Adding a new graphic

1. Click the type of graphic you want to add on the Draw toolbar.
• Rectangle

  Shortcut: Hold down SHIFT as you drag to create a square.

• Polygon
• Circle
• Ellipse
• Line
• Curve
• Freehand
• Marker
2. Move the mouse pointer over the display and click to add the graphic. Press ESC to cancel drawing.

Some graphics require more than one click, or a click and drag.

By default, the Select Elements tool becomes active after you complete a graphic. If you want the graphic tools to remain active instead, click Customize > ArcMap Options and check the Keep drawing tools active after creating graphic box on the General tab.

Tip:

Press SHIFT+6 when creating a graphic to type its coordinates. Press E when creating a line or polygon to enter the coordinates of the last vertex. Press A or R when creating a circle to specify its area or radius. In data view, enter the coordinates in map units; in layout view, use page units.

Tip:

If you find that your labels moved or disappeared when you inserted a graphic into the map, add the Labeling toolbar, click the Label Weight Ranking button, then change the feature weight of the <Default> layer (or the annotation group containing the graphic) to None.

Tip:

As you draw the graphics, the totals for area, length, perimeter, radius, circumference, and so on, are shown in the status bar. If you are drawing it on a data frame, it is shown in the data frame's display units. If you are drawing it on the layout, it is shown in the layout's page units.