What this is
MemorixApps Flow is a lightweight diagramming tool for planning and documenting workflows, network layouts, and technical systems — process shapes, network/Cisco icons, technical systems icons, and freeform drawing tools, all connected with clean right-angle connectors and organized into projects.
The basic workflow
- 1. Create a project in the sidebar (top section) — this is a container for related work, e.g. one project per department or initiative.
- 2. Add processes inside it — each process is one diagram. A project can hold several processes that belong together.
- 3. Build the diagram — click an element in the toolbar above the canvas, then click the canvas to place it; that finishes the tool. Hold Shift while clicking to keep it armed and place several in a row; press Esc (or pick another tool) to stop. Drag from a node's edge dots to connect two elements.
- 4. Switch element libraries using the dropdown at the left of that toolbar — Flow (Terminator, Task, Decision, On-Page Connector, Input/Output, Predefined Process, Document, Multiple Documents, Manual Input, Preparation, Delay, Off-Page Connector, Note), Network (router, switch, firewall, server, workstation, cloud, wireless AP), Technical systems (database, storage, application, monitor, sensor, controller), People (Business, Engineer, Worker, Manager, Developer), Draw (line, rectangle, circle, text, brace — for freeform annotations), and Pictures (your own saved images — see below). The chosen library stays open until you switch it again.
- 5. Resize and style Draw shapes — Line, Rectangle, Circle, Text, Brace, and pasted Pictures can be resized by dragging the small gold handle at their bottom-right corner once selected (or the edge handles for width/height only), and rotated or mirrored using the buttons in the inspector's Transform section. Line, Rectangle, and Circle all have a "Dotted line" option too.
- Connector options — Task, Note, and every network/technical icon get 3 connection points per side (Start, End, and Decision keep one), so multiple lines don't have to bunch at the same spot. Each connector's arrowheads (end only, start only, both, or none) are set in its inspector.
- 6. Organize with swimlanes (optional) — add lanes in the sidebar to show which role, team, or system each step belongs to.
- 7. Add detail — every element has a Comments field in the inspector for notes to yourself or your team; a small speech-bubble icon appears on the shape as a reminder.
- 8. Refine — drag connectors to reroute them, select multiple elements to move them as a group, and use alignment snapping to keep everything tidy.
- 9. Back up or share — back up a project as JSON, export the current process as an SVG image or Word document, or import a backup later.
Standard flowchart symbols
Flow's shape library follows standard flowchart conventions, so diagrams read the same way here as they would in any other tool:
| Shape | Name | Meaning |
|---|
| Oval / Rounded rectangle | Terminator | Indicates the start or end of a process. |
| Rectangle | Process | Represents an action, operation, or task. |
| Diamond | Decision | A point where a decision is made (Yes/No, True/False). |
| Parallelogram | Input / Output | Represents data entering or leaving the process. |
| Circle | On-Page Connector | Connects different parts of a flowchart on the same page. |
| Pentagon (home plate) | Off-Page Connector | Connects a flow to another page. |
| Rectangle with double vertical lines | Predefined Process / Subprocess | Refers to a process defined elsewhere. |
| Document shape | Document | Represents a document or report. |
| Multiple documents | Multiple Documents | Represents more than one document. |
| Trapezoid | Manual Input | User-entered information. |
| Hexagon | Preparation | Initialization or setup step. |
| D-shaped symbol | Delay | Represents a wait or delay period. |
Linking an element to another process
Task, Predefined Process, Preparation, Manual Input, and Off-Page Connector can all be linked to a different process — useful when a single step is really a whole workflow of its own (e.g. a "Background check" task that deserves its own detailed diagram), so you don't have to cram everything into one canvas.
- To link: select one of these elements, then use the Linked process dropdown in the inspector to pick an existing process, or click + New linked process to create one on the spot and jump straight into it.
- How it looks: a linked element shows a small arrow icon in its bottom corner, similar to how BPMN tools mark a sub-process.
- To open it: click that arrow icon, or use "Open linked process →" in the inspector.
- To come back: a ← button appears in the top bar whenever you've drilled into a linked process — click it to return to where you started.
- A link only points to a process within the same project. If the linked process is later deleted, the inspector shows a clear warning next to the dropdown instead of silently acting as if nothing were linked.
Projects & processes
Work is organized into Projects, each holding up to 5 processes (diagrams). The free version supports up to 5 projects, so 25 processes in total. Switch between them in the sidebar; each keeps its own swimlanes, elements, and zoom level.
Use the gear (⚙) button next to "Projects" to open Project options — adjust the text size for connector/divider labels and swimlane names, and turn on Always fit to screen if you'd rather every process open scaled to fit the window than remember its last zoom and position. These settings apply to every process inside that project.
Where your work is stored
MemorixApps Flow is a free, local-only tool. Every project, process, swimlane, and connector you create is saved directly in this browser's storage — nothing is uploaded or synced anywhere.
What that means in practice
- Your work lives only on this device, in this browser. Opening the app in a different browser, or on another computer, starts empty.
- Clearing your browser's site data or cache, or using private/incognito mode, will remove everything.
- There's no automatic backup or sync. To keep a copy, use Backup Project (a full backup of the current project and all its processes, which you can save or move elsewhere) or Export SVG for a shareable image of the current process. Use Import (⬆, next to "Projects") to bring a backup back in — a project backup restores as a new project with all its processes; a single process backup adds into the current project. Handy for moving work to another browser or device, or restoring after clearing browser data.
- Export Word turns the whole current project into a Word document — one page per process, each with its flowchart as an image, followed by a short notes section listing any element comments, which process(es) it links out to, and which other process(es) link into it.
Working with the canvas
- Click the Navigation button in the top bar any time for a quick reference card of these controls.
- Select multiple elements by dragging a box over empty canvas, or shift-click elements one at a time. Drag any selected element to move the whole group together.
- Alignment snapping — dragging a node near another node's center snaps it into line, keeping connectors straight.
- Navigate by scrolling to pan, holding Ctrl (or ⌘) while scrolling to zoom, or holding Space and dragging. Each process remembers its own zoom and position for next time, unless Always fit to screen is on for the project. Either way, reopening on a meaningfully different sized screen (or resizing the window mid-session) automatically re-fits the view so nothing ends up cut off.
- Reroute a connector by dragging its gold handle once selected; "Reset routing" in the inspector reverts it to automatic.
- Copy and paste with Ctrl+C / Ctrl+V (⌘C / ⌘V on Mac) — copies the selected element(s) and any connectors between them. If your system clipboard holds a picture instead (a screenshot, or an image copied from another app), pasting drops that picture onto the canvas as a resizable Draw shape.
- Build a picture palette — switch the toolbar to the Pictures library (holds up to 10) and click the next open slot to activate it; a badge confirms it's armed. Press Ctrl+V to drop a picture into that slot — this works even after switching to a different library, so you don't have to stay on the Pictures tab while you paste. Esc, or clicking the badge's ×, cancels the activation. Click a saved picture to arm it and place it on the canvas — the same click-to-place, hold-Shift-for-more flow as every other element. Hover a filled slot's × to remove it.
- Label a connector or divider by double-clicking it — the text sits centered right on the line, the same way on both.
Want more?
For cloud-synced tools, team features, and the rest of the MemorixApps suite, visit memorixapps.com.
