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Canva is super powerful and I can’t live without it. I mean y’all know how much I use Canva. It’s almost like Canva has been absorbed into my life so much that I just can’t do anything without it.
Recently I was talking to a few friends and I was helping them with some work on Canva. They were really surprised to see how fast I did things. Now, I know this could be because I’m obviously more familiar with Canva than them, and it’s easier for me because I use it all the time. But that wasn’t it.
I realized that it’s the simplest things that was taking so long for them to create something, while it took so little time for me to do the same.
In this article, I’m going to tell you 10 Canva magic tricks that you can use to save hundreds of hours. If I helped you to save even one second, please share this article with someone who you think might find this useful. So, let’s get right to it!
1. Adding ‘Text’ to your design
The first in the Canva magic tricks list – of course, is the textbox trick. Now, I’m sure you’re used to going to the text section and adding the text with a deading or paragraph textbox. But after moving the cursor 1000 miles and clicking the mouse a million times, you’ve lost too much time.
Next time, instead of trying to find a textbox, just type ‘T’. This will instantly create a textbox for you in the middle of your screen
2. Adding a ‘Line’ to your design
Don’t go to your elements to find a line. Just type ‘L’. Canva will automatically insert a line on your design which you can adjust to any thickness or length that you like!
3. Adding a ‘Rectangle’ to your design
If you want to add a rectangle to your design, just click anywhere on your design and type ‘R’. This will instantly create a box in the middle of your design. Now, the box that appears initially will be a perfect square. So if you want to maintain the square shape, when you increase or decrease its size, hold shift and then drag the ends anywhere. If you don’t hold shift, the lengths will change and you’ll end up with a rectangle.
4. Adding a ‘Circle’ to your design
To add a circle, just type ‘C’ on your keyboard. For this shape, in order for it to remain a perfect circle, you don’t have to hold shift. It will always be a circle if you drag a corner. If you want it to be an oval, drag one of the sides. This will distort the shape and create an oval for you.
Before I get to the next few magic tricks, let me share an easy way to remember these shortcuts (or what they’re actually called – HOT KEYS)
The letter you need to press on your keyboard is the first letter of the element you need to create.
- Text = T
- Line = L
- Rectangle = R
- Circle = C
This will make life a lot easier for you, trust me!
5. Grouping different elements together
Now if you didn’t already know this, yes. You can group elements together on Canva. This is so that the multiple elements will stay together regardless of the changes that you make in your design. The normal way to do this is by selecting the different elements, clicking on the three dots, and clicking on the ‘Group’ button.
The new, easier way to do this (or the magic trick) is by selecting the elements and clicking on Cmd + G. This will automatically group the selected elements together. Please remember that pressing Cmd + G once again will not ungroup the elements. You will either have to select the ‘undo’ arrow, type Cmd + Z or manually click the ‘Ungroup’ button.
Also 5. Ungrouping elements
Hah! Gotcha. The three I just said are not the fastest way to ungroup. If you want to ungroup elements, the best way to do it is by pressing Shift + Cmd + G. This will automatically ungroup all the elements in the selected group.
Life’s getting so much easier already, isn’t it?
6. Making your text Bold and Italic
If you’ve ever used Microsoft word, you probably know this shortcut. You can select the word or sentence, and press Cmd + B to bold, Cmd + I to make it italic. What I want to tell you is, this is the same for Canva as well. This shortcut works on Canva the same way it does on Microsoft Office apps. And yes! If you press on the keys again, it will unbold and unitalicized the word or sentence you selected.
7. Sending elements forward/backward
Moving elements around can be quite annoying when you have a lot of elements overlapping each other. The way I used to do this is by selecting the element, right-clicking, and then clicking on ‘send backward’ or ‘move forward’. But there’s an easier way to do this.
Pressing Cmd + ] will bring your selected element/group/text forward.
Pressing Cmd + [ will send your selected element/group/text backward.
