How to Draw a Straight Line (or Arrow) in Adobe Photoshop

To draw a straight line in Photoshop, select the Line tool from the shapes tool group in the toolbar, keep Shape selected in the Options bar, then click and drag on the canvas. To turn the line into an arrow, select Start or End in the Arrowheads settings. If you would rather paint the line, pick the Brush or Pencil tool, click once, hold Shift, and click where the line should end.

These steps follow Adobe’s current help pages for Photoshop on desktop (Windows and macOS). Older versions have the same tools, but some options sit in different places, which is covered below.

Before You Start

• Open or create a document. The drawing tools only work when an image is open.
• Know the two kinds of line. The Line tool can make a shape, which is a vector object on its own layer that you can resize and restyle later. The Brush and Pencil tools make pixels, which are painted onto a layer and cannot be restyled as a line afterward.
• Find the Contextual Task Bar. This is the small floating bar that shows common actions for whatever you have selected. If you do not see it, select Window > Contextual Task Bar. If the menu bar itself is hidden, get out of full screen mode in Photoshop first.

How to Draw a Straight Line With the Line Tool

This is the method Adobe documents in Draw lines and line segments, and it is the best choice when you may need to change the line later.

1. Find the shapes tool group in the toolbar. It shows whichever shape tool was used last, often the Rectangle tool. Click and hold it, then choose the Line tool.
2. Look at the Options bar across the top of the window. Keep the mode set to Shape so the line stays editable and scalable.
3. Click on the canvas where the line should begin, drag to where it should end, and release. Hold Shift while you drag to keep the line from tilting. Adobe’s own line-drawing tutorial recommends Shift for perfectly straight lines.
4. Pick the line color and stroke thickness from the Contextual Task Bar. The same Fill and Stroke options are also in the Options bar and the Properties panel.

When it works, a new shape layer appears in the Layers panel and the line shows on the canvas in the stroke color you chose. If you do not like the result, press Ctrl + Z (Windows) or Command + Z (macOS) to undo it and drag again.

Make the Line Dashed, Dotted, or Rounded

In Shape mode, the stroke type setting lets you choose a solid, dashed, or dotted line. The same menu holds Caps, which controls the ends of the line: Butt, Round, or Square. Adobe lists every setting for each mode in Shape, path, and pixel mode options.

Shape, Path, or Pixels: Which Mode to Pick

Mode	What you get	Use it when
Shape	An editable, scalable line on its own shape layer	You want to change color, thickness, or size later
Path	An outline with no visible pixels until you fill or stroke it	You need a precise guide for a selection or a brush stroke
Pixels	A fixed line painted onto the current layer	You want a simple painted line and do not need to edit it

In Pixels mode the thickness comes from the Weight box in the Options bar, and the line lands on whichever layer is selected. Add a new layer first if you want to keep it separate from your photo.

How to Draw an Arrow in Photoshop

An arrow in Photoshop is a Line tool line with an arrowhead switched on. Adobe’s Draw an arrow page gives these steps.

1. Select the Line tool from the shapes tool group.
2. Open the Arrowheads section of the Contextual Task Bar (Window > Contextual Task Bar).
3. Select Start to put the arrowhead where you begin dragging, or End to put it where you release. Select both for a double-headed arrow.
4. Enter a Width and Length for the arrowhead, in pixels.
5. Enter a Concavity value between -50% and +50%. This controls the curve where the arrowhead meets the line.
6. Drag on the canvas to draw the arrow.

The arrowhead settings are also in the Options bar. Select the gear icon, which Adobe calls Set additional shape and path options, and look for Arrowheads. If your version of Photoshop has no Contextual Task Bar, look there.

Set the arrowhead options before you drag. Adobe’s pages do not say whether an arrowhead can be added to a line that is already drawn in every version, so if the settings do nothing to an existing line, undo it and draw it again with the arrowhead turned on.

Use a Ready-Made Arrow Shape Instead

For a block-style arrow, use the Custom Shape tool, which is in the same tool group as the Line tool. Photoshop keeps its older arrow shapes in a legacy set that you have to load once:

1. Select Window > Shapes to open the Shapes panel.
2. Select the menu icon in the upper-right corner of the panel.
3. Select Legacy Shapes and More.
4. Browse the new folder for an arrow, select it, then drag on the canvas with the Custom Shape tool.

These steps come from Adobe’s Add legacy custom shapes page. The exact arrow designs in the legacy set are not listed there, so browse the folders to see what your version includes.

Draw a Straight Line With the Brush or Pencil Tool

Use this method when you want the line to have the look of a brush stroke, or when you are painting on a photo and do not need a separate shape. The Brush gives a soft, blended edge. The Pencil gives a crisp, hard edge.

1. Choose a foreground color. This is the color the line will be.
2. Select the Brush or Pencil tool from the toolbar.
3. In the Options bar, choose a brush preset and set its size. The size is the thickness of your line.
4. Click once where the line should start.
5. Hold Shift and click where the line should end. Photoshop connects the two points with a straight stroke that uses your current brush settings.

