Stop rebuilding the same diagram: Set up custom templates in draw.io

Ever open a new diagram and think, “Didn’t I already build something like this?” If your team keeps recreating the same flowcharts, org charts, or architecture diagrams from scratch, custom templates will save you real time.

By creating custom templates using your corporate custom shapes, fonts, colors, logos, etc., teams get a head start building their diagrams and stay consistent in terms of layout and style.

Note: You will need admin permissions in your Confluence instance for the following:

1. In Confluence, head to the settings cog in the top right corner.

2. Scroll down the left menu, expand the Apps category, and click on draw.io Configuration.

3. Click on the Custom Templates tab, then click on the link to the Templates page.

4. To add a new custom template, create a child page and give the page an intuitive name. The name you give to the Confluence child page will also be shown as the Category name in the template manager.

5. Add a new draw.io diagram (or multiple draw.io diagrams if you have more than one template) to the page, then click Publish.

A few important things to note:

• The necessary read permissions need to be set up in the draw.io Configuration space in the Confluence instance in order for the custom templates to be accessible to the right users.
• There may be a short delay between when you publish custom templates to a Confluence page, and when they’re available to use in draw.io.

From there, child pages, categories, and template diagrams all work exactly as described above.

To convert an existing diagram to a custom template:

1. Open the Confluence page that contains the diagram you want to have as a custom template, then click Edit which will open the diagram editor.
2. Download the XML file of the diagram (File > Export as > XML).
3. Repeat the steps outlined in the section, “How to create custom templates in draw.io for Confluence Cloud.” Instead of creating a new diagram, drag and drop the diagram XML file into the draw.io editor.

1. On a new Confluence page, start typing /draw.io and select draw.io Diagram. The template manager will open by default. (If you are already in the draw.io editor, or in the draw.io Board editor, click on the plus (+) icon in the top menu and select Template).

2. You will see standard templates ready to use, plus the option to create a diagram using AI with the draw.io Generate tool (Sparkle button ).

3. If your Confluence instance already has custom templates created and shared, you will see these at the top of the list of diagrams in the template manager.

Pro tip: Add custom draw.io templates to Confluence page templates

Feeling confident about adding custom draw.io templates in Confluence? The next step is to add these templates to global Confluence page templates. This is great for when you hold regular meetings like retrospectives, where the Confluence page containing a draw.io custom template are used on a regular basis.

For more information, see Add draw.io diagrams into Confluence page templates.