Add elements, duplicate, group, nudge and re-order layers without hunting through menus. Mac and Windows.
Canva's most underused shortcuts are the single letters that drop new elements straight onto the page: T for a text box, R for a rectangle, C for a circle and L for a line. Because they only fire when you're not actively typing, you can move from placing a shape to editing its text and back without touching the side panel. For anyone building a layout quickly, that rhythm — drop, type, drop — is most of the speed.
The editing core mirrors other design tools. ⌘/Ctrl + D duplicates the selected element in place, ⌘/Ctrl + G groups several so they move together, and the bracket keys re-order the stack: ⌘/Ctrl + ] and [ nudge an element forward or back one layer, while adding Option/Alt sends it all the way to the front or back. Combined with arrow-key nudging — hold Shift to move in bigger steps — you can fine-tune a composition entirely from the keyboard.