Adding shapes

Shapes are a commonly used type of layer in Sketch documents — and because they’re vector-based, they’re incredibly flexible too.

An easy way to get started is to add and edit pre-made shapes. If you want to create a custom shape, try out the vector editing tool or combine multiple shapes using Boolean operations.

Adding pre-made shapes

To add a new pre-made shape to the Canvas, click the Insert button in the Toolbar and select a shape. Alternatively, open the Insert menu in the Menu Bar, select Shape and choose which type of shape you want to add.

Pre-made shapes include the rectangle, oval, rounded rectangle, line, arrow, triangle, star and polygon.

You can use keyboard shortcuts to quickly add pre-made shapes:

R	Rectangle
O	Oval
U	Rounded rectangle
L	Line

After you’ve selected a shape, click and drag anywhere on the Canvas or Artboard to add it. As you drag, you’ll see the shape’s dimensions next to your cursor.

To create a shape with even proportions (such as a perfect square or circle), hold ⇧ as you click and drag. If you’re creating lines or arrows, holding ⇧ will constrain the line’s path by 45° increments.

To draw a pre-made shape from its center instead of from the top left, hold ⌥ as you click and drag.

To move a shape as you’re adding it, hold the Space bar ␣ as you drag — this is handy if you started drawing the shape in the wrong area and quickly need to place it elsewhere.

Drawing freeform shapes with the Pencil tool

To draw a freeform shape, press P or choose the Pencil tool from the Insert menu. When you’ve finished drawing, Sketch will smooth curves and simplify the path you’ve created.

Adding shapes from SVG Code

To add a shape using SVG code, simply select the code and paste it anywhere on the Canvas.