The element palette
The left sidebar contains the full BPMN 2.0 element palette. It’s organized into groups — events, tasks, gateways, data objects, pools, lanes, and connecting objects — so you can quickly find what you need. To add an element to the canvas, click and drag it from the palette and drop it anywhere on the canvas. The element is created with a default label that you can edit immediately. Alternatively, you can double-click an empty area of the canvas to get a quick-add menu with the most common elements.Canvas interactions
Move elements
Click and drag any element to reposition it on the canvas. Hold Shift and click multiple elements to select and move them as a group.
Rename elements
Double-click any element label to enter edit mode and type a new name. Press Enter or click outside the label to confirm.
Add connections
Hover over a source element until the connection handles (small arrows) appear on its edges. Drag from a handle to the target element to create a sequence flow, message flow, or association.
Delete elements or connections
Select an element or connection and press Delete (or Backspace) to remove it. Deleting an element also removes its attached connections.
Resize pools and lanes
Click a pool or lane to select it, then drag the resize handles on its edges to expand or contract it. Other elements inside the container shift to stay within the new boundaries.
Change element type
Right-click any element to open the context menu, then choose Change type to swap it for a different BPMN element — for example, converting a task to a subprocess, or an intermediate event to a boundary event.
Right-click context menu
Right-clicking any element or connection on the canvas opens a context menu with the most common actions for that element type:- Rename — opens the label for inline editing
- Change type — swap the element for another BPMN shape
- Add lane — (pools only) inserts a new lane inside the selected pool
- Delete — removes the element and its connections
- Copy / Paste — duplicate elements within the same diagram
- Edit properties — open the properties panel to set documentation, markers, and other BPMN attributes
Selecting multiple elements
Click and drag on an empty area of the canvas to draw a selection rectangle around multiple elements. Once selected, you can:- Move the entire group by dragging any element in the selection
- Delete all selected elements at once with Delete
- Copy and paste the group with Ctrl+C / Ctrl+V (or Cmd+C / Cmd+V on Mac)
Manual editing is available on all plans, including Free. There are no feature restrictions on canvas interactions regardless of your subscription tier.
Keyboard shortcuts
| Action | Windows / Linux | macOS |
|---|---|---|
| Select all | Ctrl+A | Cmd+A |
| Copy | Ctrl+C | Cmd+C |
| Paste | Ctrl+V | Cmd+V |
| Undo | Ctrl+Z | Cmd+Z |
| Redo | Ctrl+Shift+Z | Cmd+Shift+Z |
| Delete selected | Delete or Backspace | Delete or Backspace |
| Zoom in | Ctrl++ | Cmd++ |
| Zoom out | Ctrl+− | Cmd+− |
| Fit diagram to screen | Ctrl+Shift+H | Cmd+Shift+H |