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Edit text semantics for PDF accessibility

Use Edit text semantics feature in Canva to control how headings, paragraphs, and quotes are tagged in your PDF.

This feature is only available on Web and desktop for now. To learn more about making accessible PDFs, see Canva PDF accessibility features.

In Canva docs, text is semantically tagged according to its heading type. For example,

Title (H1) is tagged as h1,
Subtitle as h2,
Heading as h3,
Subheading as h4,
Section header as h5. In older designs without semantic tags, Canva may infer heading levels from visual hierarchy, such as font size and placement.

You can review and manually change these tags using Edit text semantics.

Edit semantics (or “tags”) to text elements in a design

By default, Canva assigns heading semantics automatically based on visual hierarchy. You can override them by editing text semantics manually.

  1. Open the design where you want to set heading levels.
  2. Go to File > Accessibility > Edit text semantics.
  3. In the Text semantics panel, all text elements in your design appear in a list.
  4. Select ⋯ More next to any text element to expand the semantics options.
  5. Choose from:
    • Paragraph
    • Heading 1–Heading 6
    • Quote
  6. Choose the option that best fits your text element. For example, Heading 1 is typically used for the main title of your design.

Your PDF export will then include the correct tags. All elements default to Paragraph in new designs.

Adding alt text

Make sure all images include alt text or are marked as decorative before exporting your design to a PDF.

Learn more on how to create and edit alt text for your images and elements.

Export a PDF with accessibility tags

  1. Open the design you want to export.
  2. Go to
    Share, then select
    Download.
  3. From the File type, select
    PDF Standard.
  4. Make sure the Flatten PDF checkbox is unchecked. Flattening removes accessibility tags.
  5. Select
    Download. If your design includes paid elements, select Pay and download.

Tip: Accessibility tagging isn’t supported for flattened PDFs.

Troubleshooting common issues

My text tags aren’t showing correctly in my PDF

What can cause this

The design may still use default tags, or you didn’t update the semantics manually before export.

What to do

  1. Go to File, then select Accessibility.
  2. Open Edit text semantics.
  3. Confirm or adjust tags for each text element.
  4. Export again as PDF Standard, and make sure Flatten PDF is unchecked.

My screen reader skips text in the exported PDF

What can cause this

Some built-in browser PDF viewers or macOS Preview may not read accessibility tags properly

What to do

  1. Open the PDF in Adobe Acrobat for the most reliable screen reader experience.
  2. This provides better compatibility with screen readers like NVDA, JAWS, and VoiceOver.
  3. If using VoiceOver, avoid reading the PDF in Safari or Preview

The reading order is incorrect in the exported PDF

What can cause this

Complex layouts or overlapping elements can affect how screen readers move through content.

What to do

  1. Open your design.
  2. Go to Position to view all layers.
  3. Arrange layers in the order you want them read, with the bottom layer read first.
  4. Go to
    Share, then select
    Download.
  5. Then, select Match reading order to layers before downloading the PDF.

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