School Directory

Canva Tips & Tricks

Canva Tips & Tricks for Staff

Canva for Education Resources:

Canva offers a variety of resources designed to help teachers make the most of Canva Education in the classroom.

Click the drop-downs below to access more curated tips and tricks! This page will be edited and updated regularly as new information is available. 

If you have a valuable resource or tip you would like to see added to the page for staff to access, email your request to derrian.hallas@mhcbe.ab.ca. 

Start inspired and save time with Canva for Education templates. 

Use this Canva created cheatsheet to access resources that will help you prepare, create engaging lessons, and empower your students with critical skills. 

Teacher Cheatsheet Here

Presenting:

  • → / Spacebar / N → Next slide
  • ← / P → Previous slide
  • Esc → Exit presentation
  • Number + Enter → Jump to slide number
  • M → Mute/unmute music

Magic Shortcuts (while presenting):

  • Number key (e.g., 5) → Starts a countdown timer (5 minutes if you press 5)
  • C → Confetti with sound
  • M → Mic drop
  • D → Drum roll
  • O → Bubbles
  • Q → Quiet emoji
  • B → Blur content (press again to unblur)
  • U → Curtain closes (press again to open)

Extra Tools:

  • B → Black screen toggle
  • W → White screen toggle
  • Keyboard icon (bottom toolbar) → Shows all available presentation shortcuts
  • 3 dots (bottom toolbar) → Share remote control → Scan the QR code with your phone to control slides & trigger magic shortcuts
  1. Upload Your PDF
    • On the homepage, click “Upload” (or “Upload a file”) in the left toolbar.
    • Select your PDF file from your computer.
  2. Open as a Design
    • Once uploaded, Canva will automatically convert the PDF into an editable Canva design.
    • Each page of your PDF becomes a separate Canva page.
  3. Edit the Content
    • Text → Click into any text box to edit wording, fonts, sizes, or colors.
    • Images → Replace or edit images by dragging new ones from the Elements or Uploads tab.
    • Shapes & Graphics → Add, delete, or customize graphics using Canva’s library.
    • Rearrange Pages → Drag and drop pages in the sidebar.
    • Add New Elements (Optional)
    • Insert text boxes, icons, charts, or backgrounds to update your design.
  4. Save or Download
    • When finished, click Share → Download.
    • Choose PDF (Standard) or PDF (Print) depending on your needs.
    • You can also export as an image or presentation if required.

Tidy Up is a layout tool in Canva that automatically aligns and evenly spaces elements on your design. Instead of manually dragging and guessing, Canva quickly makes your text boxes, images, shapes, or icons look neat and balanced.

 How to Use Tidy Up

  1. Select the elements you want to organize (hold Shift + click or drag to select).
  2. On the toolbar at the top, click the “Position” button.
  3. Under Spacing, select Tidy Up.
  4. Canva will instantly align and space everything evenly.

Magic Design is Canva’s AI-powered tool that instantly generates customized designs for you. Instead of starting from a blank page, you can upload text, images, or ideas, and Magic Design will create ready-to-use templates in seconds that you can then edit to your liking.

  1. Open Canva and go to the homepage.
  2. In the search bar, type “Magic Design” or click the Magic Studio tab.
  3. Choose “Magic Design”.
  4. Upload an image or type your idea/paste text.
    • Example: Upload a selfie → Canva generates profile banners, Instagram posts, and LinkedIn graphics.
    • Example: Type “Birthday invitation for an 8-year-old” → Canva creates invitation templates.
  5. Pick your favourite design from the AI-generated options.
  6. Edit and customize as needed.