Sketch diagrams that look hand-drawn on a Mac, offline and in files you own
A diagram that looks perfect looks finished, and people hesitate to question something that looks finished. A rough, hand-drawn one invites changes. That is the idea behind WyzeSketch, a whiteboard app for your Mac built on the open-source Excalidraw editor. This guide walks through a quick flow, from the first box to a file you can share.
1. Start with a blank board
Open WyzeSketch and you get an empty board in a tab. The toolbar offers a rectangle, diamond, ellipse, arrow, line, freehand pen, text, image and eraser, plus a hand tool to move around the canvas. Tip: the lock keeps the same tool selected so you can draw several boxes in a row without picking it again.
2. Draw the boxes first, then connect them
For a process or a flow, draw the main steps as boxes, then link them with arrows. Doing the boxes first keeps you thinking about the structure instead of the arrows. Double-click a shape to type its label.
Keep each label to a few words. A diagram works when it can be read at a glance, so move detail into your notes.
3. Use shapes with meaning
A small vocabulary helps readers:
- Rectangles for steps or components.
- Diamonds for decisions.
- Ellipses for start, end or a check such as a review.
- Arrows for direction and order.
4. Keep several drawings in tabs
You can keep multiple drawings open and switch between them. A marker on a tab shows it has unsaved changes. This suits a session where you sketch the overview in one tab and a detail in another.
5. Save it as a file
Save your drawing and choose where it goes. It is stored as a standard .excalidraw file, a plain file you can put in a project folder, copy to a drive or keep in version control. Once a drawing has a file, WyzeSketch saves your changes automatically as you work. If you try to close a drawing with unsaved changes, it asks first.
6. Export it for other people
Not everyone has the app, so export for sharing:
- PNG for slides, chats and documents.
- SVG when you need a scalable image that stays sharp at any size.
- PDF to print or send.
The app tells you if the board is empty and there is nothing to export.
7. Reopen it later, or elsewhere
Drag an .excalidraw file onto the window to open it. Because WyzeSketch uses the standard Excalidraw format, drawings from Excalidraw open here and yours open there. A file that is not a valid drawing is refused with a clear message instead of failing silently.
Light or dark
Switch between a light and a dark board with the sun/moon button in the header, whichever suits your screen or your slides.
What it does not do
WyzeSketch is for one person at a time: there is no live collaboration or shared link. To work with someone, send the file or an export. It also works fully offline and needs no account, and your drawings stay where you save them on your Mac.
A quick checklist
- Draw the steps as boxes, then add arrows.
- Keep labels short and use shapes consistently.
- Save early, so autosave takes over.
- Export PNG or PDF to share, and keep the .excalidraw file as the source.
