To insert a shape in Google Docs, click Insert, then Drawing, then New. In the drawing window, click the Shape button, pick a shape, and click and drag on the canvas to draw it. Then click Save and close, and the shape appears in your document at the cursor.
Shapes in Google Docs live inside a drawing, a small canvas that sits in your document like an image. That’s why this works on a computer but not the same way in the phone and tablet apps. Below you’ll find the full steps, how to add arrows, callouts and text, how to wrap text around a shape, how to edit it later, and what you can do on mobile.
Quick Answer
- On a computer, open your document and place the cursor where the shape should go.
- Click Insert, then Drawing, then New.
- Click Shape in the drawing toolbar, choose a shape, and drag on the canvas to draw it.
- Style it with the fill, border and text tools, then click Save and close.
- Click the shape in your document to choose a text wrapping option.
In This Guide
- What you need
- Insert a shape on a computer
- Add arrows, callouts and text
- Wrap text around a shape
- Edit or delete a shape later
- Shapes on Android, iPhone and iPad
- Which option should you use?
- Troubleshooting
- Frequently Asked Questions
What You Need
These steps follow Google Docs Editors Help as of September 2026 and apply to Google Docs in a web browser on Windows, Mac or ChromeOS.
- A computer and a web browser. The drawing tool that holds shapes is part of Google Docs on the web.
- Edit access to the document. If you can only view or comment, the Insert menu won’t let you add a drawing.
- Pages format for text wrapping. Google notes that wrapping and positioning options aren’t available in documents set to pageless format (a continuous layout without page breaks). Pageless documents also drop headers, footers, page numbers and columns. You can still insert a shape, but it will sit in line with your text.
One term to know: a drawing in Google Docs is an editable box of shapes, lines and text. You build it in a separate drawing window, and it lands in your document as a single object you can move, resize and edit later.
How to Insert a Shape on a Computer
- Place your cursor. Click in the document where you want the shape to appear.
- Open a new drawing. Click Insert in the menu at the top left, then Drawing, then New. Expected result: A drawing window opens over your document with a checkered canvas. The checkered pattern means the background is transparent.
- Choose a shape. In the toolbar at the top of the drawing window, click Shape (its icon usually looks like a circle overlapping a square). Point to a group, such as Shapes, Arrows, Callouts or Equation (group names can vary slightly), and click the shape you want.
- Draw it. Click and drag on the canvas. Release the mouse when the shape is the size you want. Expected result: The shape appears with small handles around it.
- Style it. With the shape selected, use the buttons above the canvas to change the fill color, border color, border weight (thickness) and border dash (line style).
- Rotate or resize if needed. Drag a corner handle to resize. Drag the small dot above the shape to rotate it, and hold Shift while dragging to rotate in 15-degree steps.
- Insert it. Click Save and close at the top right of the drawing window. Expected result: The drawing appears in your document at the cursor.
Google’s help page on using drawings in Google Docs lists the full set of drawing tools if you want to go further.
Tip: to duplicate a shape inside the drawing window, hold Ctrl (Windows and ChromeOS) or Option (Mac) and drag the shape. A copy follows your pointer, which is handy for flowcharts with many identical boxes.
How to Add Arrows, Callouts and Text
Arrows and lines
You can draw arrows two ways. For a straight connector, click the Select line button (next to Shape) and choose Arrow or another line type, then drag on the canvas. For a thick block arrow, click Shape, then the Arrows group. Use the line weight and arrow style buttons to change thickness and arrowheads.
Callouts (speech bubbles)
Callouts are shapes with a pointer, like speech bubbles and labels. Click Shape, then the Callouts group, and drag to draw one. Some callouts have an extra adjustment handle (often yellow or orange) that you can drag to point the tail somewhere else.
Text inside a shape
Double-click a shape on the canvas and start typing (most closed shapes accept text this way). The text stays inside the shape and moves with it. You can also click Insert inside the drawing window to add a Text box (text in a box) or Word Art (text treated as a shape). If you only need a box of text rather than a shape, see our guide to inserting a text box in Google Docs.
Several shapes as one diagram
You can place as many shapes, lines and text boxes as you like on one canvas. They’re saved together as a single drawing, so the layout stays intact when you move it around the document. This is the easiest way to build a simple flowchart or labeled diagram.
How to Wrap Text Around a Shape
After you insert the drawing, click it once in the document. A small toolbar appears below it with layout options. Google documents these options for images, and inserted drawings generally show the same set. If your toolbar looks different, use the three-dot menu to find the layout options:
| Option | What it does | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| In line | Treats the shape like a large character in the line of text | Simple layouts, pageless documents |
| Wrap text | Text flows around the sides of the shape | Small shapes beside a paragraph |
| Break text | Text stops above the shape and continues below it | Diagrams and flowcharts |
| Behind text | Places the shape under the text | Highlight boxes and backgrounds |
| In front of text | Places the shape over the text | Arrows or labels pointing at text |
With Wrap text or Break text, you can also choose Move with text (the shape moves as you add or remove text above it) or Fix position on page (the shape stays put). More settings are under the three-dot menu in All image options. Google explains these in its help page on inserting and arranging images in Google Docs.
