Canva template links are Pro-only now: what changed and what still works
Short version: since around the end of January 2025 you need a paid plan or a free trial to create a template link. Links you made before kept working, and buyers on a free Canva account can still open them.
What changed in January 2025?
Around the end of January 2025, creating template links became limited to Canva's paid plans and free trials. Before that, sellers on Canva Free could make them. Links created before the change kept working.
So the change hits you the day you need a new link: a new listing, or a replacement for one that broke.
Do your existing links still work?
They should, unless something else happened to them: the design was deleted, the link was deleted, or sharing settings changed. The quick way to know is to open each one as a buyer.
What was the June 2, 2025 email about?
In May 2025 sellers received an email saying that from June 2, 2025, users sharing the owner's email domain would need a paid plan to open or edit shared templates. Sellers reported getting conflicting answers from Canva support, and some buyers reported being told they needed Canva Pro.
As written, the rule was about people on the same email domain as the owner. If a buyer tells you Canva asked them to pay, check the link and check for Pro elements before assuming the rule applies.
Can buyers on a free Canva account still use your template?
Current guides state that free-account buyers can open template links created by a Pro user. The catch is premium content: Pro photos, graphics and fonts show watermarks or payment prompts to buyers on a free account. If your template uses them, say so in the listing or swap them for free elements.
Buyers still need to sign in to Canva to make their copy.
What if you downgrade to Canva Free?
Canva doesn't clearly document what happens to existing links when a paid plan ends. Sellers report that links they had already made kept working, but you cannot create new ones on Free. If a link breaks later, the replacement needs a paid plan or a trial, so test your links signed out after any plan change.
What should sellers do now?
- Keep a list of every live template link and which listing PDF it is in.
- Before you cancel a paid plan, create any template links you will need.
- After any Canva announcement, open each link signed out.
- Tell buyers up front if the template uses Pro elements.
Pro rechecks every saved link as a signed-out buyer each day and emails you the same day one changes, with the screenshot. $9/month, cancel anytime.
Related: every Canva template link change, 2024–2025 and the 6 reasons a link breaks.
FAQ
Can I still make a Canva template link on a free plan?
No. Around the end of January 2025, creating template links became limited to paid plans and free trials.
Will my old template links stop working because of that change?
No. Links created before the change kept working. They can still break for other reasons, such as the design being deleted.
Do customers need Canva Pro to use my template link?
Canva's help page says the person who creates a template link needs a paid plan, and that people on general email domains such as Gmail can still open and edit template links. Canva support has given sellers conflicting answers, and Pro photos, graphics or fonts can show watermarks. Open your own link signed out to see what a buyer gets.
What happens to my template link if my Canva Pro subscription ends?
Canva doesn't clearly document it. Sellers report that template links they had already made kept working after they downgraded to Free, but you cannot create new ones. Open each link signed out after any plan change, and monitor it.
Why does my template link show a crown / ask buyers to pay?
The crown marks a feature that needs a paid plan. If it sits next to Template link in your Share menu, you are on Canva Free and Canva offers a free trial and then payment. If your buyers see a payment prompt, the usual cause is a Pro photo, graphic or font in the design, not the link. Open the link signed out: if it shows Use template, replace the Pro elements with free ones or say so in the listing.