Download designs with a password
Add a password when you download your design as a PDF Standard. Anyone who opens the PDF will need the password.
- Password protection is available only for PDF Standard exports.
- Canva cannot upload password-protected PDFs.
Add a password to your downloaded PDF
- Open the design you want to download.
- From the editor, go to Share, and then select Download.
- Choose PDF Standard as the File type.
- If your design has multiple pages, select the pages you want to download, then choose Done.
- Select Password protection.
- Accept the suggested password or enter your own password for the PDF. Share the password with anyone who needs to open the file.
- Copy or note the password. Then select Download.
- Open the downloaded PDF and enter the password to check it works.
Why password-protected PDFs cannot be uploaded
If your PDF has a password, you cannot upload it to Canva. Remove the password, then upload the file again. Canva cannot remove passwords from PDFs, so it cannot read password-protected files.
Remove password protection before uploading
To upload your PDF to Canva, remove the password protection using the software that created it.
Check password protection if your PDF uploads successfully
If a PDF that should be protected still uploads and is editable in Canva, check the original PDF to make sure the password is turned on.
Review password protection limits
- File format: You can add a password only to PDFs you export as PDF Standard.
- Password storage: Canva does not store passwords after export. If you forget the password, the only option is to re-export the design and set a new one.
- Viewer compatibility: Open the protected PDF in a PDF reader that supports passwords.
- Upload: Remove the password before you upload your PDF to Canva.
Use secure or private links instead of passwords
To control who can view your design, use Canva’s secure or private link sharing instead of password-protected downloads.
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