How to Make a Genogram in Lucidchart
A complete guide to building genograms in Lucidchart with shape libraries and smart connectors. We cover every step — including the free-plan object cap — then show you why a dedicated genogram tool gets you there in minutes.
Why People Try to Make Genograms in Lucidchart
Lucidchart is a genuinely capable diagramming tool — smart connectors that stay attached, real-time collaboration, and clean PNG/PDF export make it far better suited to diagrams than Word or Google Docs. Many students and clinicians already have access through school or work, so it's a natural first stop for a genogram assignment. It can work, but the free plan's 60-object cap and the lack of any genogram symbol library make it harder than it looks. Below, we walk through every step honestly, including where Lucidchart falls short.
New to genogram notation? Review the complete genogram symbols guide or grab a printable symbols reference before you start — you'll be building every symbol by hand in Lucidchart.
How to Make a Genogram in Lucidchart: 8 Steps
Follow these steps to create a basic genogram using Lucidchart's shape libraries and smart connectors.
Create a Lucidchart Account and New Document
Sign in to Lucidchart (or create a free account) and start a new blank document from your dashboard.
- Go to lucid.app and sign in or register a free account
- Click New and choose a blank Lucidchart document
- Rename the document something clear like "Smith Family Genogram"
- Note the free plan limits: 3 editable documents and 60 objects per document
- Every shape, line, and text box counts toward the 60-object cap
Tip: The 60-object free-tier cap matters more than it sounds. A 3-generation genogram with relationship lines and labels typically needs 70-120 objects, so plan a small genogram or expect the paywall.
Search the Template Gallery for a Starting Point
Lucidchart has no official genogram template, but the template gallery includes family tree and community-made genogram templates you can adapt.
- From the dashboard, open the template gallery and search "family tree" or "genogram"
- Community templates vary in quality — most are family trees, not clinical genograms
- Pick the closest match, or start blank if nothing fits your family structure
- Templates open as a copy in your account, counting toward your 3-document limit
- Delete any placeholder shapes you will not use to stay under the object cap
Tip: Community family tree templates use boxes for everyone. You will need to replace them with squares (males) and circles (females) to follow genogram notation, so a blank canvas is often just as fast.
Enable Shape Libraries and Add Person Symbols
Use Lucidchart's standard shape library to drag squares for males and circles for females onto the canvas.
- Open the shape panel on the left and make sure the standard/basic shapes library is enabled
- Drag a square onto the canvas for each male, a circle for each female
- Hold Shift while resizing to keep squares and circles perfectly proportioned
- For deceased persons, draw an X through the shape with two diagonal lines
- For the index person, increase the border weight so the shape stands out
Tip: Copy-paste (Ctrl+C / Ctrl+V) a formatted shape instead of dragging new ones. This keeps sizes consistent — but remember every duplicate still counts toward the 60-object free limit.
Organize Generations with Containers or Alignment
Arrange family members in horizontal rows by generation. Lucidchart's containers and alignment tools help keep rows tidy.
- Place grandparents in the top row, parents in the middle, children at the bottom
- Optionally use a container or group per generation so a whole row moves together
- Use the alignment and distribute tools to space shapes evenly within a row
- Turn on the canvas grid and snapping to keep rows straight
- Center each set of children beneath their parents' relationship line
Tip: Containers count as objects too. If you are on the free plan, plain alignment guides are cheaper than containers — save your object budget for people and relationship lines.
Connect Family Members with Smart Connectors
Lucidchart's connectors snap to shapes and stay attached when you move things — a real advantage over Word or PowerPoint.
- Hover over a shape's edge and drag from the connection point to another shape
- Draw a horizontal connector between partners for a marriage line
- Drop vertical connectors from the marriage line down to each child
- Set connectors to straight (elbow/curved routing looks wrong on genograms)
- Remove any arrowheads — genogram lines are plain lines, not arrows
Tip: Connectors default to arrows in Lucidchart. Select a line and clear both endpoint styles, then right-click and set it as the default so every new line comes out arrow-free.
Style Lines for Relationship Types
Use Lucidchart's line styling options to approximate genogram relationship notation.
- Solid line = marriage (default)
- Dashed line = cohabitation (change line style in the line options)
- Dotted line = dating or casual relationship
- Divorce = manually draw two short diagonal slashes across the marriage line
- Emotional relationships (conflict zigzag, close double-line, cut-off) must be built by layering extra lines by hand
Tip: Lucidchart has no jagged/zigzag conflict line or double-line close relationship style. Each emotional relationship you fake with layered lines burns 2-4 extra objects from your 60-object budget.
Add Names, Dates, and Notes
Label each person with their name and key dates, and annotate medical or relational details.
- Double-click a shape to type text directly inside it
- Include name, birth year, and death year where applicable
- Use small font sizes (8-10pt) so labels fit inside the symbols
- Add separate text boxes for occupations, conditions, or notes — each is another object
- Keep label formatting consistent across the whole diagram
Tip: Text typed inside a shape does not add an object, but every standalone text box does. Put as much information as possible inside the shapes themselves.
Share, Collaborate, and Export
Lucidchart's collaboration is strong: share a link for real-time co-editing, then export your finished genogram.
- Use the Share button to invite collaborators or generate a view/edit link
- Collaborators can comment and edit in real time — useful for supervision or group projects
- Export the document as PNG or PDF from the export/download options
- PNG works best for pasting into reports and slides; PDF for printing
- Free accounts can export, but documents over the object cap become view-only until you upgrade
Tip: Export a PNG at 2x scale (or the highest quality offered) so symbol details like death X-marks and divorce slashes stay crisp in clinical documents.
