This tutorial walks through the process of digitizing points using the tools available within the Digitizing Toolbar in QGIS to create point features.

Included in this tutorial:

Setting up for Digitizing: accessing the Digitizing Toolbar and Toggling Editing mode
Adding Point Features
Editing Point Features with the Vertex tool
Highlighting other digitizing tools

Software version in examples: QGIS 3.40.5-Bratislava

Credits: D. Wexler & L. Meisterlin (2025)

The overall process of digitizing is simple:

Toggle on “editing mode” to make your layer editable.
Add and edit features within your editable layer.
Save changes to your editable layer.
Toggle off “editing mode.”

Setting Up for Digitizing

Accessing the Digitizing Toolbar

To set up QGIS for digitizing, access the Digitizing Toolbar by clicking through View (from the main menu) > Toolbars > Digitizing Toolbar. A check mark will appear next to it once it has been selected and added to your interface.

Preparing your Layer for Digitizing (Toggle Editing Mode)

You can digitize features in a new or existing point dataset. If necessary, create a new (empty) point vector dataset to contain the features you will digitize.

Add the new or existing point layer to your map project and select (highlight) it in the Layers panel. With the layer’s name highlighted, click Toggle Editing in the Digitizing Toolbar. Alternatively, you can access this option by right-clicking on the layer’s name in the Layers panel and choosing Toggle Editing. This turns “editing mode” on and allows you to make changes to the selected dataset or layer.

*the Toggle Editing button in the Digitizing Toolbar*

*accessing the Toggle Editing option by right-clicking on the layer’s name*

You will see additional options become available in the Digitizing toolbar. You will also see a pencil icon appear over your selected layer’s name, indicating to you that the layer is currently editable.

Adding Point Features

With your layer now editable, you are able to access the Add Point Feature tool in the Digitizing Toolbar. (The button’s icon depicts three points.) When you select it, you will notice your cursor changes to a crosshair.

*accessing the Add Point Feature tool in the Digitizing Toolbar*

To create (digitize) a new point feature, with the Add Point Feature tool, (left-)click on your map view wherever you want to create a point. In our example below, we are digitizing a feature on an empty map. More likely, you may be digitizing over a georeferenced base map image.

When you click, a dialogue box will appear and prompt you to enter feature attributes which reflect the fields in your layer’s attribute table. Once you have entered in your information, you can click OK to commit the point to your layer.

*adding and committing point features to the active layer*

When you are finished adding points, you can click the Save Layer Edits button in the digitizing toolbar and Toggle Editing mode off (to prevent unwanted accidental changes to your dataset). If you have your editable layer’s attribute table docked, the Toggle Editing Mode, and Save Layer Edits buttons will also appear there.

Editing Point Features

Using the Vertex Tool on Point Features

The Vertex Tool allows you to manipulate points and vertices in your data. (The Vertex Tool is to the right of the Add Point Features tool on the Digitizing Toolbar.) Click on the tool in the Digitizing Toolbar to activate it. You will see a dropdown option next to the tool’s icon, with two options:

Vertex Tool (All Layers) allows you to adjust, reposition and delete points and vertices from any layer with Toggle Editing activated
Vertex Tool (Current Layer) will only let you make these adjustments to your selected/active layer

Other Digitizing Toolbar Options

There are a few additional basic tools available to you in the Digitizing Toolbar:

Modify The Attributes of All Selected Features Simultaneously: This allows you to modify information in the attribute table for multiple points.
Delete Selected: Will delete the selected feature
Cut Features: Will cut the selected feature and save it to your clipboard. It can then be pasted to other feature classes/layers as long as they have a compatible geometry type
Copy Features: Will copy the selected feature and save it to your clipboard. It can then be pasted to other feature classes/layers as long as they have a compatible geometry type
Paste Features: Allows you to paste features saved to your clipboard.
Undo: Allows you to undo the most recent action(s) you’ve taken. Note, once you have saved edits to your feature class you cannot undo your work
Redo: Allows you to redo the most recent action(s) you’ve taken. Note, once you have saved edits to your feature class you cannot undo your work.

Digitizing Points