SketchDraw

This app is made entirely using AI. Use at your own risk.

SketchDraw is an offline-first drawing and planning app for Windows and Android. Canvas drawings and pages are stored in .sketch files; Planning notes, tasks, milestones, and project records are stored separately in .sdplan files. Switch between Canvas and Planning without closing the open sketch. Save either file locally or in a folder managed by OneDrive, Dropbox, Google Drive, or another sync service.

App versions: Windows 12.4.0 | Android 7.4.0 | Document format: v9 | Copyright (c) 2026 Toushal Sampat

SketchDraw saves version 9 .sketch documents for Canvas and version 1 .sdplan documents for Planning. New and opened sketches start on Canvas; Planning opens or creates its own file and leaves the sketch open. Legacy quick notes embedded in older sketches are offered for extraction to a separate .sdplan file. Sketch versions 1-8 remain readable and migrate to v9 when opened and saved.

Screenshots and previews

The launch and workspace SVGs are hand-drawn previews rather than runtime captures, so mobile tool visibility and spacing can vary with screen size. Board artwork and recent-file names are examples, not user data.

Launch screen: create or reopen a .sketch canvas file, or create/open a separate .sdplan Planning file. The recent sketches and recent plans are listed separately.

Windows workspace preview: a flat, grouped toolbar, direct canvas actions, and a simpler contextual Properties panel.

Mobile home preview: create or open a .sketch canvas file, or create/open a separate .sdplan Planning file. Recent sketches and plans remain separate.

Mobile and tablet workspaces: toolbars and quick-style controls stay separate and adapt to the chosen toolbar position and screen orientation. Choose an orientation and toolbar location in App Settings on supported devices.

Planning Home for the standalone Northstar launch.sdplan file. Its Canvas tab returns to the still-open whiteboard; saving Planning updates the .sdplan file.

Markdown text preview: edit headings, lists, code, and tables in a collapsible card; start a table from the Text menu or insert one into an existing Markdown card.

View-only preview: inspect a .sketch file with the laser pointer while expanding or collapsing note, sticky-note, and checklist cards.

Properties preview: focused controls for the selected item; Layers opens in a separate panel from the canvas toolbar.

Layers now show one row for each tool type in use. Selecting, reordering, hiding, or locking a row applies to every object made with that tool.

Toolbar appearance preview: choose Auto to follow light and dark mode, or set a named or custom surface color.

PDF export preview: standard paper sizes, custom dimensions, portrait or landscape, fit-to-page or tiled pages, overlap, margins, and print quality.

Diagram preview: editable flowchart shapes, labels, filled symbols, and attached connectors.

Diagram as code: generate an editable Mermaid flowchart and keep its source with the group for later editing. Mermaid, DOT, CSV, and a PlantUML subset can import or export editable diagram data; SQL and JSON Schema can generate editable database table cards and be exported again.

Connector examples: straight, elbow, forked, loop, and jagged routes, plus varied line styles.

Flowchart symbol gallery, including database, decision, document, and process symbols.

The flowchart palette includes cloud, star, lightning, heart, and callout symbols.

Notes, sticky notes, and checklists open as writing surfaces directly on the whiteboard.

Paste SQL CREATE TABLE statements or JSON Schema and generate editable table cards with key links attached to field rows.

Insert individual class, sequence, ER, and C4 architecture components instead of a prefilled diagram.

Compatible styluses can provide pressure, tilt, and eraser-end data through platform pointer events.

Fine pen is a standalone toolbar tool. The Paint brushes menu includes pencil, soft brush, marker, highlighter, and chalk; laser settings control line thickness, fade duration, color, and rainbow trails.

Switch class cards, schema tables, notes, sticky notes, and checklists between the current treatment and a compact monochrome style.

A larger example combines decision branches, database storage, retries, attached connectors, and multi-stage process lanes.

