How to Make Arrows in Illustrator

Sometimes, you need to get to the point quickly in Adobe Illustrator, and the quickest way is to use an arrow! Here’s a quick tip on how to make arrows in Illustrator.

Illustrator offers ready-to-use arrowheads with strokes, whether using it as a graphic element or calling out an essential factor in your design.

Get in Line

Are you in a rush to create a curving arrow? Select the Pen Tool or Press P on your keyboard, or select the Curvature tool or Press Shift+~

Need a straight line? Select the Line Segment tool or Press \ (backslash). All tools can be found in your Toolbar.

The Pen, Curvature and Line tools are located in your Toolbar

Now it’s time to add the arrowhead. Using the Selection tool, select your stroke and add an arrow. Properties Panel > Stroke > Arrowheads to select your start and/or endpoints.

The Properties and Appearance Panels offer a variety of options to customize your strokes, including arrowheads!

There are plenty of built-in arrowheads to choose from.

Arrowhead styles in Illustrator

BYOA (Build Your Own Arrow)

Want something customized? You can build your arrow using the Polygon Tool, selecting three sides and any combo of strokes mentioned above.

Use the Polygon Tool to create a quick Triangle shaped arrow point.

Interested in making arrows in Photoshop? Check out this post.

Jess Telmanik is a multidisciplinary creative who believes in the healing power of creativity. Her innovative outlook and passion for digital and traditional mediums shine through her vibrant artwork that serves as a reminder that it’s okay to be human. (It is!) She participates in many Adobe Prerelease programs and supports fellow creatives as an Adobe Community Expert and Adobe Illustrator Prerelease Ambassador. To learn more, visit jesstelmanik.com.
>