How To Outline Text In Canva (In One Click !)

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I totally get the struggle of wanting your text to stand out in Canva.

I’ve been there too!

When I first started creating social media posts and thumbnails in Canva for my small blog, I wanted my headings and text to pop.

But they always seemed to get lost on the page.

That was until I figured out “How To Outline Text In Canva” – it was a game changer!

Outlining creates that bold, prominent text you need to draw people in.

So let’s take a look at how you can outline your text layers in Canva.

Table of Contents

How To Outline Text In Canva

Follow the below steps to outline text in Canva:

1. Open Canva Homepage

Go to the Canva website.

If you don’t have an account, sign up for a free account by clicking on the ‘Sign Up’ button from the top right corner of the screen.

Or log in if you already have an account by clicking on the ‘Login’ button from the same top right corner of the screen.

Once you’re logged in or signed up, you’ll be directed to the Canva homepage.

2. Open a Recent Design/ New Design

If you want to outline the text of an old design, then look for the ‘Recent Designs’ section on the Canva homepage.

This section shows the projects that you’ve worked on in the past.

Click on the project whose text you want to outline.

As a result of which the project will open on a new window with a left sidebar.

Or If you want to outline the text of a new design, then click on the ‘Create a Design’ button and choose a design type from the available options.

Once you found the design type you like, click on it. As a result of which a new blank canvas will appear with a left sidebar.

Note: for this tutorial, I will create a new design type (logo).

3. Add Text On Your Design

Once you have a blank canvas in front of you, click on the ‘Text’ button from the left sidebar to add text to your canvas.

This will open a new menu in front of you, choose a text style from the available options such as default text styles, font combinations, etc.

Click on the text style that you like the most, and then type in your desired text.

Note: If you choose to open a recent design then your text element will already be on your design. So, there is no need to add any new text element. People who are working on a recent design can skip this step and move ahead.

4. Apply Effects

After adding text elements in Canva, it is time to outline the text by applying effects.

Click on the text element ones, as a result of which a top toolbar will appear. Click on the ‘Effects’ button from the top toolbar and the effects menu will open in front of you.

There are two effects that can help you outline your text:

a) Splice Effect

Click on the ‘Splice’ effect from the new effects menu on the left side, then drag the ‘Offset’ slider towards the left side (0), and then set the ‘Thickness’ of the effect according to your need.

If you move the thickness slider towards the left side (0), the outline will become thinner. And if you move the thickness slider towards the right side (100), the outline will become thicker.

Click on the ‘Color’ button from the same effects menu to change the color of the inner portion of the text.

Now choose a color from ‘Default Colors’ or use ‘Color Picker Slider’ to find your desired color. Once you found the color that you like, click on it to change the color of the inside text.

If you want to change the color of the outline, then click on the ‘Text Color’ button or ‘A’ icon from the top toolbar.

Now once again the color menu will open, click on the color that you like the most to change the color of the outline.

b) Outline Effect

Click on the ‘Outline’ effect from the effects menu on the left side. Then drag the ‘Thickness’ slider towards the right side (100) for a thicker outline or drag the ‘Thickness’ slider towards the left side (0) for a thinner outline.

Note: you can also change the color of the inner text as well as outline text by following the same steps explained above.

5. Download Your Design

Once you get satisfied with the results in front of you, it’s time to download your design.

Click on the ‘Share’ button from the top right corner of the screen and then further on the ‘Download’ button.

Now set the file type to ‘PNG’ or ‘JPG’ and the click on ‘Download’ button again.

Note: if you want to later use this text as your logo then make sure to tick on the ‘Transparent Background’ box before clicking on the ‘Download’ button.

FAQ on How To Outline Text In Canva

Creating outline text in Canva is quite straightforward. However, there may be some questions about this process which we’ve answered below:

How Do You Outline a Shape In Canva?

To outline a shape in Canva, add 2 similar shapes from the ‘Elements’ button on the left sidebar.

Then resize one shape to make it bigger than the other and also change the color by clicking on the ‘Color’ button from the top toolbar.
Now you will have 2 shapes in front of you.

The first shape will be in the exact same size and color and the second shape will be bigger in size and will have a different color.
Then drag one shape on top of the other and from the top toolbar click on the ‘Position’ button and then on the ‘Backward’ button.

Is There An Outline Tool in Canva?

Canva does not have an in-build outline tool.

You can either manually outline the text as explained above or use any other editing tool like Photoshop which contains an outline tool feature.

Although editing tools like this are not free and always charge a lot of money. So, my suggestion will be to use Canva only.

Before You Leave

So, I hope I was able to solve your query on ‘How To Outline Text In Canva’.

If you have any questions or queries, make sure to comment below. I would love to answer them for you.

If you think other people can also benefit from this article, make sure to share it with your friends and family.

Thank You

Rohit Lohia

Hey there! I’m Rohit Lohia, a passionate SEO enthusiast and the proud founder of Branded Bucks. I’m all about helping small business owners achieve success online through my blog. Join me on this exciting journey as we explore ways to make money online and build a thriving digital presence.