How to Make a Flow Chart in Google Docs

In Summary

You can make a flow chart on Google Docs with the help of Google Drawing.
Also, there are many third-party tools such as Lucidchart to make the flow chart creating process much more robust and feature-rich.
You have the option to edit the flow chart whenever you want. Here is a step-by-step guide to help you create flowcharts on Google Docs.

There are a couple of ways to help you create flow charts on Google Docs. While the in-built option available on Google Docs provides most of the needed functionality, you can also opt for third-party options for templates and other small features that are specially designed to create flow charts. Here’s how you can create flow charts on Google docs using both in-built methods and third-party add-ons.

How to Create Flow Chart on Google Docs

1. First, open docs.google.com and click on the plus + icon to open a new document.

Alternatively, you can also open Google Drive, click on the New button and select the Google Docs option in the drop-down.

2. This will open the new document. By default, the document will be in the portrait. If your flow chart is horizontal, you can change the document to landscape by selecting the File option in the menubar, then choosing the Page Setup option in the drop-down.

3. In the pop-up window, select the Landscape option and click on OK. This will turn the document into a landscape.

4. We can add the flow chart with the help of the Google docs drawing option. To access that, click on the Insert option in the menu bar, then hover on the Drawing option. Finally, click on the +New option to create a new document.

5. This will open a blank Google Drawing canvas where you can add flow chart shapes. To add, click on the Shape icon (A circle with a square icon) in the toolbar, then select the Shapes option.

6. Here, you should find the flow chart shapes at the bottom of the menu.

7. Just click on the shapes to add them to draw. You can also hover over any shape to know about it if you are unfamiliar.

8. Once the shapes are added, adjust the shape’s size. You can also copy-paste shapes to maintain similar size and consistency.

9. You can add arrows between the shapes by selecting a line tool in the toolbar, then select the Arrow option or Elbow connecter option to add arrows.

10. Just drag from one box to another to create an arrow between them. Hold shift and drag to draw the arrows at the perfect angle.

11. Now you can add text to the flow chart by clicking on the Text icon (T letter in a square box) in the toolbar.

12. Just type and resize the text box. You can also click on the three-dot menu in the toolbar to customize the size, color, indent, and other text formatting needs.

13. Also, you can change the color of the boxes. Click on the box in the flow chart, then select the color bucket option in the toolbar. Here select the color you need for that specific box. This way, you can easily differentiate and make the flow chart glanceable.

14. Once done, click on the Save and close option at the top of the pop-up window to add that flowchart directly into Google docs.

15. Even later, you can click on the flow chart on the document, then select the Edit option to edit the flow chart to your need.

How to Use Third-Party Drawing Tools to Create Flowcharts on Google Docs

While the inbuilt Google Drawing is a great and easy option for creating flowcharts on Google Docs, third-party options like Lucidchart provide more flowchart templates and an even better drag-and-drop style flow-chat creation process.

1. To create a flow chart with Lucidchart, first, we need to add the Lucidchart add-on to Google Docs. To do that, click on the Extensions option in the menu bar. Now hover on the Add-ons option and select the Get add-ons from the sub-menu.

2. Google’s add-on marketplace will open in a pop-up. Here search for the Lucidchart add-on and open it.

3. Now click on the Install button to add Lucidchart to Google Workspace. Then click on the Continue option in the pop-up to grant permission and confirm the installation.

4. Once done, to add flow charts, click on the Extensions option in the menu bar and select the Lucidchart Diagrams option in the menu. Then select the Insert Diagram option from the sub-menu.

5. It will open Lucidchart in the sidebar on Google Docs. Click on the Plus + icon at the bottom to create a flow chart.

6. Here select the Flowchart option to start from the basic flowchart template, or you can click on the Blank option to start from scratch. Here we are selecting the Flowchart option as it comes with all the needed tools in place without any configuration.

7. This will open the Lucidchart in a new tab; you can delete the existing template or make changes to it. All the shapes are available in the left sidebar all the time. Just drag and drop them into the canvas to add.

8. Lucidchart does a much better job customizing flow charts as there is a grid background for you to size the shapes and place them perfectly. You also get auto-prompts for perfect placement. It will make the flow chart look more professional.

9. With Lucidchart, you don’t have to add text boxes. Just click on any shape in the flowchart and start typing to add text.

10. Also, you don’t have to add arrows; just hover on any shape to get circles around the shape. Drag from the circle to the other shape to draw an arrow between them.

11. You can customize the shape, text inside it, and arrows around it from the toolbar available at the top. You can also select multiple shapes in the flow chart and move them or customize them together.

12. Anyhow, you can also drag and drop arrows and text boxes if you need to.

13. Once done, click on the File option in the menu bar and select Save. Then click on the back to docs option at the top left corner. It should close the Lucidchart tab.

14. Now click on My diagrams from the Lucidchart sidebar and hover on the flow chart that you want to add. You should see a Plus + icon, click on it to insert it into Google Docs.

15. This should add the flow chart to Google Docs without any grid in the background. To edit, you can click on Extensions > Lucidchart. In the sidebar, hover on the flowchart diagram and click on the edit option.

Create Flowchart on Google Docs with Ease

Apart from just flowcharts, you can use the same technique to upload other types of drawing on Google Docs. Or even move the entire document on Google Docs into a Google Sheet.