Format text

AI Summary

Format your text to match your design vision. Change fonts, colors, gradients, sizes, and effects to make your message stand out.

You can format text in:

All design types (presentations, social posts, posters, and more)
Canva Docs (gradients supported only in Design Blocks and Banners)
Design Blocks and Banners

Format basic text

Learn how to add background colors, shadows, and even curving text by adding text effects. Using gradients on text isn’t supported yet.

Change font

Select the text.
On the toolbar, select the font name.
Select a font to apply to your text.

Filter fonts

Select the text.
On the toolbar, select the font name.
On the side panel, select the
filter icon inside the search bar.
Choose your filters. You can filter based on language and price.
Select Apply.

Change font weight

Select the text.
Select the font name.
On the side panel, select the
icon next to the font you’re using.
Select a font weight to apply to your text.

Change font size

Select the text.
On the toolbar, select Font size.
Choose a font size or enter a value in the field. You can also use the
minus or
plus buttons to adjust font size.

Change text color

Select the text.
On the toolbar, select
Text color.
Choose a color to apply to your text.

Change text emphasis (bold, italics, underline, and strikethrough)

Select the text.
On the toolbar, choose from
Bold,
Italics,
Underline, or
Strikethrough.

Change text alignment

Select the text.
On the floating toolbar, select Alignment to change text alignment. Choose from the different alignment options:
Left,
Center,
Right, or
Justify.

Change list style (bullet, numbered, checklist)

Select the text.
On the toolbar above, select List and choose from the different list options:
bullet list or
numbered list.

Adjust letter or line spacing

Select the text.
On the toolbar, select Advanced Settings.
Under Spacing, adjust the line spacing and letter spacing sliders.

Change text to lowercase or uppercase

Select the text.
On the toolbar, select the
aA icon to change your text to lowercase or uppercase.

Advanced text format

To turn text into a subscript or superscript on desktop:

Select a text in the editor.
Go to
Advanced settings, then select More settings.
Under Text position, select either the
Subscript or
Superscript option.
Select
None to remove the superscript or subscript format from your text.

You can also enable Kerning and Ligatures in your design.

Kerning adjusts spacing on particular character pairs where the spacing feels awkward. Ligatures are special glyphs in a font that combine two (or more) characters into one.

To enable/disable Kerning and Ligatures in your design:

Select a text in the editor.
Go to
Advanced settings, then select More settings.
Go to the Advanced tab.
Under Typography, toggle Kerning and Ligatures on or off.
Select Change all.

Kerning is not yet supported when exporting text animations. If your text animation looks different after exporting, you can disable Kerning and export again.

Drive focus to added text, images, or videos by adding border elements. If you encounter issues such as fonts not applying or switching unexpectedly, learn what to do with font editing issues. Add color transitions to your designs: create and use gradients for text, shapes, and more.

FAQs

Can I apply multiple colors to one text box?

Yes. Use gradients to blend up to 10 colors.

Can I save my text formatting as a style?

You can save formatted text as a template or Brand Kit element. Custom gradients save to your document colors.

How do I copy formatting to another text box?

Select the formatted text, then use the Format painter to apply its style elsewhere.

Can I make text vertical in Canva?

Yes, Canva supports vertical text for specific languages and document types. See Use vertical text in Canva to know more.

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