The Copy Style tool (format painter) lets you quickly copy all styling attributes from one element and apply them to others, ensuring visual consistency across your diagram.

How It Works

The Copy Style tool captures all visual properties from a source element:

• Fill color and gradient
• Stroke color, width, and dash pattern
• Text font, size, color, and alignment
• Shadow and opacity settings
• Corner radius (for shapes)
• Arrowhead styles (for connectors)

Then applies them to target elements with a single click.

Using the Copy Style Tool

Basic Workflow

1. Select the element with the style you want to copy (the "source")
2. Activate the Copy Style Tool from the toolbar
3. Your cursor changes to a format painter icon
4. Click on any element to apply the copied style (the "target")
5. Continue clicking other elements to apply the same style

The tool remains active, allowing you to style multiple elements in succession.

Keyboard Shortcut

For quick access, use the keyboard shortcut:

1. Select the source element
2. Press Option+Cmd+C (macOS) to activate Copy Style tool
3. Click target elements to apply the style

Press Esc to deactivate the tool when finished.

What Gets Copied

For Shapes

When copying style from a shape, these properties transfer:

Fill Properties:

• Fill color (solid or gradient)
• Gradient type and direction
• Pattern (if applicable)
• Opacity

Stroke Properties:

• Stroke color
• Stroke width
• Dash pattern
• Line cap style
• Line join style

Text Properties:

• Font family
• Font size
• Bold, italic, underline
• Text color
• Text alignment
• Text padding

Effects:

• Shadow on/off
• Shadow color, blur, offset
• Opacity percentage
• Corner radius

For Connectors

When copying style from a connector:

Line Properties:

• Line color
• Line width
• Dash pattern

Arrowhead Properties:

• Start arrowhead type and size
• End arrowhead type and size
• Arrowhead color scheme

Text Properties:

• Font, size, color, style
• Text positioning mode

For Text Elements

When copying from standalone text:

• Font family, size, weight
• Text color
• Alignment
• Background fill (if any)
• Border/stroke (if any)

What Doesn't Get Copied

The Copy Style tool preserves these properties of the target element:

• Position - Elements stay where they are
• Size - Dimensions remain unchanged
• Rotation - Angle is preserved
• Text content - Only styling changes, not the actual text
• Shape type - A rectangle stays a rectangle
• Layer - Elements remain on their current layer
• Connections - Connector attachments are preserved

Selective Style Copying

While the Copy Style tool copies all properties, you can achieve selective copying through the Inspector:

1. Select the source element
2. Note the specific property value in the Inspector (e.g., fill color)
3. Select the target element(s)
4. Manually set just that property in the Inspector

This gives you fine-grained control when you only want to copy specific attributes.

Multiple Element Application

To apply a style to many elements at once:

Method 1: Click Each Element

1. Activate Copy Style tool
2. Click each target element individually
3. The tool stays active until you press Esc

Method 2: Multi-Select Then Style

1. Select all target elements (Shift+Click or Cmd+Click)
2. Without the Copy Style tool, manually copy properties:
3. Select the source element
4. Note values in Inspector
5. Select target elements again
6. Set matching values in Inspector

Tip: Method 1 is faster for scattered elements. Method 2 is better when elements are already grouped together.

Use Cases

Maintaining Visual Consistency

Apply the same style to all shapes of a certain type:

• All "Process" boxes in a flowchart
• All "Entity" boxes in an ERD
• All "Class" boxes in a UML diagram
• All connectors representing the same relationship type

Diagram Themes

Create a cohesive look by copying styles between diagrams:

1. Design one "reference" element with your preferred style
2. Keep it in a corner of your canvas
3. Use Copy Style to apply it to new elements as you work
4. Delete the reference when finished

Quick Rebranding

Update multiple elements to match new brand colors:

1. Change one element to the new style
2. Use Copy Style to propagate the change
3. Much faster than editing each element individually

Tips

1. Create style references - Keep template elements on a separate layer for quick access
2. Combine with styles feature - For permanent style presets, use the Shape Styles feature instead
3. Use with color schemes - Copy Style respects color scheme assignments, preserving theme compatibility
4. Test on one element first - Before applying to many elements, test on one to ensure the result is what you want
5. Undo is your friend - If you apply the wrong style, Cmd+Z works on Copy Style operations

Differences from Shape Styles

While both features help maintain consistency, they work differently:

When to use Copy Style: Quick visual fixes, one-off styling tasks, exploring different looks.

When to use Shape Styles: Maintaining consistent styling long-term, creating reusable style templates.

Keyboard Shortcuts

• Option+Cmd+C - Activate Copy Style tool
• Esc - Deactivate Copy Style tool
• Cmd+Z - Undo style application

Related Topics

• Shape Styles - Save and reuse style presets
• Inspector Panel - Manual property editing
• Color Schemes - Theme-based coloring
• Fill Styles - Gradients and patterns