Canva's Flip tool mirrors a selected image, shape, or text box across its horizontal or vertical axis. The same button sits in the top toolbar and behaves identically for every object type. Flipping is available on the free plan and Canva Pro.
To reverse anything, select the element on the canvas. In the toolbar above the editor, click Flip. Two options appear: Flip horizontal and Flip vertical. Click one. The element inverts on the spot. That single button serves images, shapes, and text boxes alike. No separate menus.
Flip horizontal gives you a left-to-right mirror image. Flip vertical turns the object upside down. The transformation applies to the entire selected item. For photos, this technique is often used to change the way a subject faces. For shapes, it lets you reorient a design component without drawing a new one from scratch.
How to flip an image in Canva
Basic image flip
Select the image on the canvas. The top toolbar refreshes and shows options for that image. Locate the Flip button. Click it, then pick Flip horizontal or Flip vertical. The image reverses in place. No crop or filter settings are affected.
Flipping images inside frames
If the image sits inside a frame or mask, flipping still works perfectly. Canva reverses the picture within the frame's boundaries. The frame itself stays put. This is handy when an imported photo points the wrong way for your layout.
What it leaves behind
Flipping does not alter the original file. The source stays untouched in your uploads or the Canva photo library. Only the canvas instance is mirrored.
How to flip a shape in Canva
How shapes respond
Shapes reverse via the identical process. Select the shape. Click Flip in the toolbar. Choose a horizontal or vertical orientation. The shape rotates along its axis instantly.
Arrows, crescents and the rest of the library
Canva's shapes include lines, arrows, circles, squares, plus the dozens of geometric and decorative forms in the Elements panel. Reversing an arrow, for instance, points it the opposite way without hunting for a matching asset. Flipping a crescent or banner shape can quietly resolve a compositional snag.
Fills and borders come along
Shapes that hold text or gradients carry those properties through the reversal. The whole shape, fill and border included, mirrors in one motion. There is no need to reapply formatting afterwards.
How to flip text in Canva
The text box, not the letters
Reversing text operates on the entire text container. Select a text box. Click Flip. Pick a horizontal or vertical orientation. The box mirrors itself. Individual characters do not reorder or reverse direction. A word that reads "Hello" still shows "Hello" after a horizontal reversal, but the text box has swapped sides.
Making letters actually mirror
The text appears truly backward only when you first convert the text box into an image. Right-click the text box and choose Convert to image. The text becomes a flat graphic. With that new image selected, use the Flip tool. Now the letters mirror left to right, or the whole block inverts top to bottom.
Practical use
In everyday design work, flipping a text box is about repositioning, not creating a mirror illusion. A horizontally reversed text box moves to the right half of the canvas instead of the left, for example, while the words themselves read normally.
How to replace an image in Canva
The Replace button
To swap one image for another while preserving position, dimensions, crop, and filters, use the Replace button. Select the image on the canvas. In the top toolbar, click Replace. The uploads and photos panel opens. Pick a different image from your uploads or Canva's photo library. The new image inherits the exact size, crop, and filter settings of the original.
The drag-and-drop shortcut
There is a faster method: drag a new image from the Photos or Uploads tab straight onto the existing image on the canvas. Release it. The new image replaces the old one and snaps into its dimensions, crop, and filters. This works for any image, including items inside frames, masks, and placeholder shapes.
Before you swap
Replace is available on both free and Pro plans. It leaves every other element in the design untouched. If you want the old image to survive elsewhere in the project, duplicate it before you replace.
