Before you start

Who can use this feature

Available on any plan

Anyone with can edit access can update stroke properties

Strokes are a collection of properties you can apply to layers in design files. You can think of strokes as the visual representation of a vector network's path. Use strokes to:

• Add outlines around shapes, vector networks, or boolean operations
• Create lines and arrows
• Add borders to images

Apply a stroke

To apply a stroke to a layer:

1. Select the layer you want to add a stroke to.
2. Click Add stroke in the Stroke section of the right sidebar.
3. Adjust the stroke properties to configure the stroke.

Adjust stroke properties

The stroke properties let you control the appearance of a stroke's color, weight, distribution, side, width, and end points.

Stroke fill

The stroke fill is the main property you’ll use to define the stroke. You can apply more than one fill to a stroke. Stroke fills share the same position, weight, width, and style properties.

You can use the following settings to configure a stroke fill:

• Use the color picker to select a fill type, value, and opacity
• Click Add stroke fill to add another fill to the stroke
• Use the Show and Hide options to toggle the stroke fill’s visibility
• Select Apply styles and variables to open the Libraries picker.
• Click the minus to remove the stroke fill from the selected layer

Position

Use the Position menu to apply the stroke on the inside, outside, or center of the layer’s path. Most shapes are set to inside by default, except for lines which are set to center. You can preview stroke positions on the canvas by hovering over each option in the dropdown before selecting it.

There are some things to keep in mind when choosing a stroke’s position:

• Brush and dynamic stroke types only support center strokes.
• The SVG format only supports center strokes. If you export a layer with inside or outside stroke to SVG, the stroke will be simplified. This makes an inside or outside stroke look like a center stroke. This won't affect the appearance of the exported object, but it will impact the complexity of the SVG code. Learn more about simplify stroke.

Weight

Use the Weight field to select the weight of the stroke in pixels.

Width profile

Width profiles let you convert uniform strokes into lines with smoothly tapered ends and varying thicknesses, simulating natural pressure variations found in calligraphy or brush strokes.

Individual strokes

By default, stroke properties are applied to all sides of a layer. If your layer is a rectangle, frame, component, or instance, you can use the <span class="ui-icon icon-ui3-24-border-small"></span> Individual strokes setting to choose which sides to apply the stroke to:

• All
• Top
• Bottom
• Left
• Right
• Custom

When you select Custom, you’ll see four individual fields in the Stroke section. Use the fields to adjust the weight for each side independently. To remove a stroke from a side, set the weight to 0.

You can use individual strokes to create common design elements and patterns:

• Apply a single stroke to the top or bottom of a row in a table
• Show a horizontal line underneath a section header or divider
• Apply a border to only three sides of an element
• Add a color block to the left side of a card or task element

Add caps to end points

You can add styling to the end points of any open vector paths. The End point settings will display in two different locations, depending on the complexity of the vector path you have selected.

Only two end points

If the layer is an open vector path, you can set the end points at the start and end of the vector path using the settings in the Stroke section of the right sidebar.

More than two endpoints

If you have a closed vector path—or an open vector network with more than two end points—you’ll find the end points settings in the Advanced stroke settings instead.

If you have the entire layer selected, you can use the End points property to set the same cap style for all endpoints.

To edit end points independently, you need to select each end point in vector edit mode:

1. With the layer selected, press Enter to open vector edit mode.
2. Select a single end point.
3. Select Advanced stroke settings.
4. Choose an option from the End point menu.

Cap and tip endpoints

Choose from a selection of caps or tips to add to your end points:

• None: No cap or tip is added to the end of the path. The end are square, without adding any length to the path.
• Round (default): Adds a cap half the stroke weight, as well as rounding the end point of the path to 50% the width.
• Square: Adds a cap half the stroke weight, while squaring the end point of the path.
• Line arrow: Two 45-degree lines to either side of the end point(s). The line arrow uses the same stroke weight as the path itself. You cannot change the length of the arrow head lines.
• Triangle arrow: Triangle arrowhead to both end points. You'll need to enter vector edit mode → to apply an arrow to only one end of the path.
• Reverse triangle: Reversed or flipped version of the triangle arrow, with the arrow pointing inward towards the path.
• Diamond arrow: Adds a solid diamond shaped tip to the end point.

Stroke types

You can use the advanced stroke settings to further customize how a stroke looks. To access these settings, navigate to the Stroke section in the right sidebar and select Advanced stroke settings.

