Arrow

A line with a head on it. Click where it starts, then what it points at. The head goes on the end you finish at. Hold Ctrl (Option on a Mac) and either end lands beside the nearest text.

Why you would use it

To connect a note to the thing it’s about. A note on its own leaves the reader guessing which of four details it refers to.

For example

What to do

1. Click where the arrow starts.
2. Click what it points at.
3. Hold Shift to keep it straight, or Ctrl (Option on a Mac) to land beside the nearest text.

Going further

The head is sized from the pen, so a heavier line gets a head to match rather than a pinhead on a thick shaft. Holding Ctrl or Option moves the point to the middle of the side of the nearest words that faces the arrow, a little outside them, and outlines the words first so you can see which. A scanned sheet has no words to find.

If you already use another program

In a CAD program: A leader or a polyline with an arrowhead.

In a PDF markup program: An arrow markup.