Keep holding Shift and clicking to add more connected straight segments, which is handy for zigzags or boxes. Adobe describes the two-click method in Paint with the Brush or Pencil tool.

A painted line becomes part of the layer you paint on. To keep it separate, add a new blank layer first and paint there. Adobe notes that in Photoshop 25.0 and later, painting on a shape, text, or smart object layer creates a new transparent layer for the paint automatically.

Draw Straight Segments With the Pen Tool

The Pen tool is useful when you need several straight lines joined at corners. Click once to set the first point, then click again to set the next one. Each click adds another straight segment. Hold Shift while clicking to hold the segment to 45-degree angles. Press Ctrl + Enter (Windows) or Command + Return (macOS) to finish and leave the path open, or click the first point again to close it.

As with the Line tool, choose Shape mode in the Options bar if you want a visible, colored line rather than an empty path.

How to Edit, Move, or Remove a Line

• Change color or thickness: select the shape layer, then use Fill and Stroke in the Contextual Task Bar, the Options bar, or the Properties panel. Fill and stroke can be a solid color, a gradient, or a pattern. Our guide to adding a pattern in Photoshop explains where patterns come from and how to make your own.
• Move it: select the line’s layer in the Layers panel and drag it with the Move tool. For an exact middle position, see how to center a layer in Photoshop.
• Resize or rotate it: turn on Live Shapes Controls from the gear icon in the Options bar to get transform handles on the canvas.
• Undo it: press Ctrl + Z (Windows) or Command + Z (macOS). Shift + Ctrl + Z or Shift + Command + Z redoes it.
• Delete it: a shape line sits on its own layer, so deleting that layer removes only the line. A painted line can only be removed cleanly with Undo unless it was painted on its own layer. If a line or caption is already part of a photo, the tools in how to remove text from a picture in Photoshop can cover it.

Be careful with Layer > Rasterize > Shape. It converts the line to pixels so you can paint on it or run filters, but Adobe warns that the vector properties can no longer be edited afterward. Duplicate the layer first if you might want the editable version back.

Troubleshooting

I cannot find the Line tool

It shares a toolbar slot with the Rectangle, Ellipse, Triangle, Polygon, and Custom Shape tools. Click and hold that slot to see the full list. If the whole group is missing, select Edit > Toolbar, check the Extra Tools column, and select Restore Defaults to bring back the standard layout. Resetting your panels can help too. See how to reset the workspace in Photoshop.

I dragged, but no line appeared

Check the mode in the Options bar. In Path mode Photoshop draws only an outline with no color. Switch to Shape and draw again. In Shape mode, also make sure the stroke is not set to no color and that the stroke width is more than 0 pixels.

The Contextual Task Bar is not showing

Select Window > Contextual Task Bar to turn it on. If your version of Photoshop does not have that menu item, use the Options bar and the Properties panel instead. They hold the same fill, stroke, and arrowhead settings.

My line has no arrowhead

An arrowhead only appears when one is switched on. Select Start or End in the Arrowheads settings, check that Width and Length are large enough to see, then draw the line again.

The Brush line is not straight

The straight stroke only happens with two separate clicks. Click and release at the start point, then hold Shift and click the end point. Do not drag between them.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which key keeps a line straight in Photoshop?

Shift. Hold it while dragging with the Line tool to stop the line from tilting, or hold it between two clicks with the Brush or Pencil tool to connect the points with a straight stroke. With the Pen tool, Shift holds each segment to 45-degree angles.

Can I change the thickness of a line after drawing it?

Yes, if it was drawn in Shape mode. Select the shape layer and change the stroke width in the Contextual Task Bar, the Options bar, or the Properties panel. Lines painted with the Brush or Pencil, or drawn in Pixels mode, are fixed. Undo and redraw them at a different size.

How do I make a dotted or dashed line in Photoshop?

Draw the line with the Line tool in Shape mode, then open the stroke type setting and choose a dashed or dotted style instead of solid.

Can I save my own arrow to reuse?

Yes. Draw the arrow outline as a path, select it in the Paths panel (Window > Paths), then select Edit > Define Custom Shape and give it a name. It then appears in the Custom Shape tool’s shape picker.

Is there a keyboard shortcut for the Line tool?

Shortcuts can be customized, so check your own list. Select Edit > Keyboard Shortcuts, then choose Tools from the Shortcuts For menu to see the key assigned to each tool.

More Photoshop Guides

• Want a border around part of an image instead of a single line? Here is how to outline a selection in Photoshop.
• Shape tools can do more than lines. See how to make a speech bubble in Photoshop.
• Saving an image with arrows for the web? Here is how to save a PSD as a PNG.
• Adjust how the app looks and behaves with Photoshop preferences.
• Need an arrow in a spreadsheet instead? See how to insert an arrow in Excel.