Easily visualize and manage the hierarchical structure of your organization with Lucidchart org charts. Whether you’re a startup or a global corporation, we’ve got you covered.

Import a dataset to automatically structure an org chart or build it from the ground up. Then, use features like group view to view members by any group of your choosing, set Filters to quickly see all members that fit your criteria, and refresh data to keep your org chart up-to-date with the click of a button. Read on to learn more.

If you are a FedRAMP user, importing from Google Sheets and BambooHR is not available. You can import from Excel or CSV. To learn more, see our FedRAMP overview article.

Org chart editing basics

Before learning about more detailed org chart functionality, here are a few basic tips:

Hover your cursor over an org chart to see a dotted outline around all employee shapes.
Edit individual shapes and make universal changes from the org chart Context panel to the right of the workspace. To open the Context panel:
- Select an employee shape to edit and review details of a specific employee.
- Click the org chart’s dotted outline to apply universal changes to all employee shapes.
Exit the org chart editor by clicking empty canvas space outside of the org chart or press “ESC” on your keyboard.

Add the org chart shape library

Open a Lucidchart Document.
In the Shape menu, select More shapes.
Type “org chart” in the search bar.
Check the box next to the org chart library.
Click Use selected shapes.

After adding the org chart shape library, you can find it listed in the Shape menu to the left of the workspace. To start building your org chart, click and drag the org chart shape onto the canvas.

Tip: Save time and Start with a template!

Import data

You can create an org chart one shape at a time using the org chart shape library as detailed above, or you can auto-create one from imported data. To import, follow the steps in the sections below.

Set up the data

Before importing data, it is essential your table meets these three requirements:

Every column of the table has a header.
Every employee has a supervisor indicated either by name or an employee ID.
Every supervisor is listed as an employee. Even the CEO needs to be listed as an employee with a blank corresponding supervisor cell.

Here’s an example using a Google Sheet:

example-of-how-to-import-an-org-chart-from-a-Google-sheet.png

In this example, we have indicated supervisors by a Supervisor ID. The Supervisor ID corresponds to their Employee ID number in column A.

If you choose to add additional details to your data source, it may look something like this:

example-of-how-to-import-an-org-chart-from-a-Google-sheet-with-additional-details-and-columns-of-employee-information.png

Note: To work with this sample yourself, click here to download the .csv file.

Import a Google Sheet, Excel file, or CSV

To import org chart data, follow the steps below. If you have added the org charts shape library, you can skip to step 4.

Click Import Data from the Shape menu to the left of the document.
Select Org Chart from the list.
Click Import your Data.
Select a data source.
Click Next.
Select a file and click Select or Open.
In the window that appears, indicate whether your table identifies a supervisor by Name or Supervisor ID.
Indicate which columns contain either IDs or Names.
Click Next.
Using the drop-downs, match the columns in your dataset to our fields.
Click Next.
Choose whether to create a single org chart or to create multiple org charts based on a column of your choice (location, for example).
- If you choose to create multiple org charts from one data source, they will appear in the same document organized within Pages.
Click Finish.

The org chart will be created on its own page(s) in the document.

example-imported-organizational-chart-in-lucidchart.png

By default, Lucidchart only displays the employee name and role on the org chart's shapes, but you can add or remove fields at any time.

Import from BambooHR

Click Import Data from the Shape menu.
Select Org Chart from the list.
Click Import your Data.
Select BambooHR as the data source.
Log in to BambooHR.
Select the data you would like to import (you will only be able to import data you have permission to use).
Click Import Data.
In the window that appears, follow the prompts to finish setting up the org chart.
Click Finish.

The org chart will appear on its own page(s) in the document. By default, Lucidchart only displays the employee name and role on the org chart's shapes, but you can add or remove fields at any time.

Note: Importing from BambooHR is only available to Enterprise accounts.

Work with org charts

To manage data in an org chart, click the org chart’s dotted outline to open the org chart Context panel. Under the “Data” tab, you can apply filters, manage your dataset, view org chart details, and view and manage employees in List View.

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See the sections below for more detail about how to work with each option.

Add a filter

Filters help you find the data you need within an org chart without changing the structure of the document. To add a filter, follow these steps:

Hover your cursor over the org chart and select the dotted outline.
In the org chart Context panel to the right, select the Data tab.
Click the Filters dropdown.
Select Add New Filter.
Set the Key.
Set the Condition.
Type in a Value, if applicable.
Click Save.