Features

• Document workspaces: .sketch stores the Canvas and its pages. .sdplan stores Planning data in its own versioned file. Switch between Canvas and Planning without closing the open sketch; create or open plans from Home, and open .sdplan files directly from Windows or Android when SketchDraw is registered for that extension.
• Project planning: Keep project notes, prioritized and dated tasks, task checklists, dependencies, milestones, decisions, risks, links, and attachments in a .sdplan file. Use the Kanban board, drag tasks between stages, reorder cards, and review dates in Timeline or Calendar.
• File updates: On Windows, file-watch events detect outside changes to an open .sketch file, with a 30-second polling fallback for cloud folders and removable drives. Independent Canvas page and object edits can merge after a provider syncs the changed file; conflicting edits use edit clocks. .sdplan files are saved with a baseline check to detect external changes, but they do not use the Canvas background watcher or merge. Android document-provider files do not use background polling. SketchDraw does not host files or live collaboration.
• Drawing tools: Draw with pen, fine pen, pencil, soft brush, marker, highlighter, chalk, or a temporary laser pointer. Create and fill geometric shapes, crop imported images, and adjust stroke, fill, opacity, corners, and text styling.
• Flowchart symbols: Build diagrams with process, terminator, decision, input/output, document, database, preparation, manual input, connector, delay, stored-data, and cloud shapes. Symbols remain editable after placement.
• Connectors: Draw straight or curved lines, multi-point lines, and straight, elbow, forked, loop, or jagged arrows. Attach endpoints to shapes, choose line and arrowhead styles, and drag route handles. Windows also offers automatic obstacle routing with editable waypoints.
• Selection and layers: Move, resize, rotate, group, duplicate, align, and distribute objects. Copy and paste objects or their styles, and edit precise values. Layers group all objects by drawing tool, so each tool has one selectable, reorderable, hideable, and lockable layer. Undo and redo history is kept per page for the current session.
• Canvas navigation: Pan, zoom, fit the full drawing, or zoom to a selection. Set the board color and paper pattern, use grid and object snapping, and open Canvas options for alignment guides and an optional minimap.
• Pages and project files: Keep up to 100 named Canvas pages in a version 9 .sketch file. Planning records live in a version 1 .sdplan file; up to 100 recent plan paths are remembered separately from up to eight recent sketch paths. Legacy quick notes in older sketches can be extracted into a new Planning file. Rename a sketch from the File menu; the open document, tabs, recent list, and autosave follow its new name. Autosave runs at the chosen 5- or 10-second interval, and Canvas recovery can restore interrupted edits. Recognized version 1-8 SketchDraw files are migrated when opened and saved.
• Text and note cards: Add plain text, Markdown, tables, code notes, notes, sticky notes, and checklists to the canvas. Markdown supports headings, lists, tables, and syntax-colored code blocks. Resize, title, format, collapse, expand, and edit cards in place; collapsed cards retain a short content or progress summary.
• Diagram as code: Paste Mermaid flowchart code, preview it, and generate native shapes and attached connectors. Mermaid groups made in this editor keep their source for later editing and regeneration. Import Mermaid, DOT, CSV, and a supported PlantUML class/object subset from files. Export editable diagram labels and relationships as Mermaid, DOT, CSV, or PlantUML. Format-specific constructs and visual styling beyond the supported subset are simplified.
• Database schema visualizer: Paste SQL CREATE TABLE statements, JSON table definitions, or JSON Schema object definitions to create editable table cards. Primary- and foreign-key fields become linked rows; each card can reopen its saved source for editing. Export table cards as SQL or Draft 2020-12 JSON Schema. SketchDraw x- extensions preserve SQL types and key metadata for re-import.
• Modeling components: Insert editable UML, sequence, ER, C4, cloud, software, BPMN, and network shapes. Connectors attach to component shapes, and the Hub and Switch port counts are configurable.
• Import formats: Import common raster images and SVG artwork. Images are embedded in the .sketch file; SVG artwork is rasterized for display. Import draw.io XML, Excalidraw JSON, CSV, DOT, Mermaid, and supported PlantUML diagrams as editable canvas objects. Mermaid flowcharts and SQL/JSON Schema inputs can also generate editable diagrams or schema cards.
• Print preview: Review page size, orientation, margins, page breaks, and tiled layout before printing or saving as PDF. Fit-to-page and poster layouts make it easier to check how a large sketch will be split across sheets.
• Export: Review a live preview before exporting PNG, SVG, or PDF. PDFs support the current page, all pages, or a selected range, with fit-to-page or tiled output; configure page dimensions, headers, footers, crop marks, bleed, and RGB, CMYK, or grayscale output. PNG and SVG can use transparent backgrounds.
• Windows workspace: Windows adds multiple open sketch tabs, customizable shortcuts, the Ctrl+K command palette, and a full-screen focus mode. The palette searches tools, actions, settings, and symbols; the desktop toolbar groups common tools and keeps object properties close to the canvas.
• Phone and tablet workspace: Touch layouts adapt to portrait and landscape and to the chosen toolbar position. Tool controls, quick styles, canvas options, page controls, and menus remain reachable by touch.
• Touch and stylus input: Draw and edit with a finger or compatible stylus. Use two fingers to pan and zoom, configure gesture actions, and use stylus pressure, tilt, and eraser-end input when the device reports them.
• Appearance: Follow the system theme or choose light or dark mode, set accent and toolbar colors, and switch diagram and note components between modern and simple appearances.
• Presentation mode: Hide the editing interface to present the canvas. Use the mouse, keyboard, or touch to move between sketch pages.
• View-only mode and help: Open a sketch without editing or saving it; the laser pointer and note-card expand/collapse controls remain available. The in-app guide and shortcut reference explain drawing, selection, files, pages, export, feature IDs 1–6, and diagram ideas.
• App updates: Windows checks the signed Tauri updater manifest on GitHub and can download and install a published update. Android checks the latest GitHub release for a matching arm64 APK, downloads it into app cache, checks its package, version code, and signing certificate, then opens Android's installer for the user to approve. Android does not install updates silently.

