How to Add Shapes to a PDF (Boxes, Circles, Lines, Arrows)

Draw shapes on a PDF in 4 steps

1. 1

   Open Add Shape

   Go to Add Shape and select your PDF. The toolbar shows Select, Rectangle, Ellipse, Line, Arrow and Polygon, with Rectangle active.

2. 2

   Drag to draw

   Drag from one corner to the other for a rectangle or ellipse. Drag from start to end for a line, and from tail to tip for an arrow. For a polygon, click each corner, then double-click, press Enter or click the first point again to close it.

3. 3

   Set the style

   In the side panel, choose the Stroke and Fill colors (tick None for either), the Stroke width from 0.5 to 24 pt, and the Opacity.

4. 4

   Save PDF

   Click Save PDF. The download ends in -shapes.pdf.

Which shape to use for which job

• Rectangle with no fill: frame a table, a clause or a figure you want someone to look at.
• Ellipse: circle a number or a word. Hold Shift while dragging a corner handle to make it a perfect circle.
• Line: underline a heading by hand, strike through a box, or add a divider.
• Arrow: point from a margin note to the thing it refers to.
• Polygon: outline an irregular area on a floor plan, map or diagram.
• Rectangle with a fill and no stroke: a solid colored block behind text you add later.

Default colors and how styles carry over

Rectangles, ellipses, lines and arrows start as red 2 pt outlines with no fill. Polygons start blue. When you change a shape's style, the next shape of that kind uses the same style, so a page of matching green boxes takes one change, not ten.

Shapes are drawn in the order you add them. Use Bring to front and Send to back in the side panel to fix overlaps between your own shapes. They always sit above the original page content.

When to use a single-shape tool instead

Add Shape is the right choice when one document needs a mix of boxes, circles and arrows. If you only need one kind, the focused pages open with it ready and each has its own walkthrough: how to circle something in a PDF, how to draw straight lines, how to add arrows and how to add a rectangle. For freehand marks rather than geometric shapes, use Draw on PDF.

Are the shapes editable after saving?

Shapes are saved as vector graphics in the page content, so they stay sharp at any zoom and print everywhere. They are not saved as shape annotations, so another PDF app will not let you drag or restyle them later. Before you close the tab, Edit again on the result screen brings back every shape as an editable object.

Frequently asked questions