A flip is an infinite online whiteboard where members draw diagrams, write notes and collect ideas together. This article covers the basics: where to find the tools, how to add, select and change objects, move around the flip and undo actions. Each element is described in detail in the “Board elements” section
What's where on a flip
- On the left — the toolbar
- In the top left corner — the flip name, the “Search”, “Upload” and “Export” buttons and the “More” menu. If the window is wide, the “Undo” and “Redo” buttons are next to them
- In the top right corner — comments, flip participants and the “Share” button
- In the bottom right corner — the “Frames” button, the zoom button and the “?” help button
Which tools are on the toolbar
At the top of the toolbar is “Edit”: use it to select and move objects. Below it are the pinned tools, and at the very bottom is the “All tools” button. By default, all tools are pinned. If they don't fit on the toolbar at the current window height, the rest open from “All tools”
To select a tool, click its button or press its key from the table. The keys work with any keyboard layout when nothing is selected on the flip, and Esc returns you to “Edit”
| Tool | Purpose | Key |
|---|---|---|
| “Edit” | Select and move objects. Press it again to move around the flip | V |
| “Templates” | For a quick start | — |
| “Frame” | Formats for slides and mockups | F |
| “Stickers” | Quick notes and ideas | S |
| “Shapes” | Shapes and diagram notations | R — rectangle, O — circle |
| “Text” | Labels and headings | T |
| “Draw” | Freehand writing with a marker | P — marker, I — highlighter, E — eraser |
| “Arrow” | Connect elements | L |
| “Document” | Block-based text editor | D |
| “Mind map” | Ideas as a tree | M |
| “Emotions” | Emoji, stickers and GIFs | — |
| “Grid” | Data in rows and columns | G |
| “Code block” | Code with syntax highlighting | ` |
| “Dice” | 4 to 20-sided dice | — |
| “Embed iFrame” | A website or video by link | — |
| “Chart” | Charts from table data | — |
| “Mermaid diagram” | Diagrams from Mermaid code | — |
All keyboard shortcuts are listed in Hotkeys in flip
How to customize the toolbar
Click “All tools” at the bottom of the toolbar — a list of all tools with the “Search tools” field opens on the left. At the top of the list, the “Pinned” section shows pinned tools that didn't fit on the toolbar. Below, all tools are grouped into the “Formats”, “Essentials”, “Diagrams and flowcharts” and “Interactive” sections
- Click a tool in the list to select it. If the tool isn't on the toolbar, its button appears at the bottom of the toolbar, above “All tools”
- Hover over a tool row and click the pin icon: “Pin” adds the tool to the toolbar, “Unpin” removes it. At least one tool must stay pinned
- To change the order of tools, drag their buttons on the toolbar
The set and order of tools are saved in your account and apply to all flips
How to add an object
- Select a tool on the toolbar or press its key
- If the tool has variants — for example, a sticker color or an arrow type — choose one in the menu that opens
- Click the flip. To set the size right away, hold down the mouse button and drag out an area
The fastest way to add a sticker is to double-click an empty spot on the flip. To type text in a sticker, shape or text element, double-click it
Images and files are added with the “Upload” button, by dragging them from your computer or by pasting them from the clipboard — see How to upload images and files. Ready-made structures for meetings and diagrams are available in templates
How to select and change an object
- Click an object to select it
- To select several objects, drag a selection frame from an empty spot on the flip or click objects while holding Ctrl (⌘ on macOS) or Shift. Ctrl + A (⌘ + A) selects all objects
- To move the selection, drag it with the mouse or press the arrow keys. With Shift held down, objects move faster
A selected object gets a frame with resize handles, a menu above it, dots on its sides and a rotation icon at the bottom right corner
To resize an object, drag a handle on the frame. Shapes keep their proportions if you hold down Shift while dragging, and images always keep them
Styling is set in the menu above the object: “Fill”, “Font”, “Text style”, “Border” and other buttons. The set of buttons depends on the object type. For example, a shape has “Font size”, while a sticker's font size is chosen automatically — but on the Individual, Business and Enterprise plans you can react to a sticker with the “Add reactions” button. Learn more in the articles about stickers, text and shapes
To rotate an object, drag the rotation icon. Near multiples of 45°, the object snaps into place. Stickers, arrows, frames, grids, mind maps, charts and elements created with the “Document” tool can't be rotated
