# draw.io editor

draw.io is the editor to reach for when the position of things is part of the message. Architecture, network topology, floor plans, anything with an icon set.

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## What it is good at

* **Shape libraries.** AWS, Azure, GCP, Cisco, UML and more, plus your own.
* **Connectors that stay attached.** Move a box and its lines follow.
* **Layers.** Keep annotations separate from the drawing itself.
* **Precision.** Grid, guides and exact coordinates when you need them.

![image-20260907-081318.png](https://help.gocapable.com/images/5f09c543-0239-4863-b4ed-e0734409830b.webp)

## Working with shapes

The sidebar holds the libraries enabled for your site. An administrator can add your own icon sets so everyone draws with the same vocabulary. See [Shapes and icons](https://help.gocapable.com/diagrams/shapes-and-icons.html).

![image-20260907-081449.png](https://help.gocapable.com/images/fe7dfb89-96e1-42d0-8ee0-8bffea7d6af6.webp)

## Multi-page diagrams

A draw.io file can hold several tabs. The macro shows one of them, so you can keep related diagrams in one file and surface the relevant tab per page.

![image-20260907-081412.png](https://help.gocapable.com/images/e24f3392-2785-46a4-bdff-34ae7c6def6b.webp)

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## A few things that catch people out

* Connectors only follow a shape if you attached them to the shape rather than dropping them near it. Look for the green circle when you draw the line.
* Very large diagrams render slowly on first load. Splitting into tabs is usually better than one enormous canvas.
* Pasted images inside a diagram are stored inside it, so they inflate the source. Link or attach instead where you can.
* A diagram that looks cut off is almost always a display mode, not a broken drawing. See [Display and appearance](https://help.gocapable.com/diagrams/display-and-appearance.html).

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## Related

[Shapes and iconsAdding your own libraries.](https://help.gocapable.com/diagrams/shapes-and-icons.html)

[Choose an editorWhether draw.io is the right pick.](https://help.gocapable.com/diagrams/editors.html)

[ExamplesWorking draw.io diagrams.](https://help.gocapable.com/diagrams/examples.html)

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_Precision, when the layout is the message._