For example, let’s filter an org chart for all employees with the VP role. First, we’ll set the Key to “Role”. Next, we’ll set the Condition to “Contains”. And last, we’ll type “Product” as the Value. Once we click Save, all employee shapes with the Product role are shown.

example-of-how-to-apply-and-use-filters-in-a-lucidchart-org-chart.gif

To edit a filter, select the pencil icon. To remove a filter, select the X icon.

Note: Existing filters are not automatically cleared when adding a new filter. This means that every additional filter you add will narrow your search.

Manage data

Advanced features like data refresh, data replace, and data overlay are available to Enterprise accounts only. To learn more, please see our Lucidchart Plans article.

To automate an org chart’s data, follow these steps:

Hover your cursor over the org chart and select the dotted outline.
In the org chart Context panel to the right, select the Data tab.
Click the Manage Data dropdown.

Refresh Dataset to automatically apply changes from a linked Google Sheets dataset to the Lucidchart org chart.

Replace Dataset to remove the previous dataset and replace it with a different one.

If you have made manual changes to a Lucidchart org chart that are not reflected on the data source, you will need to choose to:

Keep your changes to update the org chart to reflect the changes made to the data source, but will not discard any edits made directly on Lucidchart.
Revert your changes to update the org chart to reflect the data source and erase any manual changes made to the org chart in Lucidchart.

Overlay New Dataset to overlay and consolidate all employee information into one org chart. Follow the prompts to import your new dataset and select the unique identifier by which you want to merge into an existing org chart. With this feature, you can add completely new or updated information on people, members, or employees already on the existing org chart. To add entirely new people, members, or employees to an org chart, update the linked data source and refresh the dataset in Lucidchart.

Note: All datasets must have the same unique identifiers (such as Employee ID or Name).

Once imported, you can visualize both datasets directly on an org chart. Here’s how:

Click any shape in the org chart to open the org chart Context panel.
Click the Layout tab.
Select the “Employee Fields” dropdown.
Toggle on and off the new pieces of data that are connected to a recent import.

Export as CSV to download a .csv file of the org chart.

Add, move, and delete employee shapes

You can add, move, and delete employee shapes two ways: directly on the canvas and from the “List View” dropdown in the org chart Context panel.

Working on the canvas

Add an employee shape by hovering your cursor over an existing shape and clicking the corresponding plus sign of where you want the new employee to appear.
Move an employee shape to a new place in the org chart by dragging and dropping it. The employee’s direct reports will remain connected and change positions with it.
Delete an employee shape by selecting the shape and pressing "Delete" or "Backspace" on your keyboard. Any direct reports of the deleted employee shape will become reports of its supervisor.

Note: If you delete the CEO (top) level of an org chart, its reports will still appear in the chart but will not be connected to a supervisor.

Working from List View

Hover your cursor over the org chart and select the dotted outline to open the Context panel to the right of the workspace. From the “Data” tab, select the “List View” drop down. Place your cursor in the list where you want to make changes, and:

Add an employee by pressing “Enter” on your keyboard.
Move an employee by hovering over the six-dot icon to the left of their name in the list and dragging/dropping it in a new place in the tree.
- You can also move an employee one step down in the org chart hierarchy by pressing “Tab” on your keyboard.
Delete an employee by highlighting their name in the list and pressing "Delete" or "Backspace" on your keyboard.

View employee shape details

You can view the details of an employee’s shape by following the steps below.

Click an employee shape to open the org chart Context panel to the right.
In the “Data” tab, review “Employee Details”.

Layout format and style

In the “Layout” menu of the org chart Context panel, you can set group views, adjust layout style, pick a shape style, upload an image to an employee shape, and select which employee fields you want to display.

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Add a group view

Use group view to organize an org chart into various groups based on department, location, SCRUM team, or any other category from your dataset.

To visualize your organization with group view, follow these steps:

Hover your cursor over the org chart and select the dotted outline.
In the org chart Context panel to the right, select the Layout tab.
Expand the Visualization dropdown.
Click Create Group View.
Choose the field from your dataset by which you want to group your organization.
- Select any field with repeated values to create a group. Otherwise, if you select a value which is not repeated, only one contact will appear in that group.
- If there are employee shapes which do not have a value for the field you selected, they will be grouped into a non-categorized group.
- If you have added a filter to the org chart, you will be prompted to choose whether you want to apply the filter to the group or ignore the filter.
Select Create Group View.

A new page on the document named “Group View: name of grouping field" will be created. You can access this group view by clicking the page tab found at the bottom of the canvas.

