# Connect shapes and route lines

> Join shapes with lines in PlexiiDiagrams, choose right-angle, curved or straight routing, add bends and labels, and pick from 14 arrowheads.

Source: https://plexiidesk.com/help/diagrams-connections-and-routing
Section: Office > Diagrams
Plans: All plans
Updated: 2026-10-21

Lines join shapes in PlexiiDiagrams. They attach to connection dots on each shape, find their own way around other shapes, and stay attached when you move things. You can bend them by hand, label them, and choose their arrowheads.

## Before you start

- Lines and routing are on every plan.
- Open a diagram. See [PlexiiDiagrams overview](https://plexiidesk.com/help/diagrams-overview).

## Connect two shapes

1. Hover a shape. Its connection dots appear.
2. Drag from a dot onto another shape and let go.

The new line ends in an arrow at the second shape.

### Add a connected shape with the blue arrows

1. Click a shape to select it, then hover it. Blue arrows appear on its four sides.
2. Click an arrow. A new shape of the same kind, size and colour appears on that side, already connected.

### Drop a line on empty canvas

1. Drag from a connection dot and let go on an empty part of the canvas.
2. A quick shape picker opens with a few common shapes. Click one, or type in **Add a connected shape…** to search, and press `Enter` to take the first match.

The shape is created where you let go, already connected. Press `Esc` to close the picker without adding anything.

## How lines find their way

Lines have three routing styles:

| Style | What it does |
| --- | --- |
| **Right-angle** | Runs in horizontal and vertical segments and goes around other shapes. This is the starting style for new lines. |
| **Curved** | A smooth curve between the two shapes. |
| **Straight** | A direct line from one shape to the other. |

To change a line's style, select it and use **Right-angle lines**, **Curved lines** or **Straight lines** in the toolbar, the **Style** buttons in the inspector, or the line's right-click menu. The change applies to every line you have selected.

To set the style for lines you draw from now on, deselect everything and, in the inspector, set **Lines** > **New lines**.

## Bend a line by hand

1. Click the line to select it. It glows, and handles appear on it.
2. Drag a square handle to move a bend. Double-click a square handle to remove that bend.
3. To add a bend, drag one of the small **+** handles in the middle of a segment.

On a curved line, drag the **+** handle to bend the curve.

To let PlexiiDiagrams route the line again, right-click it and choose **Reset route**, or click **Reset route** in the inspector.

## Label a line

1. Double-click the line, or select it and press `Enter`.
2. Type the label.
3. Press `Enter` to keep it, or `Esc` to cancel.

To move the label, select the line and drag the label along it. You can also type the label in **Line label** in the inspector.

## Style a line in the inspector

Select one or more lines. The inspector shows the **Line** section:

- **Style**: **Right-angle**, **Curved** or **Straight**.
- **Colour** and width.
- **Pattern**: **Solid**, **Dashed**, **Dotted** or **Dash-dot**.
- **Start** and **End**: the arrowhead at each end.
- **Label**: the label's size and colour, and **Line label** for its text.
- **Animated flow**: the line shows movement along its direction.
- **Reset route**, **Swap arrows** (swaps the start and end arrowheads), and a lock button.

### Arrowheads

There are 14 choices for **Start** and **End**:

| Arrowhead | Arrowhead |
| --- | --- |
| None | Arrow |
| Open arrow | Hollow triangle |
| Filled diamond | Hollow diamond |
| Filled circle | Hollow circle |
| Bar | One (ERD) |
| Many (ERD) | One or many (ERD) |
| Zero or one (ERD) | Zero or many (ERD) |

The ERD arrowheads are crow's feet, for entity relationship diagrams. To change the arrowhead that new lines start with, deselect everything and set **Lines** > **Arrow** in the inspector. It affects only lines you draw afterwards; lines already on the page keep their arrowheads.

## Line jumps

Where two lines cross, a line jump draws a small hop so you can tell them apart. Turn it on with **View** > **Line jumps**, or deselect everything and tick **Line jumps where lines cross** in the inspector.

## Tidy the lines

**Tidy** in the toolbar reroutes lines around shapes, spreads out lines that share a connection point, straightens near-aligned links and fixes overlaps. See [Tidy lines and lay out a diagram](https://plexiidesk.com/help/diagrams-layout-and-tidy).

## Common questions

**My curved line goes through another shape.** Curved lines do not route around other shapes; right-angle lines do. Switch the line to **Right-angle**, or add a bend to steer the curve.

**A straight line stops short of a round or diamond shape.** On shapes that are not rectangles, straight lines attach to the shape's surrounding box rather than its exact outline. Use a right-angle line if the gap matters.

**My line will not move.** It may be locked. Select it and click the lock button in the inspector, or right-click it and choose **Unlock**.

**I bent a line and now it looks wrong.** Right-click it and choose **Reset route**, or press `⌘` `Z` on a Mac or `Ctrl` `Z` on Windows.

**Can a line have arrows at both ends?** Yes. Set both **Start** and **End** in the inspector.

## Related tasks

- [Draw a flowchart](https://plexiidesk.com/help/diagrams-draw-a-flowchart)
- [Tidy lines and lay out a diagram](https://plexiidesk.com/help/diagrams-layout-and-tidy)
- [Edit and arrange shapes](https://plexiidesk.com/help/diagrams-edit-and-arrange)
- [Pages, layers and themes](https://plexiidesk.com/help/diagrams-pages-layers-and-themes)
- [PlexiiDiagrams overview](https://plexiidesk.com/help/diagrams-overview)