A quick question and answer today, just because I see this being asked a lot, and finding (or not) finding the answer can be frustrated because there isn’t a simple “click of the button” solution.
In a nutshell, to rotate in Canva, you’ll have to change the dimensions of your design. Don’t worry, it’s a lot easier than it sounds, so stick with me.
The only tiny hurdle is, you need to have a Canva Pro membership in order to do so. But, you can grab a free trial here for 30 days if needed. I also like to mention that Fiverr and Upwork are great design resources if you have a project you’d just like to hand off to someone else like a freelancer who can complete it for you.
How to Rotate a Page in Canva to Landscape
To rotate a page in Canva to landscape view:
- Click “resize” towards the top left of the screen.
- Then, swap the currently listed width and height dimensions. Meaning, if you have an 8.5×11 canvas, you’ll make the width 11 inches and the height 8 inches.
- Last, click “resize” to resize your current design, or, click “copy and resize” to keep your original as is while creating a new design with the new dimensions.
As you can see, you must resize your design completely. Meaning, there isn’t a way to click a button and flip your canvas into a landscape orientation or into a vertical orientation.
Here is an example—let’s say I had this vertical, standard 8.5×11 eBook that I wanted to “rotate” to a landscape orientation.
I’d go up to “resize” and enter 11 for the width (inches) and then 8.5 for the height. Of course, you can use any dimensions you’d like, and Canva also provides a number of sized options for you to transform designs into presentations, social media graphics, and more.
After doing so, I’d be left with the output below. As you can see, you’d need to clean things up a little in order to get your previously perfectly-fitting elements stacked up the way you’d like in the new landscape orientatio,
The easiest way I’ve found of doing so is to just select all and then drag it all together to make larger. Some elements, like the binding in this case need to be moved to the left edge, etc.
After a quick minute of rearranging, I’m left with the product below. Depending on the amount of elements you have, this step is could be a breeze or could require a bit of tinkering.
Meaning, if it was just a photo and a headline, it would be pretty easy, but a full page out of an eBook might take some time.
Same thing to rotate to A4 or other pre-set dimensions. Just go to “resize” and then search for the type of document you need. In this case, if I search “A4” I’ll see these options.
Don’t let the “cm” throw you off—once selected, you can toggle to inches and see the A4 dimensions of 8.268×11.693.
All in all, rotating a page in Canva isn’t as easy as you might be used to doing in other programs, but I’m sure there is good reason for it.
My thinking is, you’re typically creating with a specific goal in mind with Canva. So, while having the option to flip my vertical eBook to be more landscape, Canva is guessing that you’re doing so in order to turn it into a presentation or a social media graphic, etc., so why not provide that option of choosing the output upfront.
As always, let me know if you have any questions or need any additional help!
Or, just pay $5 or so for someone on Fiverr (or find someone on Upwork) to create whatever it is you need for you. I’ve definitely swallowed my pride a few times and just hired a freelancer on Fiverr for quick turnaround, and often receiving something better than I could have done myself.