Basic stroke

You can use the basic stroke settings to create a dashed or dotted stroke. 

Dashed

Create a uniform dashed line.

1. In the Stroke panel, select to open the Advanced stroke menu.
2. Select the Dashed stroke style
3. Enter the length you want for the Dash, in pixels.
4. Enter the length of the Gap between dashes, in pixels.
5. Choose the type of cap for the dash:
   • None
   • Round
   • Square

Dotted

Create a dotted line.

1. In the Stroke panel, use the dropdown to change the stroke position to Center.
2. Select to open the Advanced stroke menu.
3. Select the Dashed stroke style
4. Enter a Dash length of 1 pixel.
5. In the Dash cap setting, select Round.
6. Adjust the Gap between dashes to suit.

Custom

Create a dashed or dotted line with a custom pattern.

1. In the Stroke panel, select to open the Advanced stroke menu.
2. Set the Stroke style setting to the Custom option.
3. Use the following syntax in the Dashes setting to define the dash pattern dash, gap, dash, gap...
4. Select the Dash cap you want to use.

Brush stroke

Brush strokes give your selection an organic, hand-painted look. Use the Brush tab in the Advanced stroke settings to browse through available brush styles, including custom brushes you’ve created. Hover your cursor over a style to preview how it will look on your selection. Once you apply a brush stroke, you can use the Direction setting to determine which direction the stroke will flow.

Dynamic stroke

Dynamic strokes give your selection’s stroke a hand-drawn, bumpy look. You can use the Dynamic stroke settings to configure the stroke’s appearance:

• Frequency: Determines the number of bumps in the stroke
• Wiggle: Determines how large the bumps appear
• Smoothen: Determines how jagged the bumps are

Join and miter angle

Define how lines join within a path or vector network. Adjust the joins in an entire path, or enter vector edit mode to select a single anchor point in the path. Choose from:

• Miter: Create a sharp point, like an arrow, where the two paths meet.
• Bevel: Cut off the sharp point to create a flat edge.
• Rounded: Round the point where two paths meet to soften to join.

Use the Miter angle setting to control the angle at which two joined lines bevel. For example: for a miter of 90°, any angle ≤ 90° will bevel; anything > 90° will create a sharp point.

Overview of supported stroke properties

Some properties are only supported on specific layer types. Use the table below to see if a specific property is supported on the layer type you’re working with.

Layer type	Paints	Position	Weight	Width profile	Stroke per side	Color style	Endpoint	Join
Rectangle	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✕	✓
Lines	✓	✕	✓	✓	✕	✓	✓	✕
Arrows	✓	✕	✓	Will remove the arrowhead	✕	✓	✓	✓
Ellipse	✓	✓	✓	✓	✕	✓	✕	If altered with arc tool
Polygon	✓	✓	✓	✓	✕	✓	✕	✓
Star	✓	✓	✓	✓	✕	✓	✕	✓
Boolean groups	✓	✓	✓	✓	✕	✓	✕	✓
Vector networks	✓	✓	✓	Non-branching paths only	✕	✓	Open paths only	✓
Text	✓	✓	✓	✓	✕	✓	✕	✓
Frames (including components)	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✕	✓

View and copy stroke properties with view-only access to a file

If you have can view permission to a file, stroke properties show up in the right sidebar as Borders. You can choose to represent the properties as CSS, or color values like Hex, RGB, HSL, or HSB. Once you've chosen how to represent the properties, hover over the Borders section and click Copy.

Styles and strokes

You can only create and apply color styles to strokes. There isn't a way to save a stroke's other properties, like weight and position, as a style.

When you apply a color style to a stroke, you can still adjust the other properties. This includes the weight and distribution, as well as any advanced stroke properties like caps, join, and dashes.

Apply color styles to strokes

1. Select the layer you want to update.

2. In the Stroke section of the right-hand panel, click the style icon.

3. Use the style picker to select the relevant color style.

4. Adjust any of the other properties of the stroke, as desired.

Scale and resize strokes

Strokes respond differently based on how you resize them.

• Resize the object if you want to retain a stroke's weight, while adjusting the object's dimensions. Hover over the stroke's bounding box until the cursor appears, then drag to resize.
• Use the scale tool to scale the stroke properties along with the object's dimensions. Learn how to use the scale tool