Skip to main content

📂 Excalidraw: Best native Excalidraw diagram integration for Confluence

Overview​

Excalidraw for Confluence brings the full power of the popular Excalidraw whiteboard tool directly into your Confluence pages. Draw diagrams, design system architectures, create mind maps, and sketch wireframes — all without leaving Confluence. Diagrams are saved as page attachments, so they travel with the page when it's cloned or moved, and they're included automatically in PDF exports.

Who is this app for?​

  • Technical Writers and Documentation Teams — Embed hand-drawn style diagrams and annotated screenshots directly in documentation pages, keeping visuals and text in sync without managing external files.
  • Developers and Engineers — Sketch system architecture, component relationships, and data flow diagrams quickly during design and planning sessions.
  • Product Managers — Create user journey maps, product roadmaps, and feature diagrams that live alongside your Confluence product specs.
  • Designers and UX Teams — Build wireframes and mockups directly in Confluence, where feedback and iteration can happen in context.
  • Project Managers — Visualize project structures, team responsibilities, and process flows in the same space as your project documentation.
  • Business Analysts — Document business processes, entity relationships, and decision trees with an intuitive freehand drawing tool.
  • Getting Started — Install the app and create your first diagram
  • Import & Export — Import .excalidraw files and export diagrams as PNG, SVG, or .excalidraw
  • Known Limitations — Understand constraints before you start
  • FAQ — Common questions answered

Features Overview​

✏️ Full Excalidraw Editor​

The app embeds the complete Excalidraw editor experience inside a Confluence macro. All standard Excalidraw drawing tools are available — shapes, arrows, text, free-hand drawing, and more.

🖼️ Export as PNG or SVG​

Export your finished diagram as a PNG or SVG image directly from the macro. Use exported images in presentations, external documents, or anywhere else.

📁 Import & Export .excalidraw Files​

Round-trip your diagrams: import existing .excalidraw files from your local machine and export diagrams back to .excalidraw format for use in other tools or for backup.

📄 PDF & Word Export Support​

When a Confluence page is exported using Confluence's built-in Export to PDF or Export to Word functionality, the Excalidraw diagram is included in the export as a rendered image.

🌗 Light and Dark Theme Support​

The editor adapts to both light and dark themes, ensuring diagrams look good regardless of your Confluence theme configuration.

📚 Custom Library Support​

Upload your own .excalidrawlib library files to reuse shapes, icons, and component sets across your diagrams. Libraries are stored per diagram.

🔒 Stored as Confluence Attachments​

Diagram data is saved as an attachment on the Confluence page. This means diagrams are preserved when pages are cloned or moved — the diagram always stays with its page.

Permissions​

Excalidraw for Confluence does not introduce additional permission levels. Access follows standard Confluence permissions:

  • Installation: Only Confluence Administrators can install apps from the Atlassian Marketplace.
  • View mode: Any Confluence user — including unlicensed users and guests — can view rendered diagrams on a page.
  • Edit mode: Only users with edit page permissions can open the diagram editor and make changes.