WarpGuides
How to curve text in Canva, and what to do when an arc is not enough
Canva's Curve effect bends a line of text along a circle. For an arch, a wave, a flag or a cut file, make the text here and upload it as a transparent PNG.
To curve text in Canva, select the text box, click Effects on the toolbar, choose Curve under Shape and drag the Curve slider. That runs the line along a circle. For any other shape (an arch with upright letters, a wave, a flag), make the text in a warp tool and upload it to Canva as a transparent PNG.
Steps in Canva
- Add a text box and type your words.
- Select the text box and click Effects on the toolbar.
- In the side panel, under Shape, choose Curve.
- Drag the Curve slider until the circle is as tight as you want. Moving it the other way bends the text the other way.
- To straighten the text again, select Remove effect at the bottom of the panel.
On a phone it is the same effect: tap Effects, then Shape, then Curve.
What Curve can and cannot do
Curve follows a circle: the letters turn as they go round, the way lettering runs around a badge, a coin or a round sticker. For those it is the quickest option there is.
It does not keep the letters upright the way an arch does, and it has no wave, flag, bulge or fisheye. Canva’s help centre points to its TypeCraft app for warping and distorting text, and lists it among the text apps included in paid plans.
Arch, wave or flag text in a Canva design
- Type your words in the generator below, pick a style (Arch for the varsity look, Wave, Flag, Bulge or any of the others) and a font and colour.
- Download the PNG. Its background is transparent.
- In Canva, open Uploads in the side panel, upload the PNG and drag it onto your design. It sits on top of photos and backgrounds like any other element.
Need it bigger later? Set the width before you download: the PNG is made at the size you choose, so it stays sharp instead of being scaled up in Canva.
Going to a cutting machine?
A Cricut or a Silhouette cuts outlines, not pictures. Download the SVG instead of the PNG: it is the curved lettering as a single path, sized in inches, and it opens at that size in Design Space and Silhouette Studio. See how to curve text in Cricut Design Space for the Cricut side.