Presentations

Flowchart slides

A flowchart is the one diagram where the connections carry as much meaning as the boxes. This component treats them that way: nodes and connections are separate lists, positions are computed for you, and then you move things until it reads.

Create a presentation with OneCraftThe four node shapes, how connections are made, and the auto layout button

A decision flowchart slide with rectangular process steps, diamond decision points and Yes and No edge labels — A decision flowchart: rectangles for steps, diamonds for decisions, and Yes or No on the branches. The layout is computed, so you type nodes and edges rather than drag boxes.

Four shapes, and they mean different things

Rect for a step. Pill for a start or an end. Decision for a diamond where the flow branches. Circle for a connector or an on page reference. Shape is set per node from the inspector, and the convention is worth respecting because an audience reads a diamond as a question before they read the words inside it.

Connections are their own list

Adding a connection picks two nodes and joins them, and each connection can carry a label, which is where Yes and No go on a decision branch. Because connections are stored separately from nodes, deleting a step does not silently rewire the flow around it. You can also draw one directly on the canvas by dragging from a port on the node you hover.

Auto layout first, then drag

An Auto button in the inspector runs a layered layout over the graph and places every node, which is the fastest way to get from a list of steps to something readable. After that, dragging a node on the canvas moves it and the position sticks, so the usual workflow is auto layout once and then nudge the two or three boxes the algorithm put in an awkward place.

Twenty nodes is the ceiling, twelve is the readable one

A flowchart you drop yourself accepts up to twenty nodes and the count is shown live in the inspector as you add them. The one flowchart layout in the library caps at twelve, which is closer to what actually reads on a projected slide. Past a dozen boxes the type has shrunk enough that the audience stops following the arrows and starts waiting for you to explain it.

When a process is linear, do not use this

Sixteen layouts are filed under process, and most of them are built for a sequence of stages rather than a branching graph. A five step onboarding flow with no decisions in it reads better as a numbered process layout, because the arrows are implied by the order and you get more room for the description under each step. Reach for the flowchart when there is a genuine branch.

How it works, in three steps

Step 1
List the steps as nodes
Add a node per step and set its shape. Diamonds for questions, pills for the start and the end.
Step 2
Join them
Add a connection between two nodes, or drag from a port on the canvas. Label the branches out of a diamond.
Step 3
Hit Auto, then tidy
The layout button places everything. Drag the two or three boxes it got wrong and the positions stay put.

The full walkthrough with screenshots is in the guide Add charts, maps and diagrams to slides.

Limits worth knowing

Twenty nodes maximum on a flowchart you add yourself, twelve on the library layout.
Connections are straight lines between nodes. There is no waypoint editing or manual routing.
There is no swimlane. A cross team process needs the lanes expressed as node labels or a second slide.
In an editable PowerPoint export the flowchart stays a picture, although its node and connection labels become real text boxes.

See it on a finished piece

Project kickoff deck

9 slides

Training and onboarding presentation

9 slides

Company profile presentation

10 slides

Questions people ask

Can I label the branches out of a decision?

Yes. Every connection carries its own optional label, which is where Yes, No, Approved and Rejected go.

Will my node positions be overwritten?

No. A layout is computed once so the graph is not a pile in the corner, and after that a node you drag stays where you put it.

Are there swimlanes?

No. If ownership matters, put the owner in the node label or split the flow across two slides, one per team.

What if my process has no branches?

Use a process layout instead. Sixteen of them are built for a sequence of stages and give you far more room per step than a flowchart does.

Make your own presentation

The button opens the generator with this use case already described. Change the wording to match yours, generate, then edit anything you like.

Create a presentation with OneCraft