How to Make a Flowchart in Google Docs (3 Ways)

To make a flowchart in Google Docs, choose Insert → Drawing → + New, draw and connect your shapes, then click Save and close. For bigger charts, build it in Google Drawings and add a linked copy with Insert → Drawing → From Drive. Diagram add-ons are a third route if your team already uses another diagramming tool.

Quick steps

1. Click where the chart should go, then choose Insert → Drawing → + New.
2. Click the Shape icon, choose Shapes and pick a flowchart shape. Drag on the canvas to draw it.
3. Double-click each shape to type its label.
4. Open the Line menu, choose Arrow or Elbow Connector, and drag from a connection point on one shape to a point on the next.
5. Add "Yes" and "No" labels with the Text box tool.
6. Select several shapes, right-click, and use the align and distribute options.
7. Click Save and close. To edit later, double-click the drawing.

Which method should you use?

You can also generate the chart elsewhere and insert it as an image. That option is covered near the end.

How do I make a flowchart with the built-in drawing tool?

Draw the shapes

Choose Insert → Drawing → + New. A drawing window opens over your document, with its own toolbar.

Click the Shape icon and choose Shapes. The flowchart shapes sit together in the grid; hover over one to see its name. Click a shape, then drag on the canvas to draw it. Hold Shift to keep its proportions. Press Ctrl+D (Cmd+D on a Mac) to duplicate a shape.

Double-click a shape to type inside it. When a shape is selected, the toolbar shows fill color, border color, border weight and text options.

Connect the shapes

Open the Line menu. It offers Line, Arrow, Elbow Connector, Curved Connector, Curve, Polyline and Scribble. For flowcharts, use Arrow for straight links and Elbow Connector for right-angle turns.

With a line tool selected, hover over a shape and small connection points appear on it. Click one, drag to a connection point on the next shape and release. Test it by dragging a shape: a connected line follows.

If a connector has no arrowhead, select it and choose an arrow style from the line-end option in the toolbar.

Label the decisions

Lines can't hold text, so use the Text box tool. Draw a small box beside each exit of a decision diamond and type "Yes" or "No". Keep directions consistent, for example "Yes" continues down and "No" goes right.

Align, group and save

Select several shapes with Shift+click, or drag a box around them. Right-click the selection to find the align options. With three or more shapes selected, Distribute makes the gaps equal. Alignment guides also appear as you drag.

Once a section is done, right-click it and choose Group, or press Ctrl+Alt+G.

Click Save and close when you're finished. The drawing lands in your document as a single object. Select it to choose a wrap setting, such as In line or Break text. To edit it, double-click it, or select it and click Edit.

How do I make a larger flowchart with Google Drawings?

The drawing window gets cramped beyond about ten shapes. Standalone Google Drawings gives you a full-size editor and full menus:

1. In Google Drive, choose New → More → Google Drawings.
2. Build the flowchart with the same shape and line tools. The Arrange menu adds Align, Distribute, Center on page and Group.
3. Back in your document, choose Insert → Drawing → From Drive and pick the file.

The inserted drawing stays linked to the original. After someone edits the Drawings file, click the drawing in your document and choose Update at its top right. Unlink turns it into a local copy.

Linking pays off when one flowchart appears in several documents. Fix it once in Drawings, then update each document. Anyone who edits the chart needs edit access to the Drawings file.

Can I build the flowchart in Google Slides instead?

Yes. Slides has the same shapes and connectors, a larger canvas and the full Arrange menu. To match a document page, choose File → Page setup → Custom and enter a portrait size, such as 8.5 by 11 inches.

Build the chart, then choose File → Download → PNG image to save the current slide. Insert it into your document with Insert → Image → Upload from computer. The result is a static picture, so download and replace it after each change.

Should I use a flowchart add-on?

Add-ons connect Docs to outside diagramming tools. Choose Extensions → Add-ons → Get add-ons and search the Google Workspace Marketplace for "flowchart" or "diagram". Several established diagram tools publish add-ons that insert diagrams from their own editors.

Before installing one, check four things:

• which permissions it asks for;
• whether it needs a separate account or a paid plan;
• whether it inserts a static image or can refresh the diagram later;
• whether your Workspace admin allows add-ons.

Listings and features change often, so review them when you install (as of September 2026).

How do I fit a wide flowchart on the page?

A wide drawing gets shrunk to fit between the margins, and its labels shrink with it. Three fixes:

• Design top to bottom. Vertical flows suit a portrait page.
• Turn one section landscape. Put the chart between two section breaks with Insert → Break → Section break (next page). Click inside that section and open File → Page setup. Set Apply to to This section and choose Landscape.
• Split the chart. End the first drawing with a small circle labeled "A", and start the next drawing with a matching "A".

What are the limits of Google Docs flowcharts?

The built-in drawing tool is handy, but it's a simple editor. Expect these limits:

• No automatic layout. You position every shape and arrow, and rework them when the process changes.
• No templates. The drawing window has no flowchart or swimlane starting points.
• One object per drawing. A drawing can't continue across a page break.
• Flattened exports. If you download the document as a Word file, drawings typically arrive as images, not editable shapes.

Flowchart symbols you'll need

A clear flowchart only needs a few shapes:

• Terminator (rounded ends): start and end.
• Process (rectangle): one action per box.
• Decision (diamond): a yes/no question.
• Data (parallelogram): an input or output.
• Connector (small circle): a jump to another part of the chart.

Our flowchart symbols guide covers every symbol, with examples.

Faster option: generate the flowchart with AI

If the process is already written down in your document, you don't need to redraw it by hand. Infogiph's AI flowchart maker turns a description into a laid-out chart:

1. Paste the steps from your document, or describe the process in plain English, including each decision and branch. For long documents, the Text to Visuals tab suggests visuals from pasted text.
2. Infogiph generates an animated, fully editable flowchart, usually in about 5–15 seconds.
3. Refine it by chatting, or edit labels, icons, colors and layout on the canvas.
4. Export a PNG and insert it with Insert → Image → Upload from computer. The 4:5 portrait preset fits a document page well.

PNG is the safe choice for Docs, because SVG uploads aren't reliably supported there. Keep an SVG export for tools that accept it, such as Word and PowerPoint. An animated GIF also works in Docs: it plays in the document but freezes in PDFs and printouts.

To update the chart, edit it in Infogiph and export again. Then right-click the image in your document and choose Replace image.

The free plan includes 5 AI generations in total (a one-time allowance that doesn't reset), the full editor and unlimited exports. Free exports carry a small Infogiph watermark. You sign in with Google, and no credit card is needed.

FAQ

Why don't my arrows stay attached to the shapes?

The line was released away from a connection point. Delete it, hover over the shape until the connection points appear, and release exactly on one. Lines drawn without those points won't follow the shapes.

How do I edit a flowchart I already inserted?

Double-click the drawing, or select it and click Edit. For a linked Google Drawings file, edit the source file, then click Update on the drawing in your document.

Can I export a Google Docs flowchart as an image?

Yes. Open the drawing and use Actions → Download to save it as a PNG, JPEG, SVG or PDF. You can then reuse the file in slides, wikis or other documents.

Does Google Docs have flowchart templates?

Not inside the drawing tool. Instead, start from an editable template, such as our employee onboarding process or customer support flow. Then insert the exported PNG.

Keep going

• How to make a flowchart in Word, for documents that live in Microsoft 365.
• How to make a flowchart in Notion, if your team's docs live in Notion.