Shape libraries
There are 353 shapes in 21 categories. The panel groups them into 20 categories; connectors are the exception, drawn with the Connector tool in the toolbar rather than dragged from the list.
The search box at the top of the panel searches every category at once, which is faster than knowing where a shape lives. Each category can be pinned to keep it at the top.
The everyday diagramming set — 64 shapes.
| Category | Shapes |
|---|---|
| Basic Flowchart (14) | Start, End, Process, Decision, Terminator, Input/Output, Document, Predefined Process, Manual Input, Preparation, Stored Data, Delay, On-page Connector, Off-page Connector |
| General Shapes & Arrows (20) | Circle, Ellipse, Triangle, Square, Rounded Rectangle, Hexagon, Octagon, Pentagon, Star, Cross, Block Arrow, Left Arrow, Right Arrow, Up Arrow, Down Arrow, Bidirectional Arrow, Chevron, Circular Arrow, Curved Arrow, U-turn Arrow |
| Connectors (10) | Straight Arrow, Straight Line, Elbow Connector, Curved Connector, Bidirectional Arrow, Dashed Arrow, Dotted Association, Open Arrow, Circle Endpoint, Diamond Endpoint |
| Annotations (12) | Text Box, Callout, Note, Brace, Bracket, Highlight Region, Boundary/Group, Label Tag, Numbered Marker, Legend, Dimension Line, Caption |
| Swimlanes (8) | Horizontal Swimlane, Vertical Swimlane, Pool Container, Lane Divider, Lane Header, Phase Divider, Cross-functional Pool, Nested Lane Container |
Start and End matter beyond their appearance. Path detection traces routes from a Start shape to an End shape, so a process without them cannot be measured.
Business
Section titled “Business”Process, planning, and organisational shapes — 75.
| Category | Shapes |
|---|---|
| Decision & Logic (12) | Decision Diamond, Merge, Junction, AND Gate, OR Gate, XOR Gate, NOT Gate, NAND Gate, NOR Gate, Summing Junction, Parallel Split, Parallel Join |
| Process & Operations (12) | Process, Manual Operation, Alternate Process, Predefined Process, Multi-Document, Expanded Subprocess, Loop/Repeat, Batch Process, Parallel Process, Inspection, Approval, Handoff |
| Data & Storage (13) | Database, Document Stack, Internal Storage, Sequential-access Storage, Direct-access Storage, Data Store, Data File, Queue, Cache, Object Storage, Data Warehouse, Data Lake, Archive |
| Timeline (12) | Timeline, Milestone, Event Marker, Date Marker, Phase Band, Range Bar, Interval, Deadline, Release, Today Marker, Baseline, Timeline Callout |
| Project Management (14) | Task, Milestone, Phase, Workstream, Deliverable, Dependency, Risk, Issue, Decision, Roadmap Chevron, Sprint, Release, Deadline, Swimlanes Chart |
| Org Chart (12) | Person Box, Role Box, Team Box, Department Box, Division Box, Location Box, Vacancy, Assistant, Dotted-line Role, External Partner, Group Container, Hierarchy Connector |
Architecture
Section titled “Architecture”Technical notation, including three full standards — 120 shapes, the largest library.
| Category | Shapes |
|---|---|
| Network & Systems (22) | Server, Cloud, Router, Firewall, Workstation, Server Rack, Desktop, Laptop, Mobile, Tablet, Database Server, Switch, Load Balancer, API Gateway, Container, Cluster, Service, External System, Network Zone, Subnet/VPC, Internet, User/Client |
| Software Architecture & Cloud (23) | Person, External System, Software System, Boundary, Web App, Mobile App, Service, Microservice, API, Function, Queue, Topic, Event Bus, Cache, Database, Object Storage, Secret, Container, Cluster, Load Balancer, Gateway, Region, Availability Zone |
| UML (36) | Actor, Use Case, Class, Abstract Class, Interface, Object, Package, Component, Note, Activity, State, Initial Node, Final Node, Fork/Join, Decision/Merge, Object Node, Frame, Lifeline, Activation, Deployment Node, Artifact, Association, Directed Association, Generalization, Realization, Dependency, Aggregation, Composition, Include, Extend, Control Flow, Object Flow, Transition, Synchronous Message, Asynchronous Message, Return Message |
| Entity Relationship Diagrams (13) | Entity, Weak Entity, Associative Entity, Attribute, Key Attribute, Multivalued Attribute, Derived Attribute, Relationship, Identifying Relationship, Zero-or-One Endpoint, Exactly-One Endpoint, Zero-or-Many Endpoint, One-or-Many Endpoint |
| BPMN 2.0 (26) | Start Event, Intermediate Event, End Event, Task, User Task, Service Task, Manual Task, Send Task, Receive Task, Subprocess, Call Activity, Exclusive Gateway, Parallel Gateway, Inclusive Gateway, Event-based Gateway, Data Object, Data Store, Message, Group, Text Annotation, Pool, Lane, Sequence Flow, Message Flow, Association, Data Association |
The Software Architecture & Cloud set covers the C4 vocabulary — person, software system, container, component — alongside general cloud shapes.
Specialist
Section titled “Specialist”Domain-specific sets — 94 shapes.
| Category | Shapes |
|---|---|
| UI Wireframes (22) | Browser Frame, Desktop Frame, Mobile Frame, Navigation Bar, Sidebar, Breadcrumb, Tabs, Card, Panel, Button, Text Input, Text Area, Select, Checkbox, Radio, Toggle, Table, List, Modal, Image Placeholder, Text Lines, Avatar |
| Mind Maps & Ideation (10) | Central Topic, Main Topic, Subtopic, Floating Topic, Boundary, Summary, Relationship, Note, Tag, Priority Marker |
| Value Stream Mapping (14) | Supplier, Customer, Process Box, Inventory, Data Box, Production Control, Shipment, Push Arrow, Pull/Kanban, Supermarket, Electronic Information, Manual Information, Kaizen Burst, Lead-time Ladder |
| Electrical & Electronics (18) | AND Gate, OR Gate, NOT Gate, XOR Gate, NAND Gate, NOR Gate, Buffer, Resistor, Capacitor, Inductor, Diode, LED, Transistor, Battery, Ground, Switch, AC Source, DC Source |
| Flowchart Symbols (30) | Terminator, Process, Decision, Input Output, Document, Multi-Document, Predefined Process, Manual Input, Manual Operation, Preparation, Database, Internal Storage, Delay, Display, Loop Limit, Or Junction, Summing Junction, Extract, Merge, Collate, Sort, Off-page Connector, On-page Connector, Stored Data, Direct Access, Sequential Access, Card, Paper Tape, Annotation, Parallel Mode |
Flowchart Symbols is the full classic ANSI set, which goes well beyond the fourteen shapes in Basic Flowchart. Use Basic Flowchart for everyday diagrams and this one when you need a specific traditional symbol.
Shapes that appear twice
Section titled “Shapes that appear twice”Several names appear in more than one category — Process, Decision, Database, Milestone, Queue, Cache, and the logic gates among them.
They are drawn for their own notation, so the BPMN task and the basic flowchart process are not the same shape. Pick from the category matching the notation you are using, and stay in it. A diagram mixing BPMN gateways with basic flowchart diamonds reads as a mistake to anyone who knows either standard.
Related
Section titled “Related”Draw a diagram from scratch covers placing and connecting them. Feature list lists what else the module does.