How To Unlock Aspect Ratio In Canva (Step By Step!)

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I know how frustrating it can be when you’re trying to create designs in Canva but can’t change the aspect ratio.

You want to unlock those options so you can truly customize your projects, but not able to figure out how to do it.

Well don’t worry, I’m here to help walk you through exactly how to unlock aspect ratio in Canva, step-by-step.

In this quick guide, I’ll show you how to access the aspect ratio settings so you can adjust your aspect ratio however you’d like.

With just a few simple clicks, you’ll have full control over the dimensions of your design, images, videos, presentations, and more.

Stick with me and you’ll be customizing the aspect ratio in Canva in no time!

Table of Contents

How To Unlock Aspect Ratio In Canva (Step By Step)

Below are the steps that you can follow to unlock aspect ratio in Canva:

1. How To Unlock the Aspect Ratio Of a Text

Open a recent design from the Canva homepage and then click on the text element whose aspect ratio you want to change in Canva.

For example, I will click on the ‘Collection’ text element for demonstration purposes.

After selecting the text element, click on the ‘Position’ button from the top toolbar.

Now a new menu will open on the left-hand side. Under the ‘Ratio’ section, you will notice a ‘Lock’ icon.

To unlock the aspect ratio, simply click on the ‘Lock’ icon to unlock the aspect ratio of your selected text element.

Now your ‘Lock’ icon will get unlocked which means that you can easily change the aspect ratio of the text element.

To change the aspect ratio of the text element, enter the new dimensions under the ‘Advanced’ section.

After entering the new dimensions, press the ‘Enter’ key from your keyboard to apply those changes to your design.

2. How To Unlock Aspect Ratio Of a Photo

The process of unlocking the aspect ratio of a photo is the same as unlocking the aspect ratio of a text element.

Just click on the ‘Lock’ icon from the position panel to unlock the photo’s aspect ratio.

To change the aspect ratio of a photo, you can either enter your desired dimensions under the ‘Advanced’ section as mentioned above.

Or you can double-click on the photo whose aspect ratio you would like to change.

Note: Make sure that your image is not inside a frame. Otherwise, you won’t be able to change the aspect ratio of the image.

After selecting the image, a new menu will open on the left-hand side.

Under the ‘Aspect Ratio’ section, hover your cursor at the right-hand side of the aspect ratio options to get access to the ‘Arrow’ button.

Click on that ‘Arrow’ button to get access to more aspect ratio options.

After going through all the aspect ratio options, click on the aspect ratio of your liking.

Once you click on your desired aspect ratio, you will notice a new purple boundary on your image.

You can also position your image inside the new boundary by dragging the image from left to right or top to bottom.

After repositioning your image, click on the ‘Done’ button at the bottom of the new menu to apply those changes to your image.

3. How To Unlock Aspect Ratio Of An Element

You cannot change the aspect ratio of all the elements in Canva, you can only change the aspect ratio of the shapes.

So, click on a shape on your design and then click on the ‘Position’ button from the top toolbar.

For example, I will click on the ‘Star’ shape on my design for demonstration purposes.

Now under the ‘Advanced’ section, click on the ‘Lock’ icon to unlock your aspect ratio. Then enter the new dimensions in the height and width section to change the current aspect ratio of the selected shape

After entering the new dimensions, make sure to press the ‘Enter’ key from your keyboard to apply those changes to your shape.

But if you click on any other element, other than the shape. Then you won’t be able to click on the ‘Lock’ icon. The ‘Lock’ icon will become unclickable.

This means that you won’t be able to change the aspect ratio of that selected element.

How To Change Aspect Ratio Using IMAGY

You can also use IMAGY (a free third-party tool) to change the aspect ratio of a JPG, JPEG, PNG, or GIF file.

Go to IMAGY and then click on the ‘Select File’ button to upload your desired file. Or simply drag and drop your desired image in the upload box.

After uploading your image on IMAGY, scroll down to find the preview of the image.

On the left side of the ‘Preview’, you will notice a few options to edit your image. Click on the ‘Choose Ratio’ menu to select an aspect ratio for your image.

From the ‘Choose Ratio’ menu, click on the ‘Custom Ratio’ button to enter custom dimensions in the boxes and then hit the ‘Apply’ button.

Now a new boundary box will appear on the image according to the dimensions inserted.

Lastly, click on the ‘Download’ button at the end to save your image with a new aspect ratio on your computer.

FAQ- How To Unlock Aspect Ratio In Canva

Below are a few frequently asked questions:

How Do You Lock Proportions In Canva?

To lock proportions in Canva, click on the element and then on the ‘Position’ button from the top toolbar. Now from the new menu on the left-hand side, enter your desired dimensions under the ‘Advanced’ section. After entering your dimension, click on the ‘Unlocked’ icon to lock your proportions.

How Do You Change Aspect Ratio In Canva?

To change the aspect ratio of the entire canvas in Canva, click on the ‘Resize’ button from the top of your screen. Now under the ‘Custom Size’ section, you can enter your desired dimensions.

Or click on a design type under the ‘All’ section to change the aspect ratio of the canvas in Canva. Lastly, click on the ‘Copy & Resize’ button at the bottom.

Wrapping Up

And there you have it – an easy way to unlock custom aspect ratios in Canva for total design freedom!

I hope this quick tip showed you how adjusting your settings gives you control over aspect ratio and dimension.

My advice is to play around with it and see how custom ratios can improve your designs.

Let me know in the comments if you have any other questions regarding Canva, i would love to help you out.

And feel free to share this with designer friends who might be struggling with aspect ratio settings in Canva.

Thanks for reading, and happy designing!