Quick Start

Quick Start

This 10-minute tour takes you from a blank document to an editable, analysed, exported structure.

1. Start a document

Open ChemDraft. To make a fresh document, choose File → New. Use File → Save to create a native document; File → Save As… makes a separately named copy. The usual shortcuts are Cmd+N/Cmd+S on macOS and Ctrl+N/Ctrl+S on Windows.

The main document window contains the page and the toolbars. Palettes and dialogs are separate movable windows; on Windows they are owned by the document window and do not take over the taskbar.

2. Put down a structure

Choose Single Bond from the bond tools and click/drag on the page to draw a bond. Continue from an atom to extend a carbon chain. For a ring, open the ring-template controls and choose a template; hovering an atom or bond also exposes ring attachment/fusion actions.

For a quick known structure, paste a SMILES string with Edit → Paste. ChemDraft turns supported clipboard structure text into an editable molecule rather than a picture. Read Copy, Paste, and Clipboard for supported representations and warnings.

3. Edit safely

Choose Selection Tool, then click an object to select it. Drag to reposition a selection; use Edit → Cut, Copy, or Paste when appropriate. Undo is Cmd+Z on macOS and Ctrl+Z on Windows. Redo is Shift+Cmd+Z on macOS; Windows also supports Ctrl+Y.

Need a heteroatom or a label? Use the atom/label tools rather than drawing text over an atom. To repair spacing after changes, choose Structure → Clean up Structure 2D. Styling and layout are separate from chemical identity, so changing a visual property does not rewrite bonds or charges.

4. Inspect what you drew

Select a molecule and choose Analyze → Molecular Inspector…. The inspector makes available properties and their status; it distinguishes a completed result, an unsupported calculation, and one that was not requested. A number is accompanied by its method context, rather than appearing as an unexplained fact.

If a calculation creates a derived form—such as a neutral or desalted interpretation—it is identified separately from the structure on the page. Use Analysis and Properties to understand the result and its limits.

5. Add a simple scheme annotation

Choose Text Tool, click the page, and enter an annotation. For an arrow, use the arrow tools described in Arrows and Mechanisms. Text, arrows, and molecules stay editable page objects.

6. Export

Choose File → Export… (Shift+Cmd+E on macOS; the corresponding Shift+Ctrl+E shortcut on Windows). Pick a supported output format and review any warnings. Export is designed to report representation limits rather than quietly lose chemical meaning. For interchange text, Edit → Copy As includes SMILES, InChI, CDXML Text, MOL Text, SVG, and PNG.

Next

• Draw your first molecule step by step
• Learn bonds and stereochemistry
• Read the export guide