How to Use Canva Keyboard Shortcuts to Speed Up Your Workflow

If you’ve ever felt like your hands are doing laps around your mouse while designing in Canva, you’re not alone. Moving back and forth from toolbars to menus slows you down more than you realize. This is exactly why I’m such a big fan of keyboard shortcuts. Once you learn a handful of them, your designs start coming together so much faster. You stop hunting for tools and start flowing.

It’s honestly one of the easiest ways to feel more confident and efficient in Canva, whether you're brand new or have been designing for years.

Let’s walk through why shortcuts matter, and then I’ll share some of my favorites you can start using today.

Why Keyboard Shortcuts Save So Much Time

Think of shortcuts like tiny superpowers for your fingers. Every time you reach for your mouse, select a tool, move back to your design, and repeat, you’re adding several seconds of friction. It doesn’t seem like much, but across a whole project, it adds up.

Here’s what actually makes shortcuts so magical:

1. Less clicking, more creating

You stay focused on the canvas instead of constantly bouncing around menus. Your ideas flow better when your hands stay in one place.

2. Muscle memory kicks in

Once your fingers learn a few shortcuts, you barely think about them anymore. Design becomes smoother and faster, like touch-typing.

3. Better accuracy

Because you aren’t clicking tiny icons, you reduce mis-clicks, alignment slips, and frustration.

4. Your workflow becomes more intuitive

Shortcuts help you get out of “Where is that button?” mode and into “Let’s make something fun” mode.

If you’ve ever watched an experienced designer work, it looks like magic because they use shortcuts constantly. And now you can too.

Canva Keyboard Shortcuts Every Creator Should Know

These work on a Mac. If you're on a PC, just swap Command for Control and Option for Alt.

Add Elements Instantly

• Add a text box: T
• Add a line: L
• Add a rectangle: R
• Add a circle: C

These four alone can save you a ton of menu digging.

Selecting Elements

• Select all: Cmd A
• Select multiple: Shift Click
• Deselect: Esc
• Select an element behind another: Cmd Click

Perfect for those moments when Canva puts something behind something else and you're trying to fish it out.

Grouping and Arranging

• Group elements: Cmd G
• Ungroup: Cmd Shift G
• Send backward: Cmd [
• Send forward: Cmd ]

This is where your designs start feeling smoother to manage.

Spacing, Aligning, and Tidying

• Tidy Up: Option Shift T

This one is pure joy for messy layouts. Trust me.

Copying and Duplicating

• Copy: Cmd C
• Paste: Cmd V
• Duplicate: Cmd D
• Quick Copy: Option Drag

Quick Copy is a game changer when you want matching elements with perfect spacing.

Resizing Tricks

• Constrain proportions: Shift Drag
• Resize from center: Option Drag

Great for scaling things without throwing your layout off.

Navigation + View Controls

• Open left sidebar: Cmd /
• Open layers panel: Option 1
• Show or hide rulers: Shift R
• Scroll view: Option Cmd 1
• Thumbnail view: Option Cmd 2
• Grid view: Option Cmd 3

If you tend to work on multi-page designs, these views are lifesavers.

Why Learning Shortcuts Makes Canva Feel Easier

Once you start using shortcuts regularly, something clicks. You stop feeling like you’re wrestling with layouts and instead feel like Canva is finally working with you. Your designs look more polished, you move with more confidence, and you reclaim so much time for the creative parts of your business.

And the best part, you don’t need to memorize all of them at once. Start with 3 or 4. Then add a new one each week. Your future self will be grateful.

Want Even More Shortcuts and Canva Goodies?

If you want to take your workflow to the next level, I put together a free Canva Starter Guide packed with the good stuff:

• Over 80 Canva keyboard shortcuts
• A list of popular Canva fonts
• A set of free Canva templates to help you hit the ground running

It’s everything I wish I had when I first fell in love with Canva, all in one easy guide.

👉 Grab your free Canva Starter Guide here.

Happy creating, friend. I hope these shortcuts make your Canva time feel smoother, easier, and a whole lot more fun.