To add a new group view, follow the steps above. This will create a new “My Group View” page and will not replace the previously created group view.

Add a new group to a group view

Select a group view to enter group editing mode.
Selectthe plus icon in the upper-left corner of the group.
You can also clickthe plus icon at the top of a group view data panel to add a new group container.

Add a new employee to a group view

Select a group to enter group editing mode.
Hover your cursor over the group and selectthe plus icon in the upper-left corner of the group.
You can also clickthe plus icon by each group heading in a group view data panel.

Move employees between group views

Select a group to enter group editing mode.
Select the employee on the canvas and drag and drop the employee to the desired group.

Delete employees from a group view

Click the employee shape so it's highlighted.
Press "Delete" or "Backspace" on your keyboard, or right-click and select Delete.

Change the grouping field

Click the drop down that appears at the top of the group view data panel.
Select a different field by which to group employees.

Note: All group containers are automatically sized equally. This means all group containers will match the size of the largest group. There is not currently a way to resize group view containers.

Set layout style

To set or adjust the standard layout style, follow these steps:

Hover your cursor over the org chart and select the dotted outline.
In the org chart Context panel to the right, select the Layout tab.
Click to expand the Layout Style menu.
Select a Layout Style from the available options.
Make finer adjustments to shape spacing using the sliders or typing a measurement.

Set shape style

To set or adjust a shape style, follow these steps:

Hover your cursor over the org chart and select the dotted outline.
In the org chart Context panel to the right, select the Layout tab.
Click to expand the Shape Style menu.
Select a Shape Style from the available options.

Add photos

There are multiple ways to add images to employee shapes. You can import them with your dataset, import image files in bulk from your computer, drag and drop a downloaded image onto a selected employee shape, and add a public image URL to an individual employee shape.

Note: All images must be uploaded from your computer, linked from a public source, or linked from Google Drive with public share permissions.

Import photos in a dataset

To import photos with your dataset, follow the steps outlined in the Import data section.

Upload photos from your computer

Hover your cursor over the org chart and select the dotted outline.
In the org chart Context panel to the right, select the Layout tab.
Click to expand the Shape Style menu.
Select Upload Photos.
Click Choose Files.
- File names must contain the employees’ names or employee IDs. Names can be separated by hyphens, underscores, or other punctuation.
Choose the files you want to upload and click Open.
Select Upload.

Tip: To quickly update a single image using a photo downloaded to your computer, drag and drop the file onto a selected employee shape.

Add a public image URL

Click an employee shape in the org chart.
Select the Layout tab.
Click to expand the Shape Style menu.
Paste a public image URL in the URL field.

Manage employee fields

You can manage the fields for all employees universally and manage the fields of an individual shape.

Manage employee fields universally

Hover your cursor over the org chart and select the dotted outline.
In the org chart Context panel to the right, select the Layout tab.
Click to expand the Employee Fields menu.

From here, you can:

Add or remove a field by checking or unchecking the relevant box.
Rename a field by clicking the title and typing a new one.
Apply a field to all shapes by hovering your cursor over the field and clickingthe globe icon.
Arrange the order of fields by clicking and draggingthe handles to the left of the field name.
Delete a field, show/hide label, or hide empty field by selecting the More Options menu on a field.

You can also manage the fields of an individual shape by selecting the employee shape and following the steps above. Some options (such as applying a change universally) will not be available.

Troubleshoot org chart issues

If you're experiencing issues with org charts, check out our Troubleshooting: Org charts article.

FAQ

Can I use images from Google Drive?

Yes. Links used from Google Drive must have public share permissions.

How can I add an employee shape outside of the standard org chart hierarchy (such as an assistant)?

We recommend manually adding a shape from the standard shape library. You can include all the relevant details and position the shape where it makes sense in your organization.

Can I customize the style of my org chart?

Yes. You can change the look of an org chart to best fit your organization’s needs. To customize an org chart, select a shape from the canvas, and try out some of the features below.

Change the outline color of an org chart shape by clicking the Line Color icon, and choosing a color.
Change the color of an org chart shape by clicking the Fill Color icon, and choosing a color.
Change the font of an org chart shape by clicking the font dropdown menu in the formatting bar on the top-left of the canvas
Resize an org chart shape by dragging one of the boxes that appears in each corner when you select the shape.

Learn more: Enhance an org chart by color-coding and adding a key. Read our Add a diagram key in Lucidchart article for more information.

Resources

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

Community post

Ready to up-level your org chart? Take a look at Group View.

Use this trick to represent employees with two managers

Course

Org Charts 101

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