![](https://help.apple.com/assets/65A1EA6EF8E43889BE0BB5F2/65A1EA71F8E43889BE0BB5F8/en_US/6995e148c827c092658dff889beaddc6.png)
Add a shape or line to a Freeform board on Mac
Freeform contains hundreds of shapes in a variety of categories. After you add a shape to a board, you can customize the shape in a number of ways.
![The shapes library, with a search field at the top, a list of categories on the left, and a collection of shapes to the right. Select a shape from the collection, scroll to see more shapes, or draw your own shape with the Pen tool.](https://help.apple.com/assets/65A1EA6EF8E43889BE0BB5F2/65A1EA71F8E43889BE0BB5F8/en_US/907de393aa0232a003f5a0d57321ceee.png)
Add and format a shape or line
In the Freeform app
on your Mac, click a category in the sidebar, then double-click a board to open it.
If you don’t see the sidebar, choose View > Show Sidebar.
Click the Insert Shapes button
, then select a shape or line.
You can scroll through the shapes library, select a category on the left, or search to find the one you want to use. You can also use the Pen tool
to draw your own shape.
To change border thickness, color, and more, select the shape or line, then use the formatting tools.
Tool
Description
Fill Inspector button
Change the color of a shape.
Stroke Inspector button
or
Change the type of border, border thickness, and border color of a shape or line.
Text Inspector button
Change the formatting for all text in a shape including font, color, size, alignment, and list style.
Line Ends Inspector button
Add an arrow or other shape to a line.
Connection Line Inspector button
Change the type of connection line: straight, cornered, or curved. (Available when you add a connection line between two items.)
Shapes and lines tips
To add text to a shape, select it, then start typing.
To apply formatting to specific text in a shape, select the text, then use the formatting buttons for the item.
To change a shape you added to a board, choose Format > Shapes and Lines > Change Shape (or Control-click the shape, then choose Change Shape).
After you add a shape to a board, you can customize the shape in a number of ways. For example, you can change the standard five-point star into a twenty-point starburst and adjust how rounded the corners of a square are.
To make a shape or line editable, choose Format > Shapes and Lines > Make Editable. After you make a shape or line editable, you can use the handles to change the line from curved to straight or add more handles for more variations.
You can use connector lines between a shape and other items. If necessary, click the Show Connectors button
in the lower-right corner (when connector lines are enabled, the button looks like this
), click the shape, then drag one of the arrows up, down, left, or right, to add a connector line to the other item. You can also add a diagram to a Freeform board.
When you select multiple shapes, you can combine them in various ways (for example, join them into one shape or subtract one shape from the other)—click the Arrange Inspector button
to start.
You can modify the appearance of shapes and lines in so many more ways—experiment with all of the options in Format > Shapes and Lines.
Tip: You can add a large rectangle shape and change its color, so it acts as a background color. Position items on top of it, or arrange the rectangle behind items that were already there: select the shape and choose Arrange > Send to Back.
![An open Freeform board showing a background shape behind several individual items.](https://help.apple.com/assets/65A1EA6EF8E43889BE0BB5F2/65A1EA71F8E43889BE0BB5F8/en_US/b941ce8e84bf1e3aaaa1d63240d661b3.png)
Continue to build your board by adding text, diagrams, photos or videos, links, sticky notes, and other files.