Rectangle and ellipse tools in Figma - Step-by-Step Guide

Introduction

The rectangle and ellipse tools let you draw basic shapes in your design. These shapes help you create buttons, icons, or highlight areas in your dashboard or report visuals.

When you want to add a button shape to your dashboard mockup

When you need to highlight a key number with a circle background

When creating icons or simple graphics for your report

When you want to frame a chart or image with a rectangle

When designing layout placeholders for images or text

Steps

Step 1: Click

- Toolbar on the left, Rectangle tool icon

Cursor changes to crosshair for drawing rectangles

💡 Hold Shift while dragging to create a perfect square

Step 2: Drag

- Canvas area

A rectangle shape appears where you drag

💡 Release mouse button to finish drawing

Step 3: Click

- Toolbar on the left, Ellipse tool icon

Cursor changes to crosshair for drawing ellipses

💡 Hold Shift while dragging to create a perfect circle

Step 4: Drag

- Canvas area

An ellipse shape appears where you drag

💡 Release mouse button to finish drawing

Step 5: Select

- Shape on canvas

Shape is selected and shows resize handles

💡 Use handles to resize shape or move it by dragging

Before vs After

Before

Canvas is empty with no shapes

After

Canvas shows a blue rectangle and a red ellipse drawn side by side

Settings Reference

Corner radius

📍 Right sidebar, Design panel

Rounds the corners of rectangles to create softer edges

Default: 0 px

Fill color

📍 Right sidebar, Fill section

Sets the inside color or pattern of the shape

Default: Solid color (usually white or transparent)

Stroke

📍 Right sidebar, Stroke section

Adds an outline to the shape with customizable style

Default: No stroke

Common Mistakes

Not holding Shift while drawing shapes

Shapes may not be perfect squares or circles, causing uneven design

Hold Shift key while dragging to keep proportions equal

Drawing shapes outside the visible canvas area

Shapes may be hidden and hard to find or edit later

Start drawing shapes within the visible canvas area

Summary

Rectangle and ellipse tools create basic shapes for your design

Hold Shift while dragging to make perfect squares or circles

Use the right sidebar to customize fill, stroke, and corner radius

Practice

1.

What happens if you hold the Shift key while drawing a rectangle in Figma?

easy

A. It locks the rectangle size to a fixed width.

B. It creates a rectangle with rounded corners.

C. It changes the rectangle color automatically.

D. It creates a perfect square.

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand the Shift key function in shape drawing

   Holding Shift while drawing a rectangle constrains the proportions to equal width and height.

2. Step 2: Apply this to rectangle shape

   This means the rectangle becomes a perfect square when Shift is held.

3. Final Answer:

   It creates a perfect square. -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   Shift + draw rectangle = square [OK]

Hint: Hold Shift to keep width and height equal [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Thinking Shift rounds corners
• Assuming Shift locks size
• Believing Shift changes color

2.

Which of the following is the correct way to draw a perfect circle using the ellipse tool in Figma?

easy

A. Click and drag without holding any key.

B. Click and drag while holding the Shift key.

C. Click and drag while holding the Alt key.

D. Double-click the ellipse tool icon.

Solution

1. Step 1: Recall ellipse tool behavior

   Dragging normally creates an ellipse with free width and height.

2. Step 2: Effect of holding Shift key

   Holding Shift while dragging constrains the ellipse to equal width and height, making a perfect circle.

3. Final Answer:

   Click and drag while holding the Shift key. -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   Shift + drag ellipse = circle [OK]

Hint: Hold Shift while dragging ellipse for circle [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Not holding Shift and getting oval
• Using Alt instead of Shift
• Thinking double-click draws circle

3.

Consider you draw a rectangle of width 200px and height 100px, then you hold Shift and drag a corner to resize. What will be the new shape?

medium

A. A circle with diameter equal to the smaller side.

B. A rectangle with width and height resized independently.

C. A perfect square with equal width and height.

D. An ellipse with width and height equal.

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand Shift key effect on resizing

   Holding Shift while resizing a rectangle constrains proportions, keeping width and height equal.

2. Step 2: Apply to initial rectangle

   Starting from 200x100, resizing with Shift will make width and height equal, forming a square.

3. Final Answer:

   A perfect square with equal width and height. -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   Shift + resize rectangle = square [OK]

Hint: Shift locks aspect ratio to keep shape square [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Thinking width and height resize separately
• Confusing rectangle with ellipse
• Assuming shape becomes circle

4.

You tried to draw a perfect circle using the ellipse tool but ended up with an oval. What is the most likely mistake?

medium

A. You did not hold the Shift key while dragging.

B. You held the Alt key instead of Shift.

C. You double-clicked the ellipse tool instead of dragging.

D. You used the rectangle tool instead of ellipse.

Solution

1. Step 1: Identify how to draw a perfect circle

   Holding Shift while dragging the ellipse tool constrains width and height to be equal.

2. Step 2: Analyze the mistake

   Not holding Shift means free width and height, resulting in an oval shape.

3. Final Answer:

   You did not hold the Shift key while dragging. -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   No Shift = oval, Shift = circle [OK]

Hint: Always hold Shift for perfect circles [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using Alt instead of Shift
• Double-clicking instead of dragging
• Confusing ellipse with rectangle tool

5.

You want to create a dashboard highlight using a perfect circle and a square of the same size side by side. You draw an ellipse and a rectangle. How do you ensure both shapes have exactly 150px sides?

hard

A. Hold Shift while drawing both shapes and set width and height to 150px.

B. Hold Shift while drawing both shapes and resize to 150px width only.

C. Draw both shapes freely and then set width to 150px manually.

D. Draw shapes without Shift and set width to 150px, height to 150px only for rectangle.

Solution

1. Step 1: Use Shift to constrain proportions

   Holding Shift while drawing ensures the ellipse becomes a perfect circle and rectangle becomes a square.

2. Step 2: Set both width and height to 150px

   Manually setting both width and height to 150px guarantees exact size for both shapes.

3. Final Answer:

   Hold Shift while drawing both shapes and set width and height to 150px. -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Shift + set width & height = perfect circle and square [OK]

Hint: Hold Shift and set both width and height to same value [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Setting only width or height, causing shape distortion
• Not holding Shift and getting oval or rectangle
• Assuming resizing width alone is enough