Get started with lines in Canva

Lines help you connect ideas, guide attention, and organize your design.

Use them to:

• Build diagrams and flowcharts
• Show relationships between elements
• Add structure to layouts

• Weight – Adjust thickness to emphasise or de-emphasise lines
• Connector – Use to link elements so they stay connected
• Elbow connector – Use right-angle lines for structured layouts
• Transparency – Lower values make lines less prominent

Pro tip: Press L on your keyboard to quickly insert a line on desktop.

Tip: Use Brand Kit colors to stay on-brand.

• Weight: Use
  Line weight to adjust thickness.
• Style: Choose solid, dashed, or dotted lines.

Tip: Dotted or dashed lines are helpful for alternate paths or softer emphasis.

• Add arrows, circles, bars, or no end points using
  Line endings.
• Swap ends with the “Swap line ends” option.

Tip: Customize the start and end separately, or use Swap line ends to switch them quickly.

Switch between straight, curved, or elbow connectors using

Tip: Curved lines = loose connections. Elbows = clean, structured diagrams.

Select

Tip: Lower transparency works well for background guides or layouts.

Tip: Labelling is great for flowcharts, maps, and process diagrams.

Learn how to use lines to connect shapes and create diagrams, and use Quick Flow to speed up flowchart creation.