---
title: Locked shapes
created_at: 12/28/2025
updated_at: 12/29/2025
keywords:
  - locked
  - lock
  - unlock
  - protection
  - immutable
status: published
date: 12/28/2025
readability: 9
voice: 9
completeness: 9
accuracy: 10
notes: Add links to examples. Could use more casual contractions where "doesn't" opportunities exist.
---

Locked shapes can't be selected, moved, resized, edited, or deleted through normal interactions. Lock a shape when you want it to stay exactly where it is: background elements, reference images, or layout guides that shouldn't move while you work on other parts of the canvas.

## The isLocked property

Every [shape](/docs/shapes) has an `isLocked` boolean property. When `true`, the shape is protected from most modifications:

```typescript
// Create a locked shape
editor.createShape({
	type: 'geo',
	x: 100,
	y: 100,
	isLocked: true,
	props: { w: 200, h: 150, geo: 'rectangle' },
})

// Check if a shape is locked
const shape = editor.getShape(shapeId)
if (shape.isLocked) {
	// Shape is locked
}
```

## Toggling lock state

Use [Editor#toggleLock](?) to flip the lock state of shapes. If shapes have mixed lock states, they all become locked:

```typescript
// Lock selected shapes
editor.toggleLock(editor.getSelectedShapeIds())

// Lock specific shapes by ID
editor.toggleLock([shapeId1, shapeId2])
```

When you lock shapes that were all previously unlocked, they automatically deselect. This prevents accidentally manipulating them while they're protected.

## What locking prevents

Locked shapes resist most operations:

| Operation    | Behavior                                                                                                 |
| ------------ | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Selection    | Clicking a locked shape doesn't select it. Brush selection and [Editor#selectAll](?) skip locked shapes. |
| Movement     | Pointer drags pass through locked shapes to the canvas.                                                  |
| Modification | [Editor#updateShape](?) ignores locked shapes, except for an update that unlocks them.                   |
| Deletion     | [Editor#deleteShapes](?) and [Editor#duplicateShapes](?) skip locked shapes.                             |
| Grouping     | [Editor#groupShapes](?) and [Editor#ungroupShapes](?) skip locked shapes.                                |
| Editing      | Double-clicking a locked shape doesn't enter edit mode.                                                  |

Right-clicking a locked shape still selects it so the context menu can offer an unlock option. If you want left-click, brush, and scribble selection to include locked shapes too, set the `selectLockedShapes` option in [TldrawOptions](?). The shapes stay protected from moves, edits, and deletes; `selectAll` still skips them.

## Ancestor locking

Lock state inherits through the shape hierarchy. If a shape's ancestor is locked, the shape behaves as locked too. Check this with [Editor#isShapeOrAncestorLocked](?):

```typescript
// True if the shape or any of its parents is locked
const isProtected = editor.isShapeOrAncestorLocked(shape)
```

Locking a frame or group protects its children from pointer interactions and [Editor#updateShapes](?) without locking each shape individually. Bulk operations such as [Editor#deleteShapes](?) only check each shape's own `isLocked`, so a child of a locked frame can still be deleted programmatically.

## Bypassing locks programmatically

Sometimes you need to modify locked shapes from code: migrations, admin tools, or automated operations. Wrap your operations in [Editor#run](?) with `ignoreShapeLock: true`:

```typescript
editor.run(
	() => {
		// These operations affect locked shapes
		editor.updateShape({ id: lockedShapeId, type: 'geo', x: 200 })
		editor.deleteShapes([lockedShapeId])
	},
	{ ignoreShapeLock: true }
)
```

This bypasses the lock check for all operations inside the callback.

Even with `ignoreShapeLock: true`, some behaviors remain unchanged: locked shapes still can't be selected by clicking, pointer events still pass through to the canvas, and `selectAll()` still skips locked shapes. The flag affects [Editor#updateShapes](?), [Editor#deleteShapes](?), [Editor#duplicateShapes](?), [Editor#groupShapes](?), and [Editor#ungroupShapes](?), not the selection and interaction model.

## Shapes that can be edited while locked

Some shapes have interactive content that should remain usable even when locked. Embed shapes (YouTube videos, Figma files, interactive maps) are a good example: you might want the embed locked in place but still playable or navigable.

[ShapeUtils](/sdk-features/shapes#ShapeUtil) can override [ShapeUtil#canEditWhileLocked](?) (default `false`) to allow editing interactions on locked shapes. The built-in embed shape returns `true` unless its embed definition says otherwise:

```typescript
class MyInteractiveShapeUtil extends ShapeUtil<MyShape> {
	override canEditWhileLocked(shape: MyShape): boolean {
		return true
	}
}
```

When this returns `true`, [Editor#canEditShape](?) allows the shape to enter edit mode while locked, so users can interact with its content without moving or resizing it. It doesn't make the shape hit-testable on its own: with default options a double-click on a locked shape still passes through to the canvas. The shape enters edit mode when you call [Editor#setEditingShape](?), or when the user selects it (for example with `selectLockedShapes` enabled) and presses Enter or double-clicks.

## Locking in the UI

In the default tldraw UI, users can lock shapes through the context menu or the keyboard shortcut (`Shift+L`). Right-clicking a locked shape opens the context menu with an unlock option, and the main menu has an "Unlock all" action.

## Related examples

- [Locked shapes](/examples/editor-api/locked-shapes) - Create locked shapes and modify them with `ignoreShapeLock`.