Switching between design tools is part of modern creative workflows. Whether you started a project in Canva for its ease of use and now need Figma's advanced prototyping and component system, or you're inheriting someone else's Canva assets, you need a reliable way to move your work across — without rebuilding everything from scratch. This guide walks you through the fastest method to import Canva designs into Figma, keeping your layers intact and your quality high.
From Canva to Figma — Quick Guide
- Export your Canva design as a PDF Standard file
- Open Figma and install the pdf.to.design plugin
- Drag and drop your PDF into the plugin
- Your Canva design is instantly converted into editable Figma layers
That's it — no manual rebuilding, no third-party websites, no quality loss.
Why move designs from Canva to Figma?
Canva and Figma serve different purposes, and designers often use both. Here's when you'd need to move files between them:
- Advanced prototyping — Figma's prototyping tools (interactions, smart animate, overlays) are far more powerful than Canva's
- Design systems & components — Figma's component and variant system is industry-standard for product teams
- Developer handoff — Engineers expect Figma files for inspect mode, CSS values, and asset exports
- Team collaboration — Product and engineering teams almost universally work in Figma
- Migrating existing assets — Inheriting Canva files from marketing teams and needing to bring them into a Figma workflow
Step-by-step: How to import Canva designs into Figma
Step 1 — Export your Canva design as a PDF
Open your project in Canva and navigate to Share → Download. Under file type, select PDF Standard. This format preserves your layout, typography, and visual fidelity far better than PNG or JPEG for the purposes of layer conversion.
ℹ️ Tip: If your design spans multiple pages, Canva will export all of them in a single PDF — you can choose which pages to import later in the plugin.
Step 2 — Run the pdf.to.design plugin in Figma
In Figma, open the Community panel (or go to ‘Plugins & widgets’ in Figma’s bottom tool bar) and search for pdf.to.design. Click Run.
Step 3 — Upload your PDF to the plugin
With the plugin open, drag and drop your exported Canva PDF directly into the upload area, or click to browse and select your file. Before hitting Import, you have several useful options:
- Select specific pages — Choose which pages from the PDF to bring in, useful for large multi-page Canva decks
- Map missing fonts — If your Canva design uses fonts not installed on your machine, the plugin lets you remap them to available alternatives
- Frame stacking options — Control whether imported frames are placed side by side, stacked vertically, or arranged in a grid
Once configured, click Import.
Step 4 — Edit your Canva design in Figma
Within seconds, your Canva design appears in Figma as a fully structured file. The pdf.to.design plugin converts the PDF into editable Figma layers, including vector shapes, text elements, and image assets. From here, you can:
- Edit text and swap fonts
- Adjust colors and styles
- Add interactions and prototyping flows
- Attach components from your design system
- Hand off directly to developers via Figma's Dev Mode
Benefits of using pdf.to.design for Canva to Figma conversion
No rebuilding from scratch. The most obvious win — instead of recreating your design element by element inside Figma, the plugin does the heavy lifting automatically.
Editable layers, not flat images. A common workaround is to export Canva as PNG and place the image in Figma. The problem? You can't edit anything. pdf.to.design gives you real, editable vector and text layers.
Multi-page support. If you're migrating a full Canva presentation, pitch deck, or multi-screen UI, you can import all pages in one go and select exactly what you need.
Works entirely inside Figma. There's no need to upload your files to external websites or run desktop conversion software. Everything happens inside your existing Figma workflow.
Font remapping. Canva has its own font library that doesn't always match what's available in Figma. The plugin's font mapping feature prevents ugly substitutions.
Give it a try!
Moving designs from Canva to Figma doesn't have to mean hours of manual rework. With the pdf.to.design plugin, the entire process takes just a few minutes: export a PDF from Canva, drop it into the plugin, and walk away with editable Figma layers.
Whether you're a solo designer bridging two tools, or a team migrating a library of Canva marketing assets into your Figma design system, this workflow gets it done without compromising quality.
FAQ
Can I import Canva to Figma for free? Yes — pdf.to.design has a free tier that lets you import a limited number of pages. For larger projects or unlimited imports, a paid plan is available.
Does Canva have a native Figma export? As of writing this post, Canva does not offer a direct "Export to Figma" option. The PDF-via-plugin method described here is the most reliable workaround.
Will my Canva fonts transfer to Figma? If the fonts used in your Canva design are also available in Figma (either installed on your machine or available via Google Fonts), they'll transfer correctly. If not, pdf.to.design's font remapping feature lets you substitute them before importing.
Can I import a Canva presentation into Figma? Absolutely. Export your Canva presentation as a multi-page PDF, then use pdf.to.design to import all slides. Each page becomes a separate Figma frame.
What's the best file format to export from Canva before importing to Figma? PDF Standard is the recommended format for full-page layout exports. For isolated vector graphics, SVG can also work, though results vary.
Does pdf.to.design work with Canva Pro designs? Yes. It doesn't matter whether your Canva design was created on the free or Pro plan — as long as you can export a PDF from Canva, the plugin can import it into Figma.