16 Canva hacks, tips & tricks you didn’t know about

Are you looking for the best Canva hacks to improve your designs and make you work more efficiently?

Canva is a great design tool for beginners, but with this list of Canva tips and tricks you’ll  become a design pro in no time!

This list of Canva hacks will answer questions like:

• How do I filter free images on Canva
• How do I add links in Canva
• How to find free elements with Canva’s secret codes
• and much more!

Scroll down to find some of the best Canva tips and tricks that are sure to make your designs more interesting!

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The best Canva hacks for 2022

Become a pro at Canva with the following hacks:

Canva Hack #1: Centre align text

Do you want the text on your design centre aligned? Simply drag the text box handle to the outer edges of your canvas. Copy and drag down the first text box to create other text boxes that have the same font and size and are centre aligned and simply change the words.

Canva Hack #2: Select an element that’s behind another element

If you’ve created a few designs in Canva you’ve probably noticed that it can be tricky to select an element or text box that’s behind another element.

I used to move elements  to the side to be able to access the element behind it, but this is annoying because it messes up your design.

Luckily there is an easier way: a keyboard shortcut!

To select a layer that’s behind another layer simply hold the CTRL or command key and click on the top layer, then click again to select the next layer. Keep clicking until you’ve selected the layer that you were looking for.

Canva Hack #3: Curve your text

Are you wondering how to curve text in Canva? Curved text can add a fun element to your designs and works great with round images like in the picture below.

To curve your text in Canva you simply have to select it and click on the Effects button in the top menu. A whole bunch of text styles will appear on the left of the editor. Select the Curve style and with the slider below you can adjust the strength of the curve. If you slide the slider to the far left, you can even curve your text in the opposite direction.

Canva hack #4: Lock or Group Elements

If you’re working with several elements that are overlapping each other it can be helpful to lock certain elements so you don’t accidentally move them.

To lock something in place you need to select it and then click on the lock icon in the top right. You can also lock several elements by holding down the shift key when selecting each element and then clicking on the lock icon.

You can also group elements together by holding Shift and selecting them and then clicking on Group in the top right (see image above).

Once grouped you can select one of the grouped elements and all other elements in the group will be selected as well, now you’ll be able to move them around or scale them as a group.

Canva Hack #5: Access free photos with Pexels & Pixabay integration

Did you know that you can access free stock photos from the Pexels and Pixabay stock photo libraries from inside Canva? I didn’t either!

Save yourself tons of time by accessing free images straight from Canva without having to download from another site and then uploading them to Canva.

So if you’ve been wondering how to filter free images on Canva, this is the trick:

Step 1: Go to the menu on the left in the Canva editor and click on the bottom menu item More.

Step 2: Now you’ll see a list of apps that integrate with Canva, here you can select Pexels or Pixabay and the photo library will open up in your editor.

Step 3: Enjoy your free images!

Canva hack #6: Find free elements with secret codes

Did you know Canva has several secret codes to help you find free elements?

Filter free elements by typing one of these codes into the search bar:

• brand:BAAAAP7rQ8M
• brand:BAAMOuJH0Ec
• brand:BADeGZOX6Sc

Canva Hack #7: Make your designs pop with smart mockups

Are you designing a book cover, a business card or a mockup image for a lead magnet or online course?

Use Canva’s mockup feature: Smart Mockups!

How to create a mockup image in Canva:

Step 1:  Upload an image that you want to appear on your mockup. If you’ve created an image in Canva that you want to use, make sure to download it as a JPG first and then upload it to your Canva uploads library.

Step 2: Create a new document in Canva at the size you require for your mockup image.

Step 3: Drag or click on your uploaded image to make it appear in your document.

Step 4: With the image selected, click on Edit image in the top menu.

Step 5: Scroll down to Smartmockups and click see all.

Step 6: Scroll down to an image you want to use and select it.

Step 7: Tadaa! There is your amazing mockup image.

Canva Hack #8: Create & view documents with multiple pages

If you’re creating an eBook, brochure, selection of templates or other multi-page document, you can create this in one Canva document by clicking the plus at the top of your design to create another page.

To view all pages in your document as a grid view, you can click on the little page counter at the bottom of the page. This will open all your pages like this:

In this page you can relocate your pages by clicking on them and dragging them to another position. You can also add pages, duplicate pages or delete pages with the 3 icons in the top right. To leave the grid view, click on the page icon in the bottom again.