SketchDraw does not host online workspaces or live cursors. Canvas file updates use the local .sketch path or provider URI and the sync service managing that folder; there is no SketchDraw server or cloud account. Canvas conflicts use last-edit-wins metadata, so devices should have reasonably accurate system clocks. Planning files do not merge offline edits; a save checks whether the .sdplan file changed since it was opened.

License

SketchDraw is distributed under the End User License Agreement, not an open-source license. The application copyright belongs to Toushal Sampat; you retain rights to drawings and files you create. Third-party components remain under their respective licenses.

Privacy and local data

SketchDraw has no account system, analytics, telemetry, or application service that uploads documents. The app uses Tauri's local filesystem and dialog APIs to open and save files selected by you. It does not send drawing content to SketchDraw servers.

Some app data is kept in local WebView storage on this device:

• Up to eight recent .sketch paths and up to 100 recent .sdplan paths or Android document-provider URIs, so the launch screen and Planning overview can reopen those files.
• Theme and tool accent preferences.
• A recovery snapshot for an open .sketch canvas document when it has unsaved changes. Recovery data is removed after the document is saved or recovery is discarded; if neither happens, it remains in local app storage. Planning files do not use this Canvas recovery snapshot.

The recovery snapshot can contain the document's text, shapes, and embedded image data. It is stored locally so an interrupted session can be recovered. Other apps or accounts on this device may have access according to the operating system's user-account and device security.

If you save a .sketch or .sdplan file inside a cloud-sync folder, that folder's provider may upload and process the file under its own terms and settings. SketchDraw does not control that service. Windows can merge independent Canvas edits after a provider syncs them; Planning files use a save-time baseline check and do not receive automatic background merging. Exported files are written to the location you choose. The installer and operating system also have their own download, security, and update behavior; this project does not receive those reports.

The optional Check for updates action contacts GitHub only when you select it. Windows checks the public signed updater manifest. Android queries the public Releases API; if a newer APK is available and you choose to install it, the app downloads that release asset to its private cache and hands it to Android's package installer. These requests do not include sketch content, file paths, or drawing data; GitHub receives ordinary network requests under its own privacy terms.

PDF output supports RGB, process CMYK, and grayscale values. It does not currently embed or select a calibrated ICC press profile; confirm color conversion requirements with your print provider.

This description is not a legal certification for every jurisdiction or distribution setup. Data protection obligations can include transparency, purpose limitation, data minimization, retention, and security requirements.