How to Add a Link in Canva (Step-by-Step Guide)

Canva has over 170 million monthly active users across 190 countries. Yet most people using it daily are leaving one of its most powerful features completely untouched — clickable links.

Whether you’re building a presentation, a landing page, a media kit, or a digital brochure, adding links in Canva transforms static designs into interactive experiences. And once you know how to do it, it takes less than 30 seconds.

This guide walks you through every way to add a link in Canva, where it works, where it doesn’t, and how to get the most out of it.

What You Can Link in Canva

Before diving into the steps, here’s what you need to know: not every element in Canva supports hyperlinks, and links only work in certain exported formats.

You can add links to:

• Text (individual words, phrases, or entire text blocks)
• Images (photos, illustrations, graphics)
• Buttons and shapes
• Entire pages in a presentation (as page-level links)

Links are active and clickable in:

• Canva’s built-in Present mode
• Published websites created in Canva
• Exported PDFs (standard PDF format — not “Print” PDF)
• Embedded Canva designs

Links are not clickable in:

• Downloaded image files (PNG, JPG, SVG)
• Printed materials
• Video exports

How to Add a Link to Text in Canva

This is the most common use case — adding a hyperlink to a word or phrase in your design.

Step 1: Open your Canva design and click on the text element you want to link.

Step 2: Highlight the specific word or phrase you want to make clickable. You can select all the text or just a portion.

Step 3: Look at the toolbar that appears at the top of your canvas. Click the link icon (it looks like two connected chain links). If you don’t see it immediately, click the three-dot menu … to reveal more options.

Step 4: A small input box will appear asking you to “Add link.” Paste or type your URL — make sure it starts with https://.

Step 5: Press Enter or click Apply. Your text will now appear underlined or styled to indicate it’s linked.

Step 6: To test it, click Present (for presentations) or publish your design as a website to see the link in action.

Pro tip: Canva does not currently support anchor links (links that jump to a section on the same page). All links must be external URLs.

How to Add a Link to an Image or Shape in Canva

Linking images and shapes follows almost the same process as linking text — with one key difference: you’re clicking the element instead of highlighting text.

Step 1: Click on the image, shape, or button you want to make clickable.

Step 2: In the toolbar at the top, look for the link icon. On some versions of Canva, you may need to click the three-dot menu … first.

Step 3: Click the link icon, enter your URL in the input field, and press Apply or Enter.

Step 4: A small chain-link icon will appear on the element to confirm the link has been added.

Step 5: Test the link by clicking Present or publishing your design.

Note: If you group multiple elements together, the link applies to the entire group — not individual items within it.

How to Add a Link to a Button in Canva

Canva’s button elements are specifically designed for clickable actions — making them ideal for CTAs in digital brochures, media kits, and presentations.

Step 1: From the left panel, go to Elements and search for “button.” Choose a button style and drag it onto your canvas.

Step 2: Customize the button text (e.g., “Visit Website,” “Download Now,” “Book a Call”).

Step 3: Click the button element to select it, then click the link icon in the top toolbar.

Step 4: Enter your destination URL and press Apply.

Buttons with links are especially powerful in Canva-published websites, where they function exactly like standard web buttons — fully responsive and clickable on mobile and desktop.

How to Add Links in Canva Presentations

Canva presentations support two types of links that go beyond standard hyperlinks:

External links — link to any URL outside Canva (websites, documents, booking pages, etc.)

Page links — link directly to a specific slide within your presentation (great for navigation menus or interactive table of contents)

Adding a Page Link (Internal Navigation)

Step 1: Select the text or element you want to use as a navigation trigger.

Step 2: Click the link icon in the toolbar.

Step 3: Instead of typing a URL, click “Link to page” in the dropdown.

Step 4: Select the specific slide number you want to link to.

This is incredibly useful for building interactive presentations — letting your audience jump directly to sections instead of clicking through every slide.

How to Add Links When Publishing a Canva Website

Canva’s website builder is where links truly shine. When you publish a design as a website, every link becomes fully functional — no PDF export required.

Step 1: Design your page in Canva as you normally would.

Step 2: Add links to any text, image, button, or shape using the steps above.

Step 3: Click Share in the top right corner, then select Publish as website.

