Adding a hyperlink in Canva takes two clicks. Select any text or object on the canvas, click the chain-link icon in the floating editor bar, paste a URL, and press Enter. The link is live. That sequence works whether the selected item is a word, a shape, a photo, or an icon.
The chain-link icon is labeled Link in the bar. Clicking it opens a text field. Type or paste a destination and press Return to finish. To remove a link later, select the linked item, click the Link button again, and choose Remove link. That button carries a trash can icon.
The detail most tutorials skip: Canva links are not functional in every output format. A JPG or PNG export strips all hyperlinks. The design looks correct but nothing is tappable. Links survive in PDF Standard and PDF Print downloads, in Canva Presentations when the user enters Presenter mode, and in published Canva Websites. Anyone sharing a design as a static image should know the links they added are invisible to the recipient.
How to link text in Canva
Linking a word or phrase
Highlight the text with your cursor. The floating editor bar appears above the selection. It contains the Link button. Click it, paste the URL, and press Enter. The text color does not change automatically. Canva does not apply an underline either. The only visual cue that a link exists is when the cursor hovers over the text and the pointer changes. For designs where readers must see that a link is present, format the text manually with a different color or an underline.
Linking an entire text box
Click the text box to select it rather than highlighting individual characters. The floating bar shows the Link button. The difference: the whole box becomes a hit target, not just the words inside it. That is useful for button-like labels or call-to-action text where the entire area should respond to a click.
How to link an element in Canva
Linking an image, shape, or icon
Photos, shapes, icons, and other non-text objects accept hyperlinks the same way. Click the item to select it. A bounding box appears around it. The floating bar includes the Link icon. Click it, enter the URL, press Enter. The object now carries a link.
Making the link visible
This method is how designers make a button graphic tappable, or attach a link to a product image in a marketing layout. The object itself gives no visual indication that a link is attached. Designers who want users to know the item is interactive must add a hover state or a visual clue such as a button-style border. Canva does not add a tooltip or a highlight on its own.
Link types and internal page links
External websites and email addresses
Canva supports three destination types: external websites, email addresses, and other pages inside the same design. For an email link, use the mailto: prefix followed by the address. For example, mailto:[email protected]. When clicked in a published Canva Website or a PDF, the link opens the default email client.
Linking to another page in the same design
To link to another page within the same design, select the item, click the Link button, and look for the dropdown labeled Pages in this design. That dropdown appears only if the design contains more than one page. Selecting a page from the list creates a link that jumps to that page when clicked. This feature is useful for interactive presentations, digital menus, or multi-page documents where the viewer should navigate without scrolling. Whether this option is available to Canva Free users or restricted to Canva Pro is not clearly documented by Canva. The safest assumption is to test it in the account tier you are using.
Where links work and where they do not
Formats that preserve links
Hyperlinks function in exactly four scenarios. PDF Standard and PDF Print exports preserve links. Canva Presentations make links tappable when the user enters Presenter mode. Published Canva Websites render links natively. In every other output the links are present in the file but do nothing.
Formats that strip links
JPG and PNG downloads strip all hyperlinks. The design looks identical but the link data is gone. Animated GIF exports also remove links. MP4 video exports cannot carry tappable links at all. Canva does not warn the user before export that links will be lost. The designer must check the export format before relying on links for navigation or calls to action.
For teams producing print PDFs or interactive web content, Canva's linking tools are adequate. For anyone distributing images or video, links are decorative only. That distinction matters because a marketing asset sent as a PNG to a client contains no functional links, even if the designer added them carefully in the editor.