How to Edit or Delete a Shape Later
- Click the drawing in your document once to select it.
- Click Edit in the small toolbar that appears below it (in most versions, double-clicking the drawing also works). Expected result: The drawing window opens again with all your shapes.
- Click a shape to select it and change it. Press Delete or Backspace to remove a single shape.
- Click Save and close to update the document.
To remove the whole drawing, click it once in the document and press Delete or Backspace.
You can also reuse drawings you’ve made in Google Drawings. Click Insert, then Drawing, then From Drive, click the drawing and click Select. This is useful for a logo or diagram you use in several documents.
Shapes on Android, iPhone and iPad
Google’s current help for the Docs app doesn’t describe a way to insert shapes, and the app doesn’t include the drawing window used on a computer. Drawings you add on a computer still appear when you open the document on your phone or tablet.
Android: add markups instead
On Android, you can draw freehand on a document with markups, which are pen and highlighter annotations. On a phone, tap Insert, then Add markups. On a large-screen Android tablet, tap the Markups toggle in the top toolbar. Then tap Pen or Highlighter and draw. Markups are handy for circling or underlining, but they aren’t editable shapes. See Google’s page on drawings and markups on Android.
iPhone and iPad
Google’s iPhone and iPad help covers showing, hiding and deleting markups in the Docs app. For real shapes, use Google Docs in a computer browser, then keep editing the text on your iPhone or iPad.
Which Option Should You Use?
| You want to | Use |
|---|---|
| Add a box, circle, star or arrow | Insert, Drawing, New, then Shape |
| Point at something with a label | A callout shape, or an arrow set to In front of text |
| Add a simple divider or side line | A line in a drawing, or see our guide to adding a vertical line in Google Docs |
| Reuse the same diagram in many docs | Build it in Google Drawings and use Insert, Drawing, From Drive |
| Mark up a document on an Android phone | Insert, Add markups |
Working in a spreadsheet instead? The steps are similar, and our guide to inserting shapes in Google Sheets walks through them.
Troubleshooting
I don’t see Drawing in the Insert menu
Check that you have edit access and are using Google Docs in a computer browser. If you’re in the mobile app, the drawing tool isn’t available there.
Text wrapping options are missing
Your document is probably in pageless format. Click File, then Page setup, select Pages at the top and click OK. You can also click Format and choose Switch to Pages format. Wrapping and position options then become available.
The shape has a big empty area around it
A stray line or empty text box on the canvas can make the drawing bigger than the shapes you can see. Open the drawing with Edit, press Ctrl + A (Command + A on Mac) to see everything that’s selected, and delete anything you don’t need.
The shape jumps when I type
Click the shape and choose Fix position on page instead of Move with text. Or switch to In line so the shape behaves like part of the text.
My fill color won’t change
Lines and arrows drawn with Select line don’t have a fill, only a line color. Pick a closed shape from the Shape menu if you need a fill.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I insert shapes in the Google Docs mobile app?
Not with the same drawing tool. Insert shapes on a computer, and they’ll show up in the app. On Android, you can add freehand pen and highlighter markups instead.
How do I put text inside a shape?
In the drawing window, double-click the shape and type. The text stays centered in the shape and moves with it.
Can I make a shape transparent?
Yes. Select the shape in the drawing window, click the fill color button, and look for a Transparent option in the color menu. The border color menu should offer the same option if you want a shape with no outline.
How do I resize a shape after inserting it?
Click the drawing in your document and drag a corner handle to resize the whole drawing. To resize one shape inside it, open the drawing with Edit, drag that shape’s handles and click Save and close.
Can I copy a shape from one document to another?
Yes. Click the drawing, copy it with Ctrl + C (Command + C on Mac), and paste it into the other document. For a drawing you reuse often, save it in Google Drawings and insert it with From Drive.
Can I change the order of overlapping shapes?
Yes. In the drawing window, right-click a shape and look for the ordering options (such as bring to front or send to back). Menu wording can vary, but the options sit in the shape’s right-click menu or under the drawing window’s Actions menu.
Summary
- On a computer, click Insert, then Drawing, then New.
- Click Shape, choose a shape, and drag on the canvas.
- Use the fill, border and text tools, then click Save and close.
- Click the drawing to pick In line, Wrap text, Break text, Behind text or In front of text.
- Click the drawing and choose Edit to change it later.
- On mobile, view shapes made on a computer, or use markups on Android.
Next step: open a document on your computer and build a quick three-box flowchart with shapes and arrows in one drawing, then set it to Break text so it sits cleanly between paragraphs.
Kermit Matthews is a freelance writer based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania with more than a decade of experience writing technology guides. He has a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Computer Science and has spent much of his professional career in IT management.
He specializes in writing content about iPhones, Android devices, Microsoft Office, and many other popular applications and devices.