Canva Hack #9: Sell Canva Templates with the Template Link feature

Did you know you can create templates in Canva that you can share with your audience?

I love this feature and have used it to create Canva lead magnet templates and Pinterest templates that I sell on my blog.

Want to know how to make editable Canva templates?

It’s super easy, follow the steps below.

Step 1: Create a design, that you want to share as a template.

Step 2: If you have Canva Pro, save your design in a folder with your template name.

Step 3: Click on the Share button in the top right of the editor and scroll down and click on Template link.

Step 4: Copy the link and share it with your audience! This link will open a copy of your design as a template in your client’s Canva account.

Canva templates are great for using as lead magnets/opt in freebies for your subscribers and also as digital products you can sell on your blog.

Related Reading

How To Make Printables To Sell

How To Create Freebies For Your Blog

7 Canva Templates to Create High Converting Opt In Freebies

Canva Hack #10: Add clickable links in Canva PDF files

I only recently found out that you can add links to your Canva documents and download them as a PDF. I used to add my links in Acrobat, but there’s no need for that anymore! I can now add my links in the Canva editor and download a completely finished eBook PDF file.

How to create clickable links in Canva document:

Step 1: Open your Canva document and select the text you want to link.

Step 2: In the top menu bar click on the 3 dots and then click on the link icon.

Step 3: Paste your link in the box that appears.

Step 4: Click on the Share button in the top right of the Canva editor and then select Download.

Step 5: Click on the dropdown menu under File type and select the PDF Standard option.

Step 6: Click the purple Download button.

Time Saving Canva Hacks

#11: Text box shortcut

Do you want to add a text box to your design? Simply type the letter T on your keyboard and a text box will appear instantly.

#12: Shapes shortcut

You can also add certain shapes with shortcuts:

R – adds a rectangle

C – adds a circle

L – adds a line

#13: Quickly duplicate an element

Select an element and click CTRL or command and the letter D.

#14: Move or nudge elements short cut

Do you want to move elements in your design with pixel precision? Use the arrow keys to shift them by one unit.

You can also use the Shift + arrow keys to move them by ten units.

#15: Quickly undo or redo

If you’ve made a mistake and you want to go back, you can click the undo arrow button or use CTRL (or command) and Z to undo, or CTRL + SHIFT and Z to redo.

Canva Hack #16: How to get Canva Pro for free

Would you like to get access to all the stock photos in Canva’s stock photo library or all the other cool features that Canva Pro has to offer?

Maybe it’s time to upgrade to Canva Pro!

You can get Canva Pro for free if you’re a teacher, student or not-for-profit organisation, or if you’re none of these, you can sign up for the Canva Pro 30 day free trial here.

Bonus Canva Pro hacks

Canva Pro has some really handy extra features, here’s a few things you can do with Canva Pro:

Canva Pro hack #1: One-click background remover

Do you want to remove distracting backgrounds in your photos? Upgrade to Canva Pro and remove your backgrounds with one click!

Follow these steps to remove a background in Canva Pro:

Step 1: Upload your own image or choose one from the Canva library.
Step 2: Click on the Edit Image button on the top toolbar.
Step 3: Select BG Remove on the panel that appears on the left.
Step 4: Now click Erase to remove the background.
Step 5: If you’re happy with the result, click Apply to save the changes. Or select Restore to undo any changes.

Canva Pro hack #2: Transparent backgrounds

Do you need your design to have a transparent background? Upgrade to Canva Pro and you’ll be able to download your designs as a PNG with a transparent background. This is especially handy when you’ve created a logo in Canva as it prevents your logo from having a white box around it.

Canva Pro hack #3: Magic resize

Canva Pro’s magic resize feature will save you tons of time if you need to turn your design into several different sizes. With a few clicks you can turn one design into many formats. Have a look at the video below how easy it is:

Want to try these awesome Canva Pro features for free?

>>USE CANVA PRO FOR FREE WITH THIS LINK

These are my best Canva tips, tricks and hacks

I hope you like these Canva hacks and you can now do more with Canva!

If you haven’t tried Canva Pro yet, make sure to sign up for the free 30 day trial here and get access to all the stock photos, elements & templates, and try out all the great extra features.