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How to Merge Canva Designs the Easy Way

You’ve created two great designs and you’re thrilled about it! The only problem is that you wish you could merge them into one amazing design. How can you merge two designs together in Canva?

To merge two designs in Canva select and copy all of the elements in one of your designs and paste them into your other design, which will merge them. If you don’t have a lot of changes to make, another option is to download a static image of one of your designs and upload it into your other design.

There isn’t a quick and easy “merge” button in Canva. Jeff Probst isn’t going to celebrate your merge with a feast and new buffs (any Survivor fans out there?). 

But, despite needing to take a few steps, merging your designs in Canva is pretty simple. And, luckily, we’re about to walk through it together.

How to Merge Two Canva Designs By Copying and Pasting

The easiest way to merge two Canva designs is to copy and paste them. Click and drag your mouse across your entire design to select all of the elements in your first design and copy them. Go to your second design and paste the elements from your first design into it.

The reason I prefer this merging method is because it gives you more control over your designs. 

Once merged, you’ll still be able to individually manipulate your design elements, which gives you the power to create a new and unique design out of your two merged designs.

one canva design copied and pasted to another

Another perk with this merging method is that you can decide to merge the entirety of your designs, or just pieces of them. Let’s say you only have a few elements of your first design that you want to merge into your second design.

With this method, it’s easy to do that!

Let’s walk through the steps of merging your two Canva designs with copying and pasting.

1. Go to your first design.

It doesn’t matter which of your two designs you choose. That said, if you have a design that has a lot more elements than the other, it will make your life a tad bit easier to start with the design that has fewer elements. 

2. Click and drag your mouse across all of your elements.

Start by clicking your mouse outside of your design and hold down. Drag your mouse across your entire design so that the entire thing is selected.

selecting canva design elements

If you only want to merge a few elements from one design to another, just drag and select those few elements. You may have to copy and paste the elements individually, so just repeat these steps for each element. 

3. Hit Command C to copy your elements.

Once you have your elements selected, hit Command C (⌘C) to copy them. You can also right click or two finger click on your design and then click the “Copy” button.

4. Go to your second design and paste your elements into it.

Navigate to your second design and paste the elements from your first design into it. You can do this by hitting Command V (⌘V). You can also right click or two finger click on your design and then click the “Paste” button.

one canva design copied and pasted to another

If your two designs are different sizes, keep in mind that your design elements may need to be resized after you paste them. 

I have a full guide about copying and pasting designs in Canva that’s worth checking out if you want to learn more.

How to Merge Two Canva Designs with a Static Image

If you have a design that you won’t need to make any changes too, merge it into another design as a static image. To do this, download your first design as a PNG file and upload it to your second design. With your first design as an image, it’s easy to add it to your second design.

I would only suggest using this option if you plan to use one design as the background for your other design once you merge them. Or, if you are trying to add multiple, separate designs to one page.

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This is because a static image is…static. All of the elements are essentially stuck together and can’t be manipulated individually. This means you can’t bring some forwards and some backwards. The entire image will either be in front or behind the elements on your second design.

You also can’t resize any of the elements individually. You can only resize the entire image itself. 

So, this option isn’t good if you need to manipulate the elements of your first design. It’s a really good option if you plan to use it as a background though. 

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As a background, you don’t want all of the individual elements getting in the way. Simply stretch it over your canvas and you’re good to go. Or, as a separate design, a static image is easy to position next to your other designs.

you got this with rainbow paint design
Since the designs just sit right next to each other, this is a good example where using a static image makes sense.

Here’s how to merge your two designs with a static image. 

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1. Go to the design that you want to create a static image of.

This is the design that will become your background. Make sure it’s finalized. Once you download it as a static image, you won’t be able to change it.

2. Download your design as a transparent PNG file.

PNG files are high quality, so they’re a good choice for maintaining the resolution of your design. They’re also great because they can be made transparent. This means that you won’t have a background between your design elements.

Simply click on the “Download” button, choose the “PNG” button, and check the “Transparent background” box.

To download a transparent PNG, you will need Canva Pro.

canva download png with transparent background

3. Go to your second design and drag your PNG file into it.

Once you’ve downloaded your first design as a PNG, go to your second design and drag the PNG file into it.

4. Position the PNG file as the background of your design or within your design.

Resize and move your PNG file as needed around the canvas of your second design. 

With your first design as a static image, it won’t get in the way of manipulating the elements of your second design on top of it. 

Alright, now that we’ve talked about two different ways to merge Canva documents, let’s talk about what you need to do if the designs you need to merge are in two separate Canva accounts.

canva adding one design to another design

How to Merge Two Canva Designs From Different Accounts

To merge two Canva designs from two different Canva accounts, click the “Share” button at the top of your design. Enter the email address of the Canva account you want to share the design with. This will allow you to access the design and merge it with your other design.

Being able to share designs across different Canva accounts is a really neat Canva feature. It makes it so much easier to collaborate with others and create shared designs. 

Here’s what you need to do:

1. Go to the Canva design you want to share.

If you’re working within a team, decide who will be the one to ultimately work with the designs and merge them. That’s the person you’ll want to share your design with.

If that person is you, make sure your team is taking these steps to share their designs with you.

2. Click the “Share” button and enter the email address of the Canva account you want to share your design with.

Again, if that person is you, make sure your teammates are entering your Canva email account to share their designs with you.

canva share button

3. Find the design in your Canva account.

You’ll get an email that a design has been shared with you. You can also access designs that are shared with you in the “Shared with you” tab on the left-hand side of your Canva dashboard.

canva shared with you tab

4. Merge your designs as usual.

Once you have access to the design you need, you can merge it with your other design. To do so, use one of the techniques we’ve already talked about.

Being able to merge two Canva designs gives you a lot of freedom to create individual designs without worrying about whether you can add to them in the future or not. 

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You can create individual designs without having a future plan for them. Someday, you may merge them into one, two, or even countless future designs. This gives you so many more options for repurposing your design work and maximizing its creative potential.

Canva has a lot of amazing features to offer, and merging designs is definitely one of them!

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