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One of the coolest features of Canva is undoubtedly the ability to share any design you create as a template. This feature has changed so many of our lives, it’s almost uncanny! Personally, I’m able to make anywhere between $1,000 and $3,000 every month from selling Canva templates, on the side! All thanks to this template-sharing feature.
In short, I design Canva templates, and sell them on my Canva shop, on Etsy, and on Creative Market, and make a nice monthly income.
In fact, I have an online course where I teach exactly how I do this!
want to make money selling Canva Templates?
In this course, I've shared everything I know about selling Canva templates on the side, so that you too could start making at least $1,000 per month doing the same.
Before we see how to share a Canva design as a template, of course, you’ll need to have a Canva account.
Also, FYI, the option to share a Canva design as a template is available to BOTH free and Pro Canva users. That said, if you want to give Canva Pro a try, feel free to sign up for a 45-day free Canva Pro trial using my unique affiliate link.
The different ways to share a design
There are a few ways to share a Canva design.
Share the original design
When you create a design on Canva, you can share the design with anyone you choose to. But this is not the same as sharing a template, which we’ll talk about shortly.
But you can actually give access to your original design with a link if you so choose to. Just click the share button at the top-right corner, then from the Link share dropdown, choose “Anyone with a link.” You can then further customize what people can do once they click that link (edit the original design, just view it, etc.)
Sharing the original Canva design
This can be useful if you’re trying to share a design with a team member who may need to make changes to the original design. Or perhaps you want to share the design as view-only to get feedback or simply to share a document without enabling anyone to make changes to it.
Share as template
Sharing a design as a template is different from sharing the original design.
When you share a Canva design as a template using a special template link, people with that link can click it and a copy of the original design will be created on their Canva accounts, and they will be able to make changes to it on their end.
Basically, people can make changes and edits to your design, but without affecting your master design (because they’re really just making changes to a copy of the original.)
That’s why this feature is crucial to those of us who sell Canva templates.
How to share a Canva design as a template on a desktop/browser
The video below will walk you through the process of sharing a Canva design as a template.
If you want a text-based tutorial, then keep reading.
On a design window (that you want to share as a template,) click the share button in the top right corner.
Under the share options, look for an option that says “Template link.”
Under “Share,” find the “Template link” button to share a Canva design as a template.
Don’t panic if you don’t see the template link option there. That section typically shows the buttons/icons you use the most. So, if it’s not there, simply click the “More” button (with the three dots) at the bottom of the “Share” options panel. This will open up even more ways to share your design.
Alternatively, click the More button (with three dots)
From there, you should definitely see the “Template link” option.
Find the “Template link” button under more ways to share a template.
Click on the “Template link.”
Then you’ll see the “Template link sharing” option open up.
Copy the link and share it with your buyers or clients or whomever you choose to share the design with, as a template.
Once you click the “Template link” button, Canva will show you the link.
How to share a Canva template from the mobile app
These tutorials are primarily for desktop/browser users. But since I’ve received this question a couple of times, I wanted to show you where to find the template link on a mobile app.
For reference, the following tutorial + screenshot is using an Android phone:
Click the share icon from the top-right corner of the design editor.
You’ll see that a bunch of share options will open up. At the top of this list, you’ll see a field with many different options and apps to share with.
Swipe sideways through this list until you see the “Template link” option.
Click it to get the template link.
Where to find the template link for a Canva design on the Canva mobile app.
[*Be advised, if you share a design that has pro elements with a user who’s on a free account, they’ll need to upgrade to a pro account in order to download the design files.]
And that’s it!
You’re now ready to share your Canva design as a template.
Want to learn how I make money on the side selling Canva templates? Then check out my online course—Side Income with Canva Templates.
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Maliha
Maliha is a writer, blogger, and content marketer. She's the owner of The Side Blogger, a proud Canva Verified Expert, a top writer on Medium, and a confident procrastinator at large.
24 thoughts on “How to Share a Canva Design as a Template”
Annemarie
Hi Maliha,
Thank you so much for this tutorial. Very helpfull!
I have just one question on which I can’t find the answer anywhere…
If you want to make a digital planner, instead of a printable planner, how can you make a template in which people can actually write something?
I assume that is possible to write on a digital planner, but how can you create that in Canva?
A template is something the end-user will open on their on, on their own Canva account. If you meant to ask how to create a fillable PDF document, then you can look at external services. Adobe Acrobat can do that with PDFs. There are a few others too. PDFescape can also create fillable PDF documents. I wrote about PDFescape here: https://www.thesideblogger.com/create-worksheets-checklists-with-canva/
Depends on when a user will open your template. If someone opens a template and you make changes to your master design afterward, then the template on their end won’t update automatically. But if you share the master design and not a template, then your client will see the updated version on their end. (Not recommended if you sell templates; but if you work with clients, then that’s an option)
When I share the canva template link, any of the items with the Canva logo on them show up to the person I shared with since they aren’t Canva Pro users. How do I avoid this?
You can use free photos and elements. There’s no way to avoid watermarks on Pro elements and images if a user is on the free plan and you’re using Pro assets on your templates. It is for the benefit of the user as it lets them know that their designs contain premium assets. This way they can choose whether to swap those assets for free alternatives or upgrade to a Pro plan.
I have a font related question I can’t find an answer to easily.
If I have a Pro account and use only custom created or free content (I’m a graphic designer uploading SVGs) but use an uploaded font… will the person who uses the link be able to see/use the uploaded font? Or to use/see the custom font they’d need to have Pro?
They’ll need to own the font as well (font licensing will defer to whatever font you’re using since it’s not a font from the Canva font library) on top of having to be a Canva Pro user for being able to use and upload a custom font.
