How to Draw a Line in Apple Pages

Techwalla may earn compensation through affiliate links in this story. Learn more about our affiliate and product review process here.
Customize lines or draw freehand using the Pages app.
Image Credit: amana productions inc./amana images/Getty Images

While Apple Pages is similar to other word processors, its options and commands are uniquely Mac. Pages comes with six different categories of lines, which you can customize to change the thickness and color or embellish with drop shadows. After you are accustomed to the layout, you'll be able draw and format any line you need. Add lines with the Shape icon, draw them with the pen tool or select from line categories in the Insert tab of the menu bar. Press "Command-Z" to undo a mistake -- just as you do with any Apple app.

Advertisement

Select Line Option

Video of the Day

Clicking the "Shape" icon in the toolbar gives you three line choices: a straight line, an line with an arrow and a curved connection line. The "Draw With Pen" button is also located here. Click the dots at the bottom of the Shapes menu to quickly select from a limited number of colors and styles. While you can change the line's design using the Style menu, if you want to draw a line with two arrowheads, a straight connection line or a right-angle connection line, it's faster to click "Insert" in the menu bar and select "Line," which presents you with all the options. When you choose this route, you'll have to go to the Styles menu to change the color.

Advertisement

Video of the Day

Draw and Change Lines

As soon as you select a line style, Pages drops it in the middle of your document. Just drag it to where you want it to appear. To change the length and angle of a line, drag the anchor points that appear on each end of the line when you click on it. Connection lines have more options, because you can change their shapes and connect objects with them. If you want to connect two objects with a connection line, click on the objects first while holding down the "Shift" key. Choose "Stay on Page" in the Arrange tab of the Format panel and then select one of the connection lines from the Insert menu. Click on the anchor point in the center of a connection line to change its shape. If you move either of the connected objects, the connection line joining them changes its shape to accommodate the new positions.

Advertisement

Use the Pen

Drawing with the Pen tool in Pages isn't the same as drawing freehand. It's more like the drawing tools you find in an application like Adobe Illustrator. Wherever you click the Pen's cursor, you create an anchor point for a line. Move the cursor and click again to create a straight segment between the two points. Drag the cursor on the second click while holding down the mouse button to make a curved segment. To change the shape of a curve, click and drag any part of the curve. To make a straight segment curved, or vice versa, double-click its anchor point. To finish the line, press "Return." If you want to make a closed line, make your last click at the first anchor point.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Change Style and Formatting

To change the color or thickness of a line, click the line and select the "Style" tab in the Format panel. In this section, you can change the opacity of a line and create a shadow or a reflection beneath a line just as you would with any shape. Clicking "Arrange" in the menu bar gives you more options for how the line appears on the page. Here you can specify if the line should appear above or below other objects, flip the objects or group them on the page.

Advertisement

Disclaimer

Information in this article applies to Pages 5.2 on Macs running OS X 10.9 Mavericks. It may vary slightly or significantly on other versions or products.

Advertisement

Advertisement

references & resources

Report an Issue

screenshot of the current page

Screenshot loading...