AWS architecture diagrams in draw.io and Excalidraw: the complete guide
Published on August 28, 2026
You draw the architecture in draw.io with the official AWS icons, but want to present it with Excalidraw's light hand-drawn look — or the other way around. Here's how to convert between both formats without losing icons, arrows, or colors, all in your browser.
draw.io and Excalidraw: why use both
draw.io (diagrams.net) is the standard for AWS architecture diagrams: it has the official icon library and it's precise. Excalidraw has the hand-drawn look that shines in presentations, classes, and posts. Converting between them lets you draw where it's most comfortable and present where it impresses — without redrawing anything.
Convert draw.io to Excalidraw (keeping the AWS icons)
- Open the conversion tool.
- Upload the .drawio or .xml file — including AI-generated ones from ChatGPT or Claude.
- Download the ready-to-edit .excalidraw.
AtlasDocs recognizes the official AWS icons and embeds them as real SVG in Excalidraw — no generic boxes. Shapes (rectangle, ellipse, diamond), arrows that snap to the edge of each box, colors, and labels are all preserved.
Convert back: Excalidraw to draw.io
- Open the reverse conversion tool.
- Upload the .excalidraw file.
- Download the .drawio to open and edit in draw.io.
On the way back, for recognized AWS services the icon returns as a native draw.io shape — editable and connectable, not a static image. The full draw.io ↔ Excalidraw round-trip is reversible.
Tips to keep fidelity
- Works with AI-generated XML and with compressed .drawio files from the desktop app.
- The icon set tracks the official 2026 AWS release.
- Free-endpoint arrows and diamonds are preserved — nothing is silently dropped.
Everything happens in your browser: your diagram file is never sent to any server.