Hello, I have a few questions: If I share the template and the buyer has no canva account, will there be an option available for him to create one? And if he does, and upgrades later, do I get the comissions from this, or how exactly does this work?
Thanks and best regards!
If you share a template with someone who doesn’t have a Canva account, they’ll need to create a Canva account first. Once they do, they’ll be able to access the template. You only get a commission if you’re a Canva affiliate and someone uses that specific link to sign up for Canva. Template links are not affiliate links.
Hello! I have a Canva Pro account so I have access to the images and fonts only available to pro users. That said, if I create a template in Canva to sell/share and use pro images and fonts, will the end user (who may only have a free account) be able to see/use the pro fonts/images that I included in my design? Thanks in advance!
Hi Mahlia, if I give someone a link to a design, will they be able to view my dashboard (as in be able to see all of the other things I have designed over the years?) or will they solely see just the image I have shared? Thank you 🙂
Question. Say somebody buys my template and gets the link address. In theory then anyone who has the link address will be able to access my template for free(if the original buyer chooses to share this link) no? (kind of like how we share netflix ids). Is there a way to prevent this?
Dear Maliha,
This might be a silly question, but I haven’t figured out the answer, and you are my only hope!
How do you create one link in Canva for a bundle with templates made as two separate designs, square + vertical? I know how to merge/add pages from different projects as long as they are the same shape, but I can’t figure out how to do it when they are different.
Do you think it would look unprofessional if I provided the buyer with two separate links instead of one?
24 thoughts on “How to Share a Canva Design as a Template”
Hi Maliha,
Thank you so much for this tutorial. Very helpfull!
I have just one question on which I can’t find the answer anywhere…
If you want to make a digital planner, instead of a printable planner, how can you make a template in which people can actually write something?
I assume that is possible to write on a digital planner, but how can you create that in Canva?
Kind regards,
Annemarie
A template is something the end-user will open on their on, on their own Canva account. If you meant to ask how to create a fillable PDF document, then you can look at external services. Adobe Acrobat can do that with PDFs. There are a few others too. PDFescape can also create fillable PDF documents. I wrote about PDFescape here: https://www.thesideblogger.com/create-worksheets-checklists-with-canva/
I want to share te design but also continue to make updates that the user can see. Is that an option?
Depends on when a user will open your template. If someone opens a template and you make changes to your master design afterward, then the template on their end won’t update automatically. But if you share the master design and not a template, then your client will see the updated version on their end. (Not recommended if you sell templates; but if you work with clients, then that’s an option)
When I share the canva template link, any of the items with the Canva logo on them show up to the person I shared with since they aren’t Canva Pro users. How do I avoid this?
You can use free photos and elements. There’s no way to avoid watermarks on Pro elements and images if a user is on the free plan and you’re using Pro assets on your templates. It is for the benefit of the user as it lets them know that their designs contain premium assets. This way they can choose whether to swap those assets for free alternatives or upgrade to a Pro plan.
Dear Maliha,
Is there any way to know if my template that I sell is shared by the person that buys it? Can I track who opens it?
Thanks!
There’s no way to track opens.
I have a font related question I can’t find an answer to easily.
If I have a Pro account and use only custom created or free content (I’m a graphic designer uploading SVGs) but use an uploaded font… will the person who uses the link be able to see/use the uploaded font? Or to use/see the custom font they’d need to have Pro?
They’ll need to own the font as well (font licensing will defer to whatever font you’re using since it’s not a font from the Canva font library) on top of having to be a Canva Pro user for being able to use and upload a custom font.
Hello, I have a few questions: If I share the template and the buyer has no canva account, will there be an option available for him to create one? And if he does, and upgrades later, do I get the comissions from this, or how exactly does this work?
Thanks and best regards!
If you share a template with someone who doesn’t have a Canva account, they’ll need to create a Canva account first. Once they do, they’ll be able to access the template. You only get a commission if you’re a Canva affiliate and someone uses that specific link to sign up for Canva. Template links are not affiliate links.
A very nice article! Some points are very wonderful and classic. Keep up the great piece of work.
Thanks a lot.
Thank you 🙂
Hello Maliha,
if I use a pro account to make a design (and use pro designs) and then share the template link to a buyer, should the buyer have a pro account, too?
Thank you,
Stephanie
You’ll find these answers in the blog post above.
Hello! I have a Canva Pro account so I have access to the images and fonts only available to pro users. That said, if I create a template in Canva to sell/share and use pro images and fonts, will the end user (who may only have a free account) be able to see/use the pro fonts/images that I included in my design? Thanks in advance!
You’ll find these answers in the blog post above.
Hi Mahlia, if I give someone a link to a design, will they be able to view my dashboard (as in be able to see all of the other things I have designed over the years?) or will they solely see just the image I have shared? Thank you 🙂
If you share the template link, then they’ll only be able to open the design on their Canva accounts.
Question. Say somebody buys my template and gets the link address. In theory then anyone who has the link address will be able to access my template for free(if the original buyer chooses to share this link) no? (kind of like how we share netflix ids). Is there a way to prevent this?
There’s no way to prevent this. You just have to trust (and hope) that the buyer will not freely share the template link that they paid to purchase.
Dear Maliha,
This might be a silly question, but I haven’t figured out the answer, and you are my only hope!
How do you create one link in Canva for a bundle with templates made as two separate designs, square + vertical? I know how to merge/add pages from different projects as long as they are the same shape, but I can’t figure out how to do it when they are different.
Do you think it would look unprofessional if I provided the buyer with two separate links instead of one?
Dominique x
You can create one PDF with multiple links to separate designs. I don’t see why this would be unprofessional as long as buyers get what they paid for.