Want a head start on layout instead of a blank canvas? Browse our free genogram templates and real genogram examples to see how finished 3-generation genograms should look before you build one.
The Problem with Genograms in Lucidchart
Lucidchart was designed for flowcharts and org charts, not clinical family diagrams. Here's where it falls short for genograms.
The 60-Object Free Cap
Lucidchart's free plan allows only 60 objects per document and 3 editable documents. A 3-generation genogram with 12-15 people, marriage lines, child lines, and labels usually exceeds 60 objects — hitting the cap mid-diagram forces an upgrade or a truncated genogram.
No McGoldrick Symbol Library
Lucidchart ships flowchart, UML, and network shape libraries — but no standardized genogram symbols. There are no twin indicators, pregnancy or miscarriage symbols, adoption notation, or medical quadrants. Everything must be assembled from generic squares, circles, and lines.
No Clinical Templates
The template gallery has family trees, not genograms. Community templates rarely follow McGoldrick notation, so therapists and social work students still end up rebuilding symbols from scratch to meet coursework or clinical standards.
Emotional Relationship Lines Are Manual
Clinical genograms use distinct line styles for close, conflicted, enmeshed, distant, and cut-off relationships. Lucidchart offers solid, dashed, and dotted lines only — zigzag conflict lines and double/triple lines must be layered by hand, eating your object budget.
Still Slow for Genograms
Smart connectors help, but you are still manually placing every symbol, styling every line, and drawing every divorce slash. A 3-generation genogram realistically takes 1-2 hours in Lucidchart — faster than Word, far slower than a purpose-built tool.
Layout Rework as Families Grow
Connectors stay attached when shapes move, but Lucidchart has no genogram-aware layout engine. Adding a new marriage or sibling set means manually shifting rows and re-centering children under parents across the whole diagram.
The Faster Way: GenogramAI
Instead of assembling symbols from generic shapes and rationing a 60-object budget, create professional genograms in minutes with a tool built specifically for the job.
AI Builds It for You
Describe your family in plain English and GenogramAI generates a complete, properly notated genogram in about 30 seconds. No shape libraries, no connectors, no object caps.
Standardized Clinical Symbols
All 17 structural relationships, 24 emotional relationships, and 7 child connection types are built in — McGoldrick-standard symbols, medical quadrants, and clinical templates included.
One-Click Exports
Download high-resolution PNG images ready for clinical reports, coursework, or presentations — with no per-document limits standing between you and your finished genogram.
Real comparison: A 3-generation genogram with emotional relationships takes 1-2 hours in Lucidchart (and likely a paid plan) vs. under 5 minutes in GenogramAI.
Try it freeLucidchart vs. GenogramAI: Feature Comparison
Side-by-side comparison for genogram creation
Skip the Shape Libraries. Describe Your Family Instead.
GenogramAI's AI understands family descriptions in plain English and creates professional genograms with proper symbols, relationships, and layout in about 30 seconds.
Instead of an hour in Lucidchart, type this:
"My grandparents Robert and Helen married in 1960. They have 3 children: my dad James (married to Susan, my mom), Uncle Tom (divorced), and Aunt Lisa. My parents have me and my brother. Grandpa had heart disease. Uncle Tom has diabetes."
Genogram in Lucidchart: FAQs
Can you make a genogram in Lucidchart?
Yes. Lucidchart's standard shapes (squares for males, circles for females), smart connectors, and line styling can produce a basic genogram, and its real-time collaboration is genuinely good. However, Lucidchart has no McGoldrick genogram symbol library, no clinical templates, and its free plan caps documents at 60 objects — which most 3-generation genograms exceed. For clinical-grade genograms, a dedicated tool like GenogramAI is faster and more accurate.
Does Lucidchart have a genogram template?
Lucidchart has no official genogram template. Its template gallery includes family tree templates and some community-made genogram attempts, but these use generic boxes rather than standard genogram notation. Most users end up rebuilding symbols from scratch. GenogramAI includes clinical genogram templates with correct McGoldrick symbols out of the box.
Is Lucidchart free for making genograms?
Lucidchart has a free plan, but it limits you to 3 editable documents and 60 objects per document. Since every shape, connector, and text box counts as an object, a genogram with 12-15 family members plus relationship lines and labels typically exceeds the cap, at which point the document becomes effectively locked until you upgrade to a paid plan. GenogramAI's free plan includes 2 complete genograms with no object limits.
How many objects does a genogram need in Lucidchart?
Plan on roughly 5-8 objects per person: the person symbol, a share of the marriage and child connector lines, and any standalone text boxes or annotation marks. A 3-generation genogram with 12-15 people usually lands between 70 and 120 objects — over Lucidchart's 60-object free limit. Keeping labels inside shapes (instead of separate text boxes) stretches the budget, but rarely enough for a full clinical genogram.
How do I show emotional relationships in a Lucidchart genogram?
Lucidchart supports solid, dashed, and dotted line styles, which cover marriage, cohabitation, and dating lines. But clinical emotional relationship notation — zigzag lines for conflict, double lines for close, triple lines for enmeshed, cut-off marks — has no built-in equivalent. You would need to layer multiple lines and small shapes manually for each one, which is slow and consumes your free-plan object budget quickly.
What is the best alternative to Lucidchart for genograms?
GenogramAI is purpose-built for genograms: it generates diagrams from a plain-English family description in about 30 seconds, includes all standard McGoldrick symbols and 24 emotional relationship types, supports medical quadrants, and exports high-resolution PNGs in one click. It runs in any browser with a free plan and no object caps, making it the most direct upgrade from Lucidchart for clinical or coursework genograms.
Stop Rationing Objects in Lucidchart
Create professional genograms in minutes, not hours. Free to start. No credit card required. No object caps.
Create Free Genogram