Layers give the ability to organize separate sections of content on the board, crucial for managing the complexity of diagrams and allowing for more precise and structured work.
Available for: Select users on Business, Education, and Enterprise plans
Available on: Desktop and Browser applications, and interactive displays
Accessing Layers
The Layers panel is accessed by clicking on the zoom percentage in the lower right menu in order to reveal the Layers menu.
The Layers menu is revealed by clicking on the zoom percentage
It can also be accessed through a contextual menu when you select an object by clicking on the three dots icon (...).
When you click on the Layers icon, a panel will open on the right side of the canvas. Here, you can activate a Layer, name your existing Layers, or create new Layers.
The Layers menu will appear on the right side of the Canvas
Content can be selected and added to a new or existing layer, helping you keep related content organized.
- Select the content you want to add to a new or existing layer.
- Click on the Layers menu.
- To add the content to a new layer: click on “+ Move to a new layer”. You can then rename the new layer.
- To move the content to an existing layer: click on the three dots (...) next to the Layer name and choose “Move selection to layer”.
Adding content to an existing layer
When adding content that you want to be included in a particular layer, select the Layer first. New content will be added to that Layer automatically.
You can also add content to a new or existing Layer by selecting the content you want to add and then using the three dots menu (...) in the contextual menu to access the Move to Layer option.
The Move to layer option can be found under the three dots (...) in the contextual menu
Layers can be hidden, locked, renamed, or duplicated to suit your needs.
- Click or hover over the Layer name in the Layer Menu.
- To Hide a Layer: Click the Eye icon to hide the Layer. The icon will change from an open eye to a closed eye. Any content in the selected Layer will disappear from the canvas. (Note that the hidden content will disappear from canvas for all users, and will remain hidden on page reload.)
- To unhide the Layer, click on the Closed Eye icon. Hidden content will reappear on the canvas.
Hiding a layer is done with the Eye icon - To Lock a Layer: Click the Lock icon to lock the layer. The icon will change from an open lock to a closed lock. When a Layer is locked, no edits can be made to the content within that Layer (including moving or deleting content).
- Click the Closed Lock icon again to unlock the Layer’s content.
The Lock icon is used to lock or unlock a Layer - To Duplicate a Layer: Click on the three dots (...) on the right-hand side of the Layer.
- Click on Duplicate Layer.
- A second instance of your Layer will appear on the board, directly over the top of the original Layer.
- To move the duplicated Layer, make sure the Layer is selected in the Layer Menu, then click on the Layer’s content on the canvas and drag to the desired location.
Duplicating a layer is done through the three dots (...) menu
To rename a Layer:
- Double-click on the Layer name in the Layer Menu.
- Edit the name of the Layer.
- Hit enter.
Reorder layers
Layers can be reordered in the panel, which affects which Layer’s content is displayed on top. To reorder the Layers, simply drag them within the Layers panel to whatever order you prefer.
This is a powerful tool for creating diagrams where you might need two versions of the same parts of a diagram, with slightly different content. By placing the Layers directly on top of each other, you can alter which one is displayed by reordering the Layers.
The Background Layer
By default, the Background Layer is always visible and new widgets are added to the Background if no other Layer is active. When you’re not working on any particular Layer, you’ll be working on the Background.
The Background Layer differs from other Layers because it cannot be hidden, locked, re-arranged within the order of Layers, or renamed.