For a simple 2D annotation arrow, use a text-note leader without text: open the view, choose Annotate → Text, select a leader style, place the leader, and leave the note blank. Autodesk documents this as the standard way to create an arrow from a text-note leader. Autodesk’s text-note leader guidance covers the workflow.
Use a tag leader when pointing to a tagged element, a dimension when showing a measurement, and a spot elevation when reporting elevation information. The exact ribbon labels and icon placement can vary between Revit releases and Revit LT.
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Add a simple standalone arrow
- Open the plan, elevation, section, drafting view, or sheet where the arrow should appear.
- Go to Annotate → Text.
- On the Leader panel, choose a leader configuration. Use One Segment for a straight arrow, Two Segments for an elbow, or Curved for a curved arrow.
- Click the point that the arrow should indicate.
- Place the opposite end where the text note would normally sit.
- Complete the text note without entering text, if your Revit version permits it. Otherwise, place the note and remove its text afterward.
- Press Esc, generally twice, to finish the command.
The result is an editable, view-specific annotation leader with an arrowhead. It is not a 3D model object and will not automatically appear in other views.
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Choose the right leader shape
- One Segment: a direct pointer between the indicated location and the note end.
- Two Segments: a leader with an elbow, useful when keeping the arrow clear of geometry or other annotations.
- Curved: an arc-style leader where a curved pointer suits the drawing.
Add an arrow to a text note
To connect an arrow to explanatory text, select the text note and choose the appropriate leader command, such as Add Left Side Straight Leader, Add Right Side Straight Leader, or the corresponding curved-leader option. Click to place the leader, then move the note or drag its controls to refine the layout.
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Revit supports multiple leaders on a text note. To remove the most recently added leader, use Remove Last Leader; leaders are removed in reverse order of addition. See Autodesk’s text-note leader instructions for the available leader commands.
Change the arrowhead style
- Select the text note or other annotation.
- In the Properties palette, click Edit Type.
- Find Leader Arrowhead.
- Select the required arrowhead type and click OK.
The available arrowheads come from the project’s arrowhead definitions. A text note’s arrowhead is controlled by its type properties, while the leader’s location and arrangement are adjusted on the individual annotation.
For text-note type properties, see Autodesk’s Text Note Type Properties reference.
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Create or modify a custom arrowhead
- Go to Manage → Additional Settings → Arrowheads.
- Select an existing arrowhead type.
- Duplicate it before editing if the change should apply only to one annotation style.
- Adjust the available properties, such as Arrow Style, Fill Tick, Arrow Width Angle, and Tick Size. Heavy End Pen Weight applies to relevant arrow styles.
- Click OK, then assign the new type through the annotation’s Edit Type → Leader Arrowhead property.
A larger arrow-width angle produces a wider arrowhead. There is no single correct tick size: choose one that remains legible at the view scale, line-weight settings, and printed sheet size.
Arrowhead definitions can be shared by multiple annotations. Editing an existing definition may change every annotation that uses it, so duplicating the type is the safer approach. Autodesk documents these settings in its Leader Arrowhead Properties reference.
Use the correct arrow method for the job
| What you need | Use this | Why |
|---|---|---|
| One simple pointer in a view | Text-note leader without text | Fast, editable 2D annotation. |
| Pointer with an explanation | Text note with a leader | Keeps the arrow and wording together. |
| Identify a modeled element | Tag with a leader | Maintains a relationship to the tagged category or element. |
| Show a measured distance or angle | Dimension | Uses measurement-specific graphics and values. |
| Show elevation or grade | Spot elevation, spot slope, or related spot dimension | Reports model-derived information. |
| Reusable office-standard symbol | Detail-item or generic annotation family | Provides consistent, repeatable graphics. |
| 3D directional graphic | Model-based family or model geometry | Exists in the model rather than only in one view. |
Add an arrowhead to a tag leader
- Place or select the tag.
- Ensure the tag has a leader.
- Select the tag and click Edit Type in the Properties palette.
- Set Leader Arrowhead to the required arrowhead type.
- Click OK, then adjust the leader length or endpoint using the tag controls.
For tags, the arrowhead is generally a type property, while whether the tag has a leader and where that leader is placed are instance-level controls. If the attached leader cannot reach the desired visual target, use the tag’s Free End option when available. This adds an additional control point, but the leader may then visually point somewhere other than the element actually tagged. See Autodesk’s tag and leader guidance.
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Change a spot-elevation arrowhead
- Go to Manage → Additional Settings → Arrowheads.
- Select the relevant arrowhead definition, such as Filled Elevation Target 3/16" where it exists in the project.
- Set the desired Arrow Style and, where applicable, Fill Tick.
- Select the spot elevation and click Edit Type.
- Under Graphics, set Leader Arrowhead to the required definition.
A spot elevation can be placed with or without a leader, and its leader can include a shoulder bend. Use a spot elevation when the annotation should communicate a model-derived elevation, not merely point at an object. Autodesk’s references include spot-elevation arrowhead settings and spot-elevation placement.
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Dimension arrowheads are not created as free-standing arrows. They are controlled by the dimension type and its annotation settings. Select the dimension, click Edit Type, and choose the appropriate arrowhead or dimension graphic settings for that type.
If you only need a graphic pointer, use a text-note leader instead. If you need to communicate a distance, angle, radius, or diameter, keep the dimension so the annotation retains its measurement meaning.
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Troubleshoot common problems
There is no visible arrowhead
Select the annotation and check Edit Type → Leader Arrowhead. The assigned type may be set to None, or the arrowhead may be too small to see at the current scale. Check the corresponding type settings for text notes, tags, spot elevations, or dimensions.
The arrowhead is too small or too wide
Open Manage → Additional Settings → Arrowheads, duplicate the current definition, and adjust Tick Size or Arrow Width Angle. Also check view scale, line weight, and sheet output before choosing a final value.
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You probably edited a shared arrowhead definition. Duplicate the definition, assign the duplicate to the intended annotation type, and then customize it.
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The arrow points the wrong way
When placing a leader, click the object or arrow tip first and the note end second. For an existing leader, drag the correct endpoint rather than changing the arrowhead style.
The leader does not touch the desired point
For a free-standing arrow, adjust the leader endpoint in the current view. For a tag, consider Free End, while remembering that a free-end leader can visually point away from the actual tagged object.
The arrow is visible only in one view
That is expected for a text-note leader: it is view-specific annotation. If the graphic must appear consistently across many views, use a suitable detail-item or generic annotation family. If it must exist in 3D, use a model-based family or model geometry instead.
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Use a detail-item or generic annotation family when the arrow is a controlled office-standard symbol, will be reused repeatedly, needs more complex geometry, or must maintain a consistent appearance across many views. A family can also be preferable when the graphic needs parameters or a defined set of approved variations.
For a one-off construction markup or a simple pointer on a plan, section, elevation, drafting view, or sheet, the text-note leader remains the quickest built-in method.
Quick Recap
Quick answer by use case
| Requirement | Revit workflow |
|---|---|
| Basic standalone arrow | Annotate → Text → leader without text. |
| Arrow with explanatory text | Text note → add a straight or curved leader. |
| Arrow attached to a tag | Select tag → Edit Type → Leader Arrowhead. |
| Dimension arrowhead | Edit the dimension type and its arrowhead settings. |
| Spot-elevation target | Edit the arrowhead definition, then assign it under spot-elevation Leader Arrowhead. |
| Custom repeated symbol | Use a detail-item or generic annotation family. |
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