How to Draw on Google Docs: Drawing Canvas and Android Markups

Sometimes words aren't enough. You want an arrow pointing at the bit of a process that keeps going wrong, a quick flow diagram for a new freelancer, or a hand-drawn circle around the clause a client needs to read. Google Docs can do all of that, but there are two quite different tools hiding under the word draw.

On a computer you get a drawing canvas that sits inside your document. On an Android phone or tablet you get markups, which let you scribble straight over the page with a pen or highlighter. I'll cover both, so you can pick the one that fits the job.

Opening the drawing canvas in Google Docs on a computer

Google's Docs Editors Help gives these steps:

1. Open your document and click where you want the drawing to go.
2. In the top left, click Insert, then Drawing, then New.
3. A drawing window opens over your document with its own toolbar.
4. Add lines, shapes, text or images with the tools along the top.
5. When you're finished, save and close the drawing window and it drops into your document. Menus vary by app version, but the save option sits at the top of that window.

Changes all happen through the Select tool in that drawing window, which I cover a little further down.

The Google Docs drawing tools and what each one does

The toolbar in the drawing window looks busy at first, but it boils down to four tools:

Tool	What Google's help says it does
Select line	Choose from Line, Elbow Connector, Curved Connector, Arrow, Curve, Polyline or Scribble
Shape	Pick a shape, then click and drag on the canvas to draw it
Insert	Word Art for text placed on the canvas as a shape, or Text Box for text in a confined area
Image	Pick or upload an image, then move, resize or rotate it like a shape

Freehand drawing with Scribble

If you want something that looks hand-drawn, click Select line and choose Scribble. Google says you click to start, then drag across the canvas. It's fiddly with a trackpad, so I'd use a mouse if you have one.

Curves and polylines

For Curve or Polyline, click to start, then click at each point where you want the line to bend. Double-click, or complete the shape, to finish. When you're done drawing a line, click Select to go back to moving things around.

Tidying shapes and text inside a Google Docs drawing

Click Select at the top of the drawing window, then click the shape, line or text box you want to change. From there, according to Google's help:

• Drag it to move it, or drag the blue boxes at the corners to resize it.
• Drag the blue dot outside a shape to rotate it. Hold Shift to rotate 15 degrees at a time.
• Use the buttons above the canvas to change fill colour, line colour, line thickness and line style.
• Double-click an enclosed shape and start typing to put text inside it.
• Hold Option on a Mac, or Ctrl on Windows, and drag to make a copy of a shape.

That last one is a lovely shortcut when you're building a simple flowchart with several matching boxes.

Drawing on Google Docs with a pen on Android

Google's help says markups are available on Android devices. This is the closest thing to writing on the page with your finger or a stylus.

1. Open the document in the Google Docs app.
2. On a phone, tap Insert, then Add markups. On a larger screen, tap the Markups toggle in the top toolbar.
3. Tap the Pen or the Highlighter in the markups toolbar.
4. Draw on the document.
5. To finish, tap Close on the markups toolbar, or the Checkmark on a phone, or the Markups toggle again on a large screen.

You can change the size and colour by tapping the Pen or Highlighter, and you can touch and hold the markups toolbar to drag it somewhere less in the way.

How Android markups behave when the text moves

Here's what makes markups different from a drawing. Google says a markup links to the content near it and highlights that content briefly when you add it. If someone then edits the linked content, the markup stretches or shrinks to follow it. So a circle around a sentence should stay with that sentence rather than floating off over the wrong paragraph.

To hide them, tap the Eye in the markups toolbar, or tap More and turn Show markups off. On a computer, the View menu has Show markups, and you can right-click a markup and choose Delete to remove it.

Reusing a drawing from Google Drive in your document

If you've built a diagram once in Google Drawings, you can drop it into any document with Insert, then Drawing, then From Drive. Click the drawing and then Select. Google says the inserted drawing stays linked to the original, so you can click it and choose Update to pull in changes, or Unlink to freeze it.

This is handy for a logo-style header or a process diagram you use across several client documents. If you're putting together a CV with a small diagram or divider, my roundup of free resume templates worth downloading gives you a sensible starting layout.

Drawing in Google Docs for freelancers and small teams

I use simple drawings for onboarding notes: three boxes and two arrows explaining who does what. They read faster than a paragraph, and they're easy to update. If you're starting out writing for clients, a quick annotated example of what you'll deliver can make your pitch clearer, and my piece on landing your first freelance content writing job has more on presenting your work.

If drawing on Google Docs isn't working

• No Drawing option: it's under Insert on a computer, not in the mobile app menus.
• No Add markups on your phone: Google's help lists markups for Android devices.
• Shapes won't move: click Select first, because you may still be in a line or shape tool.
• Markups have vanished: check Show markups under View on a computer, or under More on Android.

Frequently asked questions

Can I draw freehand in Google Docs?

Yes. In the drawing window, click Select line and choose Scribble, then click and drag across the canvas. On Android, markups let you draw over the document with a pen or highlighter.

Where is the drawing tool in Google Docs?

On a computer, click Insert, then Drawing, then New. A separate drawing window opens with tools for lines, shapes, text and images.

Can I draw on Google Docs on my phone?

Google's help says markups are available on Android devices. Tap Insert, then Add markups on a phone, or the Markups toggle on a larger screen.

How do I edit a drawing after it's in my document?

Open the drawing again, click Select at the top, then click the item you want to change. Google's help describes moving, resizing and recolouring from there.

How do I hide markups in Google Docs?

On Android, tap the Eye in the markups toolbar or turn Show markups off under More. On a computer, use View, then Show markups.