How to group objects, align them and protect them from accidental edits is described in Grouping, aligning and locking elements. To keep objects of only one type in a large selection, use the filter by type
What's in the context menu
Right-click an object or click “More” in the menu above it. The set of items depends on the object type and your permissions:
- “Copy” and “Clone” — a copy on the clipboard or next to the object. “Copy as image” puts a picture on the clipboard
- “Move” — the layer order: “Bring forward”, “Send backward”, “Bring to front”, “Send to back”
- “Add comment” — see Comments on a flip
- “Lock” and “Unlock”
- “Copy link” and “Add link to object” — see Link to an object and hyperlinks
- “Save as...” — save the object to a file, such as PNG or PDF. See How to export a flip
- “Information” — who created the object and when, and who changed it last
- “Delete” — the same as the Delete or Backspace key
To cut the selection, press Ctrl + X, and to paste, press Ctrl + V (⌘ + X and ⌘ + V on macOS)
Right-clicking an empty spot opens the menu of the flip itself: “Paste”, “Add comment”, “Unlock all”, “Collapse toolbars”, “Fit objects to screen” and other items. Some items appear only when they apply: for example, “Paste” — if there is something on the clipboard, and “Unlock all” — if the flip has locked objects
How to connect objects with an arrow
Select one object — dots appear on its sides
Drag from a dot to another object and release it there — an arrow connects the objects. It's attached to both objects and follows them when they move
Drag from a dot and release it on an empty spot — an object of the same type and style appears there, connected to the original one with an arrow. The text of a sticker, shape or text element isn't copied to the new object
Hover over a dot — it turns into a button with an arrow, and the outline of the future object appears next to it. Click the button to create the object. If there is already an object nearby in that direction, a semi-transparent arrow to it appears instead of the outline, and the click connects the objects
Grids, charts, dice, embedded iFrames and elements created with the “Document” tool have no dots
You can also draw an arrow with the “Arrow” tool. In the menu above a selected arrow, “Start” and “End” set the arrowheads, “Reverse direction” swaps them, “Style” makes the arrow straight, curved or elbow, and “Color” sets the line type, thickness and color. See Arrows and lines
How to move around the flip and zoom
To move around the flip:
- Hold down Space and drag the flip with the mouse, or drag it while holding the mouse wheel or the right mouse button
- On a touchpad, swipe with two fingers
- Press the arrow keys when nothing is selected on the flip
- Click “Edit” or press V again — moving mode turns on: the flip is dragged with the left mouse button, and objects aren't selected. To go back to selecting, press V again
You can zoom with the mouse wheel, a touchpad gesture, Ctrl + “+” and Ctrl + “−” (⌘ instead of Ctrl on macOS) or in the menu of the zoom button in the bottom right corner:
- “Zoom in” and “Zoom out”
- “Zoom 200%”, “Zoom 100%” (Shift + 0) and “Zoom 50%”
- “Fit objects to screen” (Shift + 1) — show all objects of the flip on the screen
- “Fullscreen mode” (F11, ⌘ + ⌃ + F on macOS)
- “Open mini-map” (Shift + M) — a small map of the whole flip
To go to a frame, open the “Frames” panel next to the zoom button and click the frame card. Search on the flip helps you find an object by its text. Learn more about zoom, the mini-map and moving around in Background, grid, zoom and mini-map
How to undo and redo an action
- “Undo” — Ctrl + Z (⌘ + Z on macOS)
- “Redo” — Ctrl + Shift + Z or Ctrl + Y (⌘ + Shift + Z on macOS)
In a wide window, the “Undo” and “Redo” buttons are in the top left corner, to the right of the flip name, and in a narrow one they're below the toolbar. If the buttons aren't there, turn them on: “More” → “Appearance” → “Action panel”. The keyboard shortcuts work without the buttons too
You can undo up to the last 100 actions. Undo applies only to your own actions: other members' changes can't be undone this way. If a colleague changes an object you worked with, your actions with that object disappear from the undo history
Limitations
- If the flip is shared with you for viewing or commenting only, there is no toolbar and you can't change objects. How access is configured is described in How to share a flip and set up access
- On a phone screen, there is no toolbar on the left: the tools open with a button on the bottom panel of the flip. See flip mobile app
- Sticker reactions aren't available on the Mini plan. You can compare plans in Comparing flip plans