Getting started
Getting started
Draw your first diagram in about a minute — pick a starting point, edit it directly on the picture, and export a PNG or SVG. No account needed.
Your first diagram
There is no sign-up and nothing to install. Open the studio and you are already in a diagram you can edit.
- 1Open the studio. It starts you on an AWS three-tier architecture diagram so there is something real to take apart.
- 2Press ⌘/Ctrl + K to browse starting points, and pick one close to what you need — or choose Blank canvas to start from nothing.
- 3Edit directly on the picture. Double-click a shape to rename it, drag it to move it, and drag the blue dot on its edge to connect it to something else.
- 4Press ⌘/Ctrl + E to download a PNG, or ⇧ + ⌘/Ctrl + E for an SVG.
- 5Press ⌘/Ctrl + S to save the editable
.diagram.jsonfile to your disk, so you can pick the work up again later.
Two kinds of diagram
Every diagram is one of two kinds, because the two families want genuinely different editors. The starting point you pick decides which one you get.
| Free-form | Auto-layout | |
|---|---|---|
| Good for | Cloud and AWS architecture, flowcharts, network topology, org charts | Sequence, ERD, class, state, gantt, C4, charts |
| Who places things | You do, and nothing moves on its own | The layout engine does |
| How you edit | Drag shapes and connectors on the canvas | Tap an item on the picture to edit its fields |
| When to reach for it | The arrangement carries meaning | The content carries meaning |
Both live side by side in the same sidebar, both export the same way, and both are edited on the picture rather than in a text pane. You never see or write diagram source in either.
Getting around
- Zoom with the wheel, a trackpad pinch, or the controls at the bottom right.
- Pan by holding Space and dragging, by pressing H, or with two fingers on a touch screen.
- Fit the diagram to the screen with ⌘/Ctrl + 0, or by double-tapping empty space.
- Hide the sidebar with ⌘/Ctrl + B when you want the whole window for the drawing.
Frequently asked
- Do I need an account to use it?
- No. There is no sign-up, no login and no trial. Open the studio and start drawing.
- Is it really free?
- Yes. The tool is free and unlimited; ads on the site pay for hosting.
- Does it work on a phone?
- Yes. Both editors are touch-first — pinch to zoom, drag to pan, tap an item to edit it. Panels slide over the drawing instead of squeezing it.
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If something here is unclear, wrong, or missing, tell us — it is the fastest way to get it fixed. Feature requests are welcome too.
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