead to show the direction of steps, but you can change the line’s style with the Endpoint options dropdown in the toolbar.

select

Learn more: To learn more about working with lines, read our Add and style lines in Lucidchart article.

Modify a flowchart

Once assembled, you can move, resize, customize, and group a flowchart. Read on to learn how to edit flowcharts.

Change a shape

Select a shape on the canvas.
Click the Contextual Panel in the upper-right corner of the screen.
Choose a new shape from the “Change Shape” drop-down menu.

Move

To reposition a flowchart (or part of a flowchart), highlight the diagram or the objects you want to move. Then, click and drag the selected objects to a new area. Once moved, you can continue to edit the flowchart and individual shapes within the diagram.

Tip: Optimize your flowchart using the Auto Layout feature. Click the Arrange menu at the top of the workspace, hover your cursor over "Auto Layout", and select Grid or Hierarchy.

Resize

Resize to scale the entire flowchart, which includes the shapes, lines, and distance between objects. Here’s how:

Highlight the flowchart.
Hover over the border of the selected area.
Use the double-headed arrows to drag the border.

Expand

To make room for more shapes:

Place your cursor where you need more space.
On your keyboard, press the "X" key.
Drag the cursor horizontally or vertically in the area on the canvas you need more space.

Content already in place is moved and more space is added to the diagram.

Match shape size

Make the shapes in a flowchart the same size for a more cohesive look. To match the width and height of shapes to the largest shape in the diagram, follow these steps:

Highlight the flowchart.
Click Arrange in the menu bar.
Click Match Size.
Select one of the following options: Both Width and Height, Width, or Height.

Note: Match Size will match all highlighted shapes to the same width and height dimensions as the shape that is right-clicked.

Customize

To customize the appearance of your flowchart, highlight one or more objects, then use the options in the Formatting bar at the top of the workspace to customize. From this menu, you can edit:

Font style, size, and formatting
Text color and alignment
Shape color
Line color, width, and style
Line endpoint size and style
Icon sets
Conditional formatting

You can apply preset styles by selecting a preset theme style from the top of the fill color, text color, or line color menus. You can also add custom theme styles to your flowchart using this method.

Tip: Enhance your flowchart by color-coding and adding a key. Read our Add a diagram key in Lucidchart article for more information.

Group objects

A grouped flowchart acts like a single shape. You can click any line or shape within a grouped flowchart to modify the entire diagram. Once you’ve arranged lines and shapes, follow these steps to Group:

Highlight the flowchart.
Click Arrange in the menu bar in the upper-left corner.
Select Group.
- To ungroup, follow the steps above and select Ungroup.
Hover over the grouped flowchart’s border and use the double-headed arrows to resize.

Note: Once grouped, you cannot edit individual shapes within the flowchart.

FAQ

Can I change the direction of an arrow?

Yes. Select the line, then click the Swap Line Endpoints icon in the top-left corner of the formatting toolbar.

Can I add new shapes with the same style as existing shapes?

Yes. To do this, you can set a default style. Right-click a shape with the style you want to set, then click Set Default Style from the menu that appears. Now that style will apply to any new shapes added to the flowchart.

Can I copy the style from one shape to other shapes?

Yes. First select a shape with the style you want to copy. Then click the Paint Format icon in the formatting bar and click a shape to apply the style.

To apply the style to multiple shapes, double-click the Paint Format icon and click the shapes you want to style.

Resources

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

Community posts

Build a Business Process Flowchart

Use layers to create a current and future state diagram

Use Layers to expand or collapse a flowchart

Course

Diagramming Foundations

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