Step 4: Choose your URL (Canva provides a free subdomain or you can connect a custom domain on Canva Pro).

Step 5: Click Publish. Your design is now a live website with all links active.

Over 6 million websites have been published using Canva’s website builder — a number that’s been growing rapidly as the platform expands its web publishing capabilities.

How to Add Links in Canva for PDF Export

If you’re exporting your design as a PDF (common for digital brochures, proposals, and reports), links can still work — but only if you export in the right format.

Step 1: Finish adding links to your design using the steps above.

Step 2: Click Share → Download.

Step 3: Under file type, select PDF Standard (NOT “PDF Print”).

Step 4: Download the file.

When opened in a PDF reader like Adobe Acrobat or Preview, all hyperlinks will be clickable. The “PDF Print” format optimizes for physical printing and strips out interactive elements including links.

Important: Canva Free and Canva Pro both support linked PDFs. You do not need a paid plan to export clickable PDFs.

How to Edit or Remove a Link in Canva

Made a mistake? Changing or deleting a link is just as easy as adding one.

To edit a link:

Step 1: Click the linked element or highlight the linked text.

Step 2: Click the link icon in the toolbar — the current URL will appear in the input field.

Step 3: Clear the field and type or paste the new URL, then press Apply.

To remove a link:

Step 1: Select the linked element.

Step 2: Click the link icon and clear the URL field completely.

Step 3: Press Apply (or Enter with an empty field). The link is now removed.

Canva Link Limitations You Should Know

Canva’s linking feature is powerful, but it has a few constraints worth knowing before you build your next interactive design:

No anchor links. You can’t link to a specific section on the same Canva page or an external webpage using #section anchors.

No email or phone links. Canva does not currently support mailto: or tel: link formats. All links must be standard https:// URLs.

No link tracking built-in. Canva doesn’t give you click data on your links. To track link performance, use UTM parameters in your URLs (e.g., yoursite.com/page?utm_source=canva) before adding them to your design.

Links don’t work in image exports. PNG, JPG, GIF, and SVG exports are flat files — all link data is lost on export.

Mobile app limitations. The Canva mobile app supports viewing linked designs but editing links is more reliable on desktop.

Tips to Get More From Links in Canva

Use UTM parameters on every outbound link so you can measure exactly how much traffic your Canva designs are driving to your website or landing pages.

Make links obvious. Readers don’t know something is clickable unless you tell them. Use button elements, underlined text, or a visual CTA like “Click here →” to signal interactivity.

Keep link destinations intentional. Every link should have a purpose — whether that’s driving someone to a product page, a scheduling link, or a download. Aimless links reduce trust.

Test before sharing. Always click through every link in Present mode or after publishing before sending your design to anyone. Broken links are a credibility killer.

Use page links for navigation. If you’re building a multi-slide presentation or a Canva microsite, internal page links dramatically improve the experience for viewers who want to jump between sections.

Canva Stats That Put This Feature in Context

Understanding how people actually use Canva helps frame why mastering links matters so much:

• Canva serves over 170 million monthly active users as of 2024
• More than 15 billion designs have been created on the platform since its launch
• Canva is used in 190 countries and supports 100+ languages
• Over 80% of Fortune 500 companies use Canva for design work
• Canva’s website builder has powered over 6 million published websites
• 85% of Canva users are not professional designers — meaning most people using Canva are business owners, marketers, and sales professionals creating materials to drive real outcomes
• The average Canva user creates designs 11 times per month, making it one of the most frequently used business tools globally
• Canva Pro has over 16 million paying subscribers, reflecting strong adoption across professional teams
• Canva presentations are used by teams in over 130,000 schools and educational institutions

These numbers matter because they tell you something important: Canva isn’t just a design tool anymore. It’s a content distribution platform. And links are the bridge between your designs and your business results.

Conclusion

Adding a link in Canva takes about 30 seconds once you know where to look — but the impact goes far beyond the click. Every linked design you publish, share, or export becomes an active channel that can send people exactly where you need them to go.

The key is intention. Know what action you want someone to take, link them directly to it, and test everything before it goes out. Whether you’re publishing a Canva website, exporting a PDF proposal, or running an interactive presentation, links are what turn great design into measurable results.

Start with one design today. Add a link to your most important CTA. Then watch where the traffic actually goes.