How to Add a Link in Canva (and Make It Clickable in Your PDF)

You design a gorgeous freebie, export it, send it to your list and wait for the clicks to roll in. Then a reply lands in your inbox: “Hey, the link to your shop doesn’t work.” 💀

Nine times out of ten, the link was never the problem. It was the file type. Canva links only stay clickable in certain downloads, and that one detail trips up almost everyone the first time.

In this guide I’ll show you exactly how to add a link in Canva, how to link to other pages inside your design, which download keeps your links clickable, and how to fix a Canva link that isn’t working.

How to Add a Link in Canva

A Canva link (or hyperlink) is a clickable URL attached to text or an element in your design, so readers can tap straight through to your website, shop, opt-in page or social profile. Here’s how to add one on desktop:

Prerequisites: a Canva design and the URL you want to link to. A free Canva account is enough.

1. Open your design in the Canva editor.
2. Select what you want to link. Click an element, image or video, or double-click a text box and highlight just the words you want to link.
3. Click the More (⋯) icon in the toolbar at the top of the editor.
4. Choose Link.
5. Paste your URL and press Enter (or click anywhere in the editor) to save it.

That’s it. Your text will now show as linked, and the floating toolbar shows a preview of the URL whenever you select it, which is a handy way to double-check you pasted the right one.

Always paste the full URL, including https://. It’s the fastest way to avoid a link that looks fine in Canva but does nothing once it’s downloaded.

How to Link to Another Page in Your Canva Design

Canva can also link to a page within the same design, which turns a multi-page PDF into something readers can actually navigate. It’s perfect for ebooks, workbooks, media kits and lead magnets.

1. Select the text or element you want to turn into a link, like a line in your contents page.
2. Click More (⋯), then Link.
3. Pick the page from the Pages in this document section of the dropdown, instead of pasting a URL.

A clickable contents page is a small detail that makes a freebie feel like a premium product, because readers can jump straight to the section they need instead of scrolling through 20 pages.

Related: How to Create Lead Magnets that Convert – 15 Lead Magnet Examples

How to Download a Canva PDF With Clickable Links

Your links only stay clickable if you download your design as a PDF. Image and video files can’t hold links at all, because they’re just pictures of your design.

1. Click Share in the top-right corner of the editor, then Download.
2. Choose a PDF file type from the dropdown.
3. Make sure the PDF isn’t flattened. Canva’s help centre confirms links won’t work in flattened PDFs.
4. Download, then open the file and click every link before you send it anywhere.

That last step takes 30 seconds and saves you from the “your link doesn’t work” email. Test on your phone as well as your laptop, because that’s where most of your readers will open it.

Where Canva Links Work (and Where They Don’t)

This is the part that catches everyone out, so here’s the full picture based on Canva’s own help centre:

So if you’re sharing a design on Instagram, put the link somewhere people can actually tap it, like your bio link page or a comment trigger, and use the design itself to tell them where to go.

How to Edit or Remove a Link in Canva

You can change or delete a link at any time without redoing your design.

1. Select the linked text or element.
2. Click the link icon on the floating toolbar. A small window opens where you can edit the text, the link and how it displays.
3. Change the URL and select Done, or click the trash icon to remove the link completely.

Related: How to Change All Fonts in Canva at Once (the One-Click Trick)

Why Is My Canva Link Not Working?

If a link looks right in Canva but won’t click once it’s downloaded, it’s almost always one of these:

• You downloaded an image instead of a PDF. PNGs and JPGs can’t hold links. Download a PDF instead.
• The PDF was flattened. Download a standard PDF that isn’t flattened.
• The text has an effect applied. Canva has a known issue where links on text with effects (like shadows or outlines) don’t work in downloaded PDFs. Remove the effect, or link a plain text box or element instead.
• The URL is incomplete. Paste the full address, including https://.
• You uploaded it to social media. Social platforms don’t support links inside posts or PDF uploads.
• The page you’re linking to is down. Open the URL in your browser to check it’s live.

A link nobody can click isn’t a link. Test it before you send it.

Related: How to Create a Password Protected Website on Canva

Key Takeaways

• To add a link in Canva, select your text or element, click More (⋯), choose Link and paste the full URL.
• Links only stay clickable in a standard PDF download or when presenting, never in images, videos or social posts.
• Always download and test every link before you share your design.

Knowing how to add a link in Canva is easy. Knowing which download keeps it working is the bit that actually gets you clicks. Link it, download a proper PDF, test it once, and let your freebies and guides send readers exactly where you want them. 🍹