How to make a watermark in Canva

In Canva, add a text box from the Text panel, then use Transparency on the toolbar to make it fainter. To download the mark as a PNG with a transparent background, Canva says you need a paid plan such as Canva Pro or Canva Teams.

Published October 30, 2026. Drafted with AI assistance and checked against the sources linked on this page. How we write our guides.

Canva watermark maker: text and transparency

In Canva, a watermark can be a text box or a logo that you fade with the Transparency setting. Canva says you can adjust transparency on backgrounds, text, elements, photos and videos (Canva).

In the Canva editor on a computer (Canva's help pages give no version number; steps checked October 2026):

1. Open Text from the editor side panel, then choose Add a text box. Pressing T on your keyboard also adds one, per Canva's Design School text guide.
2. Type your name, website or a short phrase.
3. Click the text box you want to edit.
4. On the toolbar above the editor, click Transparency.
5. Click and drag the slider, or enter a value in the field next to it.

Those last three steps follow Canva's transparency page. On a phone, Canva says the toolbar sits below the editor and you may need to swipe along it to find Transparency. Canva's page gives no numeric range for the slider, so we cannot say which value is right for your design. Our watermark opacity guide explains how to judge it by eye.

To use a logo instead, Canva's upload page says to select the Uploads tab, select Upload files, choose the file, and then select it to use it in your design. Because Canva says Transparency works on photos and elements, we expect the same steps to fade an uploaded logo; Canva's upload page does not mention it.

Canva watermark free: what needs a paid plan

Making the mark and setting its transparency is covered by the pages above, and the transparency page names no plan requirement. Downloading with a transparent background is different. Canva says it is only available to Canva Pro, Canva Teams, Canva Business, Canva Education, and Canva for Nonprofits plans, and that Canva Docs cannot download with a transparent background (Canva).

Canva's download-types page lists the paid plans for transparent PNG and SVG a little differently, without Canva Business (Canva). If you are unsure whether your plan counts, check the control itself: Canva says that if you cannot use the feature, you are either not on a paid plan, have not selected the correct file type, or are on Canva Docs.

If you are not on a paid plan, we suggest skipping the transparent PNG. Our logo watermark tool has a text option, so you can type the words there and place them on your photos without a Canva file. It runs in your browser and nothing is uploaded. Free: up to 50 photos per run, and runs are unlimited. No watermark of ours on your photos, ever. Original pixel size; JPEG and WebP are re-encoded at the quality you choose.

Download the Canva watermark as a transparent PNG

A mark saved as a transparent PNG can be laid over any photo later, in Canva or in another tool. Canva says PNG and WebP support transparency, with PNG best for graphics (Canva). In Canva on a computer, on a plan that allows it (steps checked October 2026, from Canva's transparent background page):

1. Set your background colour to white, or delete any existing background by selecting it and selecting the trash icon on the toolbar above the editor.
2. Select Share, then Download.
3. Choose PNG or WebP as the file type.
4. Set the Size and Quality.
5. Toggle Transparent background on.
6. Choose the pages to download, then select Download.

Canva says that if the file did not download with a transparent background, you might not have deleted the background or set its colour to white. A new design starts with a white background. For how to use the finished file, see our guide to a transparent PNG logo.

Put the watermark over a photo

In Canva, upload the photo with the Uploads steps above and select it to add it to the design, then add your text box or logo. Canva's pages we use do not describe layering or positioning, so how you arrange the two is up to you. We suggest placing the mark in a corner, away from the subject; our photography watermark guide covers placement.

To mark many photos at once, open the logo watermark tool, choose Logo, upload your transparent PNG, set the size, position and opacity, and run your photos.

Canva watermark on a video

Canva says Transparency works on videos as well as photos, so a text box or logo on a video design can be made fainter in the same way. Canva lists MP4 as the download type for designs with videos and music (Canva). Canva's pages do not say whether a transparent PNG can be used as a video overlay, so we leave that open. For a finished video file, the video watermark tool adds a text or logo mark in your browser. Free: videos up to 60 seconds. Nothing of ours added. Pro removes the limit; your device sets the rest.

Sources

Checked October 30, 2026.

• www.canva.com/help/transparency
• www.canva.com/design-school/resources/finding-fonts-and-using-text
• www.canva.com/help/upload-media
• www.canva.com/help/transparent-background
• www.canva.com/help/download-file-types