Apply text shadow effects
Add drop, line, block, or detailed 3D shadows to text, then adjust color, offset, angle, and blur in the right panel.
Text shadows add depth and style to your lettering, from a soft drop shadow to a bold 3D block effect. Use them to make headlines and titles stand out on your artboard.
Shadow styles
There are four shadow styles to choose from.
Drop Shadow: a soft, offset shadow for subtle depth.
Line Shadow: a sharp, outlined shadow for a graphic look.
Block Shadow: a bold, solid shadow that adds strong contrast.
Detailed 3D Shadow: a layered, two-tone shadow that gives your text a three-dimensional look.
Add a text shadow
Select any text on your artboard. The right panel opens automatically.
In the right panel, click the plus icon next to Text Shadow to add it.
A shadow is applied straight away with a default style (Drop Shadow) that you can then customize.
Choose a style and adjust it
Click one of the four style icons to switch between Drop Shadow, Line Shadow, Block Shadow, and Detailed 3D Shadow.
Click the color swatch to open the color picker and set the shadow's color and opacity. Detailed 3D Shadow shows a second color swatch for its layered look.
Use the Offset and Angle sliders to position the shadow. Drop Shadow also has a Blur slider, and Line Shadow and Detailed 3D Shadow swap Blur for an Outline Width slider instead. Block Shadow uses only Offset and Angle, both Blur and Outline Width are grayed out for this style.
Remove a shadow
Click the minus icon next to Text Shadow. This removes the shadow and collapses the section back to a plus icon.
Expected outcome
Your selected text shows the shadow style you picked, updating live as you adjust the color and sliders.
Tips
Shadows work best on bold and large text for maximum visibility.
Combine different colors, angles, and blur levels to create unique effects.
Detailed 3D Shadow adds extra depth. Try it for titles or standout elements.
Troubleshooting
I can't see the shadow I applied
Check that Offset isn't set to zero, since a shadow with no offset can sit directly behind your text where it's hard to spot. Also check that the shadow color has enough contrast with your background, low-contrast shadows are easy to miss.
Common questions
Does the shadow apply to my whole text box or just the characters I select?
It always applies to the whole text box, even if you've only highlighted a single character when you add it. You can still style individual characters (font, weight, size, and so on) within a shadowed text box. See Edit and style text for how character-level styling works alongside effects like this one.
Can I combine a text shadow with a decoration effect or a transformation?
Yes. Text shadows stack cleanly with text decoration effects and text transformations, so you can curve, decorate, and shadow the same text box at once.
Is this feature available on every plan?
Yes, text shadow effects aren't gated to a specific plan.
Can I add a shadow to objects as well as text?
Yes. Objects have their own dedicated shadow controls, separate from text. See Add object shadows for how those work.
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