Projects / Excalidraw

Excalidraw

Design & Creation

Draw hand-drawn-style flowcharts, sketches, and wireframes in a browser, with optional real-time collaboration.

Use with conditions
Last updatedRelease 2026-04-21
Open source licenseMIT
PlatformsWeb / PWA
DeploymentWeb

About this project

Excalidraw is a virtual whiteboard with a hand-drawn visual style. An infinite canvas holds shapes, text, and images for diagrams and other visual explanations. Available tools include rectangles, circles, diamonds, arrows, lines, free drawing, and an eraser. Zooming, panning, undo, and reusable shape libraries support editing without requiring a fixed page layout.

Arrows can bind to objects, and diagrams can contain labels and imported images. Exports include PNG, SVG, clipboard content, and editable .excalidraw JSON files. The hosted application also provides real-time collaboration, read-only sharing links, and browser-local autosave. These are separate ways to work together, distribute a view, or retain material for later editing.

The project supplies both a hosted application and a React component for embedding in other products. Its repository identifies offline PWA use and end-to-end encrypted collaboration among hosted-site capabilities. Embedding the drawing component does not automatically establish the same collaboration, offline, and storage arrangements. Those parts depend on the actual application and integration being used.

Decision guide
01

Why it is worth a look

  • Start on the official site without deploying a server
  • Open file format for saving work
  • The browser application supports local autosave and real-time collaboration
02

Before you use it

  • Browser autosave is not an independent backup; export important drawings
  • The official hosted application, open-source editor component, and Excalidraw+ have different scopes
  • Repository releases indicate component releases, not the exact version running on the live site
Manual setupLow
With an AI agentLow
DeploymentWeb
Additional requirementsNot verified

Use a supported operating system; Have permission to install local applications; Some requirements have not been verified. Check the official setup instructions.

03

What it can do

  • Infinite canvas and hand-drawn shapes
  • Images and shape libraries
  • PNG and SVG export
  • Save open-format .excalidraw files
  • Real-time collaboration with end-to-end encryption
  • Offline browser PWA

Who it fits

Good for

Quickly sketching ideas, processes, or interfaces; Ad hoc visual discussion with others

Not a fit

Needing professional CAD with precise dimension control

Getting started

  1. Open the official editor in a browser
  2. Draw a simple diagram and export an .excalidraw file
  3. Confirm sharing scope before collaboration

Alternatives to consider