Your first board
Every board starts blank, and every tool below writes to the same document — there's no mode to switch into first.
From your dashboard, click New board, give it a name, and you're in. The left rail holds every tool; the right panel shows properties for whatever's selected; Ctrl/Cmd+K opens a searchable command palette for everything else.
Drawing
Pick the pencil tool (P) for freehand strokes, or drop a rectangle (R), ellipse (E), or diamond (D) for quick shapes. Toggle Hand-drawn mode from the board header to give every shape on the board a sketchy, jittered line style — it's a per-board setting, not per-shape, so a collaborator's screen matches yours.
Interfaces
Frames (F) group shapes into a named container — useful for laying out one screen at a time. Select a group of shapes and press Ctrl/Cmd+Alt+K to turn them into a reusable component instance; swap an instance to a different definition with Ctrl/Cmd+Alt+/, or detach one back to plain shapes with Ctrl/Cmd+Alt+B.
Diagrams
The line/arrow tool (L) snaps to any shape's edge — drag an endpoint onto a rectangle or frame and it stays attached as that shape moves, re-routing itself around obstacles automatically. Flowchart-specific shapes (process, decision, terminal) are available from the shape flyout for wiring up a real diagram.
Working with others
- Every board has a visibility level — private, link-shared, or public.
- Invite people by email, or generate a share link (optionally with a password) from the share dialog in the board header.
- Live cursors and selections show who else is on the board right now.
See Sharing & permissions for the full breakdown of visibility levels and roles.