Add lines and arrows in Keynote on Mac
You can create a straight or curved line, then customize its look by changing its width (thickness) or color, or by adding different endpoints—for example, an arrow, circle, or square. Connect two objects with a line so they remain connected, even when they move.
Add and edit a line
Do one of the following:
Click
in the toolbar, then in the Basic category, click a line. Options include a straight line with or without endpoints, or a line with editing points to create a curved line.Click to select an existing line on a slide.
To edit the line’s shape or position, do any of the following:
Move the line: Click anywhere on the line, then drag it to where you want it.
Change the line length or rotation: Drag the white squares on the ends of the line.
Adjust the arc of a curved line: Drag the green dot in the middle of the line.
To modify the line’s appearance, in the Format
sidebar, click the Style tab, then do any of the following:Quickly change the appearance of the line: Click a preset line style at the top of the sidebar.
Change the line type: Click the pop-up menu above Endpoints and choose an option.
Change the line color: Click the color wheel to open the Colors window and choose any color, or click the color well next to the color wheel to select a color designed to go with the template.
Adjust the line’s thickness: In the field to the right of the color controls, click the arrows.
Add an arrow, dot, or other shape to the end of the line: Click one of the Endpoints pop-up menus, then choose a shape to place on the left or right endpoints.
Add a shadow: Click the Shadow pop-up menu, then click one of the shadow effects.
Add a reflection: Select the check next to Reflection.
Adjust the line’s transparency: Drag the Opacity slider.
If you can’t delete a line on a slide, it may have been added as a rule between lines of text. To learn how to remove it, see Add borders and rules (lines) to separate text in Keynote on Mac.
Edit line curves and corners
You can edit a curved line to add right-angle corners or curves. As you edit, you can quickly change corners to curves and vice versa.
Click the line to select it, then in the Format
sidebar, click the Arrange tab.Click the Curve or Corner button in the Connection section of the sidebar.
If you don’t see the buttons, make sure you selected a line with an editing point between the endpoints.
To change the position of the angles or the curve, drag the green dot.
Connect two objects with a line
You can join two objects with a curved, straight, or right-angle connection line. If you move one or more connected objects, they remain joined by the line. This is especially useful if you’re creating a flowchart.
Before you do this task, add two or more objects to the slide that you want to connect.
Click
in the toolbar.From the Basic category, click the curved line to add it to the slide (you can change it to a straight or right-angle line later).
Drag one endpoint of the line until it snaps to an object, then drag the other endpoint until the line snaps to another object.
Do any of the following:
Change the curved line to a straight or right-angle line: Click the line to select it, open the Format
sidebar, click the Arrange tab, then click Straight or Corner.Change the amount of space between the endpoints of the line and the objects: Click the line to select it, then adjust the Offset Start and End values in the Connection section of the sidebar.
You can change the look of the connection line by changing its thickness, color, line style, and endpoints, and by adding effects like a shadow and reflection.
Tip: You can add a Connect button to the toolbar for quickly adding a connection line to selected objects.
To work with multiple lines at the same time, hold down the Shift key while you click the lines.
If you make changes to the appearance of a line, you can save it as a custom object style.