Big Change Coming to Canva Template Links: What It Means for Free and Paid Users (Effective June 2025)
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Now on to our main topic today:
Big Change Coming to Canva Template Links: What It Means for Free and Paid Users (Effective June 2, 2025)
If you’re a small business owner, social media manager, or content creator who uses Canva to share templates with your team or audience—there’s a big update you need to know about. Starting June 2, 2025, Canva Template Links will become a premium-only feature.
That means if you’re on Canva’s free plan, you’ll lose the ability to create and (in some cases) open shared templates unless you upgrade. Let’s break down exactly what’s changing, what’s staying the same, and what you should do to prepare.
What Are Canva Template Links?
Canva Template Links allow you to share a project or design as a reusable template. Instead of giving someone editing access to your design, they can click the link and open a brand-new copy they can customize themselves and only they have access.
This feature is widely used by:
Creators who sell Canva templates
Coaches and educators who give design resources to students
Small Businesses using digital downloads as freebies or lead magnets
Marketing teams sharing branded content with multiple collaborators
If you’ve ever clicked a “Use this Canva template” link, that’s what we’re talking about.
What’s Changing with Canva Template Links in June 2025?
Here’s Canva’s official announcement:
“Starting June 2, 2025, Template Links will become a premium feature, included for paid users, but not for free users.”
Here’s what that means:
Free users will no longer be able to create new Canva Template Links
Free users may not be able to open or edit Template Links if they share the same email domain as the creator of the template (this applies to teams or companies with matching domains)
Only paid Canva users (Pro, Teams, Education, Enterprise) will retain full Template Link functionality
If you’re a free Canva user who relies on templates for sharing content or collaborating with others—this is a significant shift.
What Stays the Same?
This change only applies to the creation and access of template links going forward. A few things are not affected:
Existing Template Links: All links created before June 2, 2025, will continue to work—whether you’re on a free or paid plan.
Paid Users: If you’re on a Canva Pro, Teams, or Enterprise plan, you’ll still be able to create and share Template Links without disruption.
Regular Design Sharing: You can still share editable Canva designs for collaboration the same way as before—this change is specific to “use as a template” links.
🤔 Can Free Canva Users Still Open Shared Template Links?
This is the part that’s a little unclear, so let’s break it down.
Canva's update clearly states:
“From June 2, 2025, free users who share the same email domain as the owner of a Template Link will need to be on a paid plan to open or edit shared templates.”
So what does that actually mean?
👌 If you’re a free user with a personal email address (like Gmail or Yahoo) and someone on Canva Pro shares a template link with you, you may still be able to open and use it—at least for now. Canva hasn’t said otherwise.
\274c But if you’re a free user using a custom email domain (like @yourcompany.com) and the template link was created by someone in your organization, you’ll need to be on a paid Canva plan to access it after June 2.
TL;DR: It’s unclear if all free users will lose access to opening templates from Pro users, but domain-based restrictions will apply for teams and businesses.
We'll be watching for more updates from Canva, and we’ll revise this post if new information is released.
Why Is Canva Making This Change?
According to Canva, the goal is to:
Support brand consistency
Improve template security and version control
Make collaboration easier within teams using paid features
By requiring Template Links to be a premium feature, Canva is likely aiming to encourage more users to upgrade while also protecting branded design assets used across businesses.
If your business depends on keeping designs aligned across multiple users (especially virtual assistants, designers, or clients), using templates as a locked base is a key part of that.
👩💼 Who Will This Affect Most?
This update impacts three groups most directly:
1. Free Canva Users Sharing Templates
If you’ve been creating and selling or distributing Canva templates using a free account, you’ll need to upgrade to continue doing so.
2. Team Members with Matching Domains
If your team members have emails like @yourbusiness.com, and you send them template links, they’ll also need to be on a paid plan to open them starting in June.
3. Educators or Influencers Who Share Templates With Their Audience Using a Free Canva account
If you offer templates as lead magnets, freebies, or course resources, you'll need to make sure you're using a paid plan or invite your audience into a Canva Team if they’re part of your organization.
💸 Should You Upgrade to Canva Pro?
If you’re serious about using Canva for your business, this might be the push you need to consider a Canva Pro or Canva for Teams plan.
Here’s what you get when you upgrade:
👉 Unlimited Template Link creation
👉 Team collaboration tools
👉 Brand kits for consistent colors and fonts
👉 Background remover
👉 Premium stock photos, videos, and elements
👉 Unlimited folders for organizing designs
For template sellers and digital product creators, Canva Pro is a must-have—especially now that template sharing is becoming a gated feature.
How to Prepare for the Canva Template Link Update
Here’s what you can do to stay ahead:
Audit your current templates
→ Recreate or back up any free templates you’ve shared that others rely on.Upgrade if needed
→ If you create templates for clients or your audience, Canva Pro will now be essential.Communicate with collaborators
→ Let your team or clients know if they’ll need a paid plan to access certain designs after June 2.Switch to Team invites for internal users
→ Canva recommends adding people to your Canva Team if they have the same domain as you—this helps avoid access issues.
TL;DR: Canva Template Link Sharing Will Require Canva Pro
Here’s the short version:
Starting June 2, 2025, free Canva users won’t be able to create or (in some cases) open Template Links
Existing links stay active, no changes there
If you’re using Canva for your business or selling templates, Canva Pro is now essential
This change may feel frustrating, but it’s part of a broader shift toward more professional, secure design systems. If templates are a big part of your workflow, it’s worth upgrading—or exploring Canva for Teams.
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✍️ Final Thoughts
This Canva change might be a bump in the road for free users, but it also reflects a growing need for more secure, streamlined design systems—especially for businesses and teams.
If you rely on templates to run your business, now’s the time to get organized, upgrade your plan, and double down on using Canva strategically. Canva Pro is the cost of a couple of coffees per month. Canva is such a powerful platform for small businesses and creators, it’s definitely worth it!
Manu Muraro is the founder of Your Social Team, which helps small entrepreneurs grow their business through content marketing, especially email and Instagram.
In 2021 Manu launched Your Template Club, one of the first Canva Template for Instagram subscriptions in the world to provide social media managers and small business owners with content templates designed for engagement.
Manu has also more recebtly started the first Instagram Reels Award Show, The Reelies Awards and an email marketing membership, Your Inbox Team.
Born and raised in Brazil, Manu moved to the U.S. in 2000 right out of college to work for Cartoon Network, where she made an award winning career in creative and strategy.