Again,
- Cmd + ] = Forward
- Cmd + [ = Backward
8. Copying and duplicating an element instantly
The normal way to do this is by clicking either Cmd + C to copy and then Cmd + V to paste it. Good old, old-school method, isn’t it? But I’m about to show you a magic trick that will save your life. What I do now instead is, press on Option/Alt and drag the element I need duplicated, and move it to the location I need it to go. That’s three steps done in one move.
Let me give you a second to digest that..
Can you imagine not knowing this?? This is probably one of my favorite Canva magic tricks ever!
9. Adding a new page
The usual way of adding a new page is by clicking on the ‘+’ sign at the top right corner of your current design. The easier way is to press Shift + Return/Enter. This will magically create a new page for you, MUCH faster than the usual way.
10. Increasing and decreasing font size
Yes, I know this is one of the most annoying things ever – adjusting the font size. The usual way is to click on the + and – buttons beside the font size. But this can be super annoying, especially when you don’t know the exact size and need to play around until it’s just right.
The easiest way to do this is by clicking Shift + Cmd + > to increase the font size.
Click Shift + Cmd + < if you need to decrease the font size. Since the > and < buttons are right beside each other, you can easily adjust the size as you watch your screen!
I know you’re probably going to forget everything I just said. So here’s a summary of the canvas magic tricks I mentioned in this article + MANY MORE shortcuts to make your life easier.
Full List of Canva Magic Tricks (a.k.a Shortcuts/ Hot Keys)
- Copy: Cmd/Ctrl + C
- Paste: Cmd/Ctrl + V
- Copy & duplicate: Alt/Option + Drag
- Add a text box: T key
- Bold text: Cmd/Ctrl + B
- Italicized text: Cmd/Ctrl + I
- Underline text: Cmd/Ctrl + U
- Increase font size: Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + >
- Decrease font size: Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + <
- Copy text style: Cmd/Ctrl + Option/Alt + C
- Paste text style: Cmd/Ctrl + Option/Alt + V
- Convert text to uppercase: Cmd/ctrl + Shift + K
- Align text to the left: Cmd/ctrl + shift + L
- Align text to the right: Cmd/ctrl + shift + R
- Align text in the center: Cmd/ctrl + shift + C
- Group elements: Cmd/Ctrl + G
- Ungroup elements: Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + G
- Duplicate elements: Cmd/ctrl + D
- Select all elements: Cmd/ctrl + A
- Deselect element: ESC key
- Delete element: Delete key
- Send elements backward: Cmd/ctrl + [
- Send elements forward: Cmd/ctrl + ]
- Send elements to back: Cmd/ctrl +Option/Alt + [
- Send elements to front: Cmd/ctrl + Option/Alt + ]
- Add a line to your template: L key
- Add a rectangle to your template: R key
- Add a circle to your template: C key
- Constrain proportions while resizing: Shift + Drag Corners
- Scale element relative to its center point: Alt + Drag Side Handles
- Zoom in on your template: Cmd/ctrl + “+”
- Zoom out of your template: Cmd/ctrl + “-”
- Zoom 100%: Cmd/ctrl + 0
- Zoom to fit: Cmd/ctrl + Option/Alt + 0
- Undo an action: Cmd/ctrl + Z
- Redo an action: Cmd/ctrl + Shift + Z
- Add a new page: Cmd/Ctrl + Return key
- Delete empty page: Cmd/Ctrl + Delete key
- Add a comment: Cmd/Ctrl + Option/Alt + M
- Select multiple elements: Shift + Click
If you found this article useful, please share it with your friends. If everyone knew these 10 Canva magic tricks (shortcuts), imagine how many hours we’ll be saving! Which was your favorite shortcut? And which of these shortcuts left you mind-blown? Let me know in the comments below! if you haven’t checked out my article on the best Canva pro features, you needddd to read it! Asap!
Also, make sure to follow me on social media for random freebie giveaways!
Hey! I’m the co-founder of Smartiac – a pinterest management agency for the home furnishing industry. If you’re a furniture store owner or marketing manager looking for assistance with pinterest management, definitely get in touch with me!
