Creating accessible designs in Canva ensures your content is inclusive for people with visual, auditory, or cognitive disabilities. With new updates as of early 2026, Canva has significantly streamlined these features to help creators meet modern accessibility standards (like WCAG 2.2).

The Primary Tool: Design Accessibility Checker

The first step in any project should be running Canva's built-in auditor.

How to access: Go to File > Accessibility > Check design accessibility.

What it flags: It scans your entire design for three critical categories: 

• Typography
• Color Contrast
• Alternative (Alt) Text

Clear text is the foundation of accessible design. Canva now includes features to manage "semantic" structure, which helps screen readers understand the hierarchy of your information.

• Font Choice: Stick to clean, sans-serif fonts (e.g., Open Sans, Montserrat, or Arial). Avoid overly decorative or "script" fonts for body text.
• Hierarchy (New for 2026): Use the Edit Text Semantics tool (found under the Accessibility menu) to explicitly tag text as H1, H2, or Body. This ensures screen readers read the title before the subheader.
• Size: Aim for a minimum of 12pt for print and 16px for digital body text.
   

Low contrast is the most common accessibility error. Canva’s checker will provide a "Pass/Fail" rating based on the 4.5:1 contrast ratio required for standard text.

• Contrast Fixer: If a text box is flagged, Canva offers a "Fix for me" button that automatically shifts the color to the nearest accessible shade.
• Don't Rely on Color Alone: If you are creating a chart or a list, use symbols (like * or !) or patterns in addition to color to convey meaning (e.g., don't just use a red circle for "error" and green for "success").
   

Alt text describes images for users who cannot see them.

• How to add: Right-click any image or element and select Alternative Text.
• What to write: Be concise. Instead of "Image of a dog," write "A golden retriever sitting in the grass."
• Decorative Elements: If a shape or line is just for "vibes" and doesn't add info, check the "Mark as decorative" box so screen readers skip it.