> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://help.felt.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://help.felt.com/annotations/draw-on-the-map.md).
# Draw on the map
Mark up a Felt map with drawn annotations, such as pins, routes, shapes, and text.
Annotations (formerly elements) are the pins, routes, lines, shapes, text, and images you draw to mark up a map, for example to sketch a site plan or leave notes for your team. Annotations are saved with the map, and everyone with access sees them.
## Open the drawing tools
In edit mode, the drawing tools are in the **Add to map** menu (the pencil icon), in the center of the toolbar at the top of the map.
1. Click **Edit map**. If you have Contribute access, click **Contribute**.
2. In the toolbar, click **Add to map** 
. With Contribute access, the button reads **Add**. After you use a tool, the button repeats that tool. To open the menu again, click the arrow next to the button.
3. Open **Annotations** and click a tool, such as **Route**, **Pin**, or **Text**.
4. Click the map to draw. For a route, click each stop and press **Enter** to finish.
In the Field App, tap **+** on the map to open the same tools.
| Tool | Key | What it draws |
| ----------- | ------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Pin | P | A point that marks one place |
| Line | L | A line of straight segments |
| Route | R | A path that follows roads or paths between stops |
| Polygon | O | An area with any number of sides |
| Rectangle | E | A four-sided box |
| Circle | I | A circle with a set radius |
| Marker | Shift+M | A freehand line |
| Highlighter | Shift+H | A wide, semi-transparent freehand stroke |
| Text | Shift+T | A label on the map |
| Note | Shift+N | A sticky note with longer text |
| Link | — | A web link with a preview |
| Image | — | A picture or PDF placed on the map |
| Video | — | A video link, such as YouTube, with a preview |
| Extract | — | Polygons copied from boundaries and buildings. See [Extract boundaries and buildings](/annotations/extract-boundaries-and-buildings.md). |
To change annotations after you draw them, see [Edit annotations](/annotations/edit-annotations.md).
## Draw routes, pins, lines, and shapes
### Route
1. In **Add to map** > **Annotations**, click **Route**.
2. In the detail panel, under **Routing**, select a travel mode: **Driving**, **Cycling**, **Walking**, or **Flying**.
3. Click the starting point, then click each stop. **Shift**-click to draw a straight segment, such as a trail off the road network.
4. Press **Enter** to finish the route.
To start or end a route at a pin, click near the pin. The route snaps to it. To snap lines and shapes to layer vertices, see [Snap to vertices](#snap-to-vertices). In the **Style** tab, turn on **Distance** to show the route's length. Routes show distance, not travel time or directions. For the area you can reach in a set time, see [Spatial analysis](/analysis-and-dashboards/spatial-analysis.md).
### Pin
To place a pin, sometimes called a marker, click **Pin**, click the map, and enter its name in the detail panel. To hide the name on the map, open the **Style** tab and turn off **Label**.
* To attach a photo, select the pin and click **Upload image** at the top of the detail panel. Each annotation holds one image.
* To pin an address or place, find it with [Search](/tools/search.md), click **Add…** in its popup, and select **Pin**.
* To pin a coordinate, paste a latitude and longitude, such as `37.7749, -122.4194`, onto the map.
### Lines, polygons, rectangles, and circles
* Line or Polygon: click the map to add each point, then press **Enter** to finish. You can also click the first point to close a polygon. Hold **Shift** to snap a segment to a multiple of 45 degrees.
* Rectangle: click to set a corner, then click to set one side and click again to set the other. Hold **Shift** for a square.
* Circle: click the center and drag, or open the **Style** tab and enter an exact **Radius**.
Only circles accept an exact size. For a line or rectangle, open the **Style** tab, turn on **Distance** or **Area**, and drag the annotation until the measurement shows the value you need.
## Draw text, notes, and freehand lines
* Text or Note: click the tool, click the map, and type. A note isn't a comment. See [Comments](/share/comments.md).
* Marker or Highlighter: drag on the map to draw freehand. Hold **Shift** to draw a straight line.
To draw an arrow, draw a **Line**, then use **Marker** to draw the arrowhead.
Only pins show their name on the map. To label a line, route, or shape, place a Text annotation on it.
## Add images, PDFs, links, and video
To add images or PDFs, such as a floor plan, drag the files onto the map or click **Image**. Each file can be up to 20 MB. See [Data limits](/upload-anything/data-limits.md).
* If a photo has location data, click **Move to location** to place it where it was taken.
* To align an image, drag it and its corners by eye. For exact placement, georeference the image in GIS software and upload it as a GeoTIFF. See [Supported file types](/upload-anything/files/supported-file-types.md#raster-data).
* To show photos as pins, right-click them and click **Actions** > **Convert to pin**.
To add a link or video, paste its URL onto the map.
## Snap to vertices
Snapping moves the pointer onto the nearest vertex of a visible data layer, or of the shape you're drawing. In the **Felt** menu, click **View** > **Snap to vertices** to turn snapping on or off. To follow roads instead, use the **Route** tool.
## Add attributes
Annotation attributes pair a name with a value, such as "year" and "1990".
1. Select the annotation. In the detail panel, click the **Attributes** tab.
2. Click **Add attribute** and enter a name.
3. Press **Tab** and enter a value.
## Annotations and layers
Use annotations to mark up a map and layers to analyze data. To draw features into a data layer, see [Add a feature to a layer](/layers/edit-features.md#add-a-feature-to-a-layer). To create an empty layer, see [Create layers](/layers/create-layers.md).
### Convert annotations to a layer
Converting annotations to a layer needs Edit access to the map.
1. Select the annotations or a group. To select all pins, right-click one and click **Actions** > **Select all with the same type**.
2. Right-click and click **Actions** > **Convert to layer**. The layer replaces the annotations. To undo, press **Cmd+Z** (Mac) or **Ctrl+Z** (Windows).
Only pins, lines, routes, polygons, rectangles, and circles convert. A group converts only if every annotation in it supports conversion. Move unsupported annotations out of the group first.
### Copy layer features to annotations
To copy a layer feature, such as one county, as an annotation, click the feature. In its popup, click **···**, then **Duplicate to annotations**.
## Export annotations
To download annotations as GeoJSON or GPX, see [Export annotations](/export-and-print/export-data.md#export-annotations).
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