Canva Keyboard Shortcuts for Faster Designing

Full List of Canva Keyboard Shortcuts 

If you're tired of click-and-drag or trying to find the right menu option in Canva, the following Canva keyboard shortcuts will help speed up your Canva design game. We're talking over 60 keyboard shortcuts in Canva that are designed to save you a lot of time. 

From adding shapes to dropping in a text box, these shortcuts streamline your design process like magic. One of the best ways to make these Canva shortcuts second nature is to start with the basics. Focus on learning just a handful of basic Canva keyboard shortcuts initially. Then, as you get the hang of those, explore more advanced options to level up and design faster in Canva. 

Believe me, before you know it, and with a little practice, you'll be creating social media graphics so effortlessly you'll wonder how you ever lived without these shortcuts. And hey, if you want an easy reference go-to guide, I've created a downloadable PDF with a full list of Canva Keyboard Shortcuts just for you.

I also include the modification between Windows users and Mac users. CMD is for Mac users, and Ctrl is for Windows users. 

Common Shortcuts using a Single Key in Canva

There are a lot of keyboard shortcuts to show you, so let's start with some simple, basic single key options that will help you get started. 

  • 1. C = Circle

  • 2. T = Text 

  • 3. R = Rectangle or square 

  • 4. L = Line

  • 5. S = Sticky Note (only when in a whiteboard design)

  • 6. Esc key =Deselect and show the main editor menu 

  • 7. Delete = Delete selected item 

  • 8. Arrow keys = Move selected item around by one pixel

  • 9. / (forward slash)= Forward slash and opens the Canva Magic Assistant Menu 

  • 10. Option/Alt = Shows margins between multiple selected items

  • 11. Spacebar = Play and pause video

  • 11.5. Canva Layers Shortcut = Option (mac) or Alt (windows) + 1 opens the layers panel in Canva (this is for the new Canva 2024)

Press these keys when in a design, and the item will be added, deleted, or moved on your canvas without navigating to one of the menus. Head over to Canva now and give them a go. But before you do, have you downloaded the PDF of Canva keyboard shortcuts? 

Keyboard Shortcuts for TEXT in Canva

Add a new textbox, or with your text box selected, use these shortcuts to change how your text looks or is positioned in your design. These are fairly universal and you've probably already used them in other programs like MS Word. 

Note CMD is for Mac users, and Ctrl is for Windows users. Note the combined use of the shift key in these shortcuts. 

  • 12. CMD/Ctrl + B = Bold Text  

  • 13. CMD/Ctrl + I = Italic or Italicized text 

  • 14. CMD/Ctrl + U = Underline Text 

  • 15. CMD/Ctrl + shift + > Increate font size

  • 16. CMD/Ctrl + shift + < decrease font size

  • 17. CMD/Ctrl + shift + R = Right align

  • 18. CMD/Ctrl + shift + C = Centre align

  • 19. CMD/Ctrl + shift + L = Left align

General Keyboard Shortcuts in Canva

These keyboard shortcuts work on both elements and text when you have the text or element selected in one of your designs or Canva templates. 

  • 20. CMD/Ctrl  + C = Copy

  • 21. CMD/Ctrl + V = Paste

  • 22. CMD/Ctrl  + A = Select all on the current page

  • 23. CMD/Ctrl + X = Delete

  • 24. CMD/Ctrl + Z = Undo 

  • 25. CMD/Ctrl + Shift + Z = Redo 

  • 26. Shift + Click = Select multiple Items 

  • 27. Shift + Arrow key = Move selected item around by 10 pixels

  • 28. Hold Option/Alt & clack and drag any element, image or text to create a quick copy

  • 29. CMD/Ctrl + F = FIND AND REPLACE TEXT

Advanced Canva Keyboard Shortcuts to Move Layers

I do find most of the time, it is easier to use the layers panel in Canva, but these will also help if you quickly want to bring an item to the front or send it to the back.

  • 30. Open Canva Layers Panel = Option (mac) or Alt (windows) + 1 This opens the layers panel in Canva (this is for the new Canva 2024)

  • 30.5 Cmd/Ctrl + K =. Add a link to the selected item.  

  • 31. Cmd/Ctrl + multiple click = Select element below. Keep clicking to go deeper.

  • 32. Cmd/Ctrl + [ = Send Element Backwards

  • 33. Cmd/Ctrl + ] = Send Element Forwards 

  • 34. Cmd/Ctrl + Option/Alt + [ = Send Element to the Back

  • 35. Cmd/Ctrl + Option/Alt + ] = Bring Element to the Front 

Keyboard Shortcuts when you Select Elements in Canva 

  • 36. Hold shift = Keep aspect ratio when resizing an image 

  • 37. CMD/ctrl  + G = Group elements 

  • 38. CMD/ctrl  + Shift + G = unGroup selected items 

  • 39. CMD/ctrl  + D = Duplicate elements you have selected 

Canvas and Page Shortcuts 

  • 40. Cmd/Ctrl + Delete key = delete a blank page 

  • 41. Cmd/Ctrl + Enter = Adds page 

  • 42. CMD/ctrl + + = Zoom in to Canvas

  • 43. CMD/ctrl + - = Zoom out of Canvas

  • 44. CMD/ctrl + 0 = Set page to 100%

  • 45. Cmd/ctrl + Option/Alt + 0 = Page Zoom to fit 

  • 46. Cmd/ctrl + Option/Alt = Add a new comment to a design 

Canva Desktop App Shortcuts

If you use Canva desktop App, there are a few additional keyboard shortcuts that you can use to navigate your way around. You can also use some of these when navigating in a Chrome Browser window for quick switching between designs.  

  • 47. CMD + SHIFT + H = Goes to Home tab (Mac)

  • 48. Alt + Windows Home Key = Goes to Home tab (windows) 

  • 49. Cmd/Ctrl + 1 -8 = Switch to that tab

  • 50. Cmd/Ctrl + 9 = Switch to last tab

  • 51. Cmd/Ctrl + T = Open new tab 

  • 52. Cmd/Ctrl + , = Open setting tab 

Canva Presentation Keyboard Shortcuts 

Open up any design in presentation mode and try out these shortcut keys next time you want to add a little something special for your audience. 

  • 53. ? = Access the menu of the latest presentation short cuts 

  • 54. B = Blur the presentation 

  • 55. Q = Animated such emoji is displayed and the shush sound made 

  • 56. O = Animates bubbles on screen and a popping noise is played 

  • 57. C = Confetti on the screen (cool to show a celebration moment). Press this quickly multiple times for even more confetti 

  • 58. D = Animated Drumroll and sound to help build up the excitement 

  • 59. U = Open and Close curtain animation. When you use this to open with a presentation, you also get a crowed cheer 

  • 60. M = Mic drop animation and sound is played 

  • 61. X = Clear the animation or effect on screen 

If you are not next to your keyboard, you can also download the remote control app and control all the same animations directly from your phone. 

And that's all the keyboard shortcuts I've found and tried so far. Have you found one not listed? Let me know over on my social media channels. 

Bonus Shortcuts

62. Cmd/Ctrl + / = Open and close side panel

63. Cmd + S = Save your document

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