---
title: Apparatus library
url: https://www.moldraw.com/docs/library/how-to-use-the-lab-apparatus-library/
section: Library and templates
updated: 2026-10-20
publisher: LabCanvas
---

# Apparatus library

> Click Apparatus in the top bar to open the apparatus library on the left. Click a piece to add it, or drag it onto the canvas. Joints snap together, and the panel stays open so you can build a whole setup.

The apparatus library is a docked panel of lab glassware and equipment. It stays open while you add pieces. Stack a flask, a condenser and a drying tube one after another.

1. Click **Apparatus** in the top bar. The button has a flask icon and sits next to the zoom buttons.
2. Pick a style: **Line**, **Premium** or **Illustrated**.
3. Pick a category, or type in **Search apparatus**.
4. Click a card to add the piece. Or drag the card onto the canvas.
5. Keep the new piece selected and click the next card. It joins onto the selected piece when a joint fits.
6. Click the close button in the panel header when you are done.

You can also open the library from the **Glassware** tool. Open the **Draw** ribbon, open the Glassware menu, and click **Open library**.

## Styles

| Style | What you get |
|---|---|
| **Line** | Clean line drawings with joints that snap. |
| **Premium** | Shaded glass with the same pieces and joints. |
| **Illustrated** | Detailed pictures with their own categories. They load from the internet and are placed as images. |

MolDraw remembers the style you pick. Line and Premium also set the default look for new glassware.

## Categories

The Line and Premium styles hold over 120 pieces in these categories:

- **Flasks & vessels**
- **Funnels & filtration**
- **Condensers & columns**
- **Distillation & rotovap**
- **Adapters & closures**
- **Vacuum, gas & tubing**
- **Heating & cooling**
- **Stands, clamps & tools**
- **Measuring & analysis**

Click **All** to see every piece.

The search box also finds other common names for a piece. Try a short word like *flask* or *funnel*.

## How pieces connect

- **Click a card** with a glassware piece selected. The hint under the search box reads "Adds onto the selected" and the piece name. The new piece fits onto a free joint.
- **Click a card** with nothing selected. The piece lands in the middle of the view and joins any free joint within reach.
- **Drag a card** onto the canvas. Joints snap together when you drop it.
- The new piece is selected after you add it, so the next card stacks onto it.

Hover a card for a large preview. The card lists the piece's connection points under **Joints**, **Hose barbs** and **Fits on**. Use it to check which pieces fit together.

## Tubing

Click **Tubing** in the panel to pick the tubing tool. Then drag from one hose barb to another to draw a water line or vacuum hose. The tube ends follow the glassware when you move it. Drawing and shaping tubes is covered in [Draw lab apparatus](https://www.moldraw.com/docs/drawing/how-to-draw-lab-apparatus-glassware-and-tubing/).

## Start from a full setup

For a labelled setup in one click, open [Templates](https://www.moldraw.com/docs/library/how-to-use-mechanism-and-reaction-setup-templates/) and pick **Reaction setups**. You get reflux, distillation, Dean-Stark, Soxhlet, filtration and more, built from the same pieces.

## Tips

- Only one left panel is open at a time. Opening the apparatus library closes Templates and the Objects panel.
- Press `Esc` in the search box to clear it. Press it again to close the panel.
- Liquid levels, colors, tilting and the look of each piece are set after you place it. See [Draw lab apparatus](https://www.moldraw.com/docs/drawing/how-to-draw-lab-apparatus-glassware-and-tubing/) and the [apparatus library guide](https://www.moldraw.com/blog/lab-glassware-apparatus-library-guide.html).
- On a phone, the top bar has no Apparatus button. Use the Glassware tool and pick pieces from its menu.

## Common problems

| Problem | Fix |
|---|---|
| A new piece does not join the selected one | No free joint on the selected piece fits it. Hover the card to see its joints, or drag it into place. |
| "Could not load illustrations" | The Illustrated style needs the internet. Click **Retry**, or switch to Line. |
| No matches | Try a shorter word, or click **All** to clear the category. |

## Questions and answers

**How do I draw a reflux setup in MolDraw?**
Open the apparatus library, add a round-bottom flask, then click the condenser card while the flask is selected. It snaps on. Or add the Heating under reflux template from Templates, Reaction setups.

**Can I change the glassware style?**
Yes. Pick Line, Premium or Illustrated at the top of the apparatus library. MolDraw remembers your choice.

**Why does the apparatus panel stay open?**
It is built for adding several pieces in a row. Each new piece is selected, so the next one stacks onto it. Close it with the button in its header.

**How do I connect a condenser to a water hose?**
Click Tubing in the apparatus panel, then drag from one hose barb to another.

## Practice it

- Interactive lesson: [How to draw lab apparatus and glassware](https://www.moldraw.com/learn/how-to-draw-lab-apparatus-and-glassware/)

## Related pages

- [Glassware and tubing](https://www.moldraw.com/docs/drawing/how-to-draw-lab-apparatus-glassware-and-tubing/)
- [Templates panel](https://www.moldraw.com/docs/library/how-to-use-mechanism-and-reaction-setup-templates/)
- [Text, shapes and images](https://www.moldraw.com/docs/drawing/how-to-add-text-shapes-images-and-lab-glassware/)
- [Library and templates](https://www.moldraw.com/docs/library/how-to-use-the-structure-library-and-templates/)