# Pen

> «Pen» creates freehand strokes for drawing, writing and annotating. With a compatible pen, pressure and tilt affect the stroke. With a mouse or trackpad, pressure is simulated from the movement.…

Source: https://docs.vectorboard.app/en/every-tool/pen/ · EVERY TOOL ON THE TOOLBAR

**Pen** creates freehand strokes for drawing, writing and annotating. With a compatible pen, pressure and tilt affect the stroke. With a mouse or trackpad, pressure is simulated from the movement. Strokes are editable board content, not a permanent change to the PDF underneath.

> **Important:** Activation: choose **Pen** on the toolbar or in its family. Shortcut: P.

## How to use it

1. Choose **Pen** and adjust style, thickness and color.
2. Draw or write on the board. Use short strokes for details and a comfortable zoom.
3. To recognize a geometric shape, hold the pen still at the end of the stroke. Check the recognized line, arrow or shape.

![Pen](https://assets.vectorboard.app/docs/fig/fig-819.webp)

![Pen, highlighter and marker](https://assets.vectorboard.app/docs/fig/fig-820.webp)

Turn a sketch into precise shapes

4. Use **Undo** to recover the original stroke or **Eraser** to remove part of it.

> **Expected result:** A stroke is added that you can select, move or undo.

> **Example:** Draw three boxes and arrows to explore a process before turning it into a structured diagram.

## Common mistake and how to fix it

A digital pen can draw while a pointer tool is active. A stroke does not mean the mouse tool has changed. To type with the keyboard, use Text. For structured relationships, use Connector instead of a hand-drawn line.