Free Online Whiteboard with Shapes
Draw perfect rectangles, circles, triangles, and polygons. Fill them with colour, resize them with handles, add text inside, and connect them with arrows for complete flowcharts and diagrams — all free, no account needed.
Available Shapes and How to Use Each One
The full shape set — what each is best used for in diagrams and teaching.
Rectangle
The workhorse of diagrams. Used for: process steps in flowcharts, text boxes, data boxes in architecture diagrams, table cells drawn manually, and any content that needs clear boundary delineation. Click and drag to draw; hold Shift to constrain to a perfect square.
Circle / Ellipse
Draw ellipses by dragging; hold Shift for a perfect circle. Used for: flowchart start/end terminals (oval convention), Venn diagram circles, highlighting a region on an annotated image, and science diagrams like cells and molecules.
Triangle
Upward or downward-pointing triangles for pyramids, hierarchy diagrams, and geometric teaching. Used in: hierarchy charts (most important at top), Maslow-style pyramids, and any diagram needing a wedge shape.
Diamond
The standard flowchart decision symbol — a diamond with a yes/no branch coming out. Use the diamond shape for any decision point in a process flow where the path splits based on a condition.
Line
A straight geometric line with no arrowhead. Hold Shift while dragging to constrain to exactly 0°, 45°, or 90°. Used for: borders, dividers, timeline axes, graph axes, and any case where a connector arrow would imply unwanted direction.
Additional Shapes
Stars, hexagons, and other polygons for presentation variety, mind map node styles, and decorative elements in visual boards. All shapes support fill colour, stroke colour, and stroke width customisation.
Working with Shapes — Key Operations
How to draw, resize, fill, label, and connect shapes effectively.
Drawing a Shape
Select the Shapes tool and choose your shape from the picker. Click and drag on the canvas to draw it — release to place. The size is set by how far you drag. Hold Shift while dragging a rectangle to draw a perfect square, or an ellipse to draw a perfect circle.
Resizing and Moving
Select a placed shape with the selection tool. Drag the corner handles to resize. Drag the centre of the shape to move it. Hold Shift while resizing to maintain aspect ratio. Shapes can be repositioned freely at any point after placing them.
Fill Colour and Stroke
With a shape selected, choose a fill colour from the colour picker to colour the interior. Choose a stroke colour for the border. Adjust stroke width for thicker or thinner outlines. Transparent fill gives you an outline-only shape.
Adding Text Inside a Shape
Use the Text tool and click inside a shape to add a text label. Position and size the text independently of the shape. For flowchart boxes, placing a text label inside a rectangle is the standard approach for labelling process steps.
Connecting Shapes with Arrows
Use the connector/arrow tool and drag from the edge of one shape to the edge of another. The connector snaps to shape boundaries and stays attached when you reposition shapes — keeping your diagram clean even as you reorganise it.
Shape Use Cases — Subjects and Scenarios
Common uses for the shape tool across different subjects and work types.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I draw a perfect square or circle?
Hold Shift while dragging a rectangle to get a perfect square. Hold Shift while dragging an ellipse to get a perfect circle. Release the mouse before releasing Shift to preserve the constraint.
Can I fill a shape with colour?
Yes — select the shape and use the fill colour picker in the toolbar. Choose any colour. Set the fill to transparent if you want only the outline visible with no coloured interior.
Can shapes be copied and pasted?
Yes — select a shape and use Ctrl+C to copy, Ctrl+V to paste a duplicate. This is faster than redrawing when you need multiple identical shapes (e.g. several process boxes in a flowchart).
Do shapes export cleanly in PDF?
Yes — all shapes, fill colours, stroke weights, and text labels are rendered at full quality in both PNG and PDF exports. Your diagram exports exactly as it appears on the whiteboard canvas.