How To Create Vertical Text In Canva (Step By Step)

Have you ever created a design in Canva that could use some vertical text to make it perfect, but you end up scrapping the idea because of the hassle it takes to create the vertical text? Most Canva users create vertical text by typing a letter, hitting enter, typing the next letter, hitting enter, and repeating this process until you finish the text. Today, I will show you a much faster way to do this, so you never have to scrap a vertical text design again.

You will learn below how squeezing the bounding box of your text will format it vertically, and I’ll also teach you a shortcut to adding extra vertical text. I will cover how to rotate your vertical text and add a bit of polish. Finally, I will show you how to adjust the character spacing of your vertical text to make it as pleasant looking as possible.

Step 1: Add Your Text To The Canvas

To create vertical text with this method, we first need some text to work with.

Click on the Text Tab in the Side Menu and then click on Add A Little Bit Of Body Text. You can also quickly add some text by pressing T.

A text box will appear on your canvas. Double-click on it to add your text.

After placing your text box onto the canvas, the text itself might not be large enough to do the editing required.

To make the text larger, move the text to the middle of the screen and stretch it out with the corner handle of the text.

Step 2: Squeeze the Bounding Box

With your text on the canvas and at a reasonable size, I will show you how to turn your horizontal text into vertical text.

Click on your text, and you will see a purple bounding box surrounding your text. On each corner of the bounding box is a white circle known as a Corner Handle. In-between each corner handle on the right and left sides of the bounding box, you will find a Side Handle.

To turn your horizontal text into vertical text, click and hold on either one of the Side Handles and drag toward the other handle.

When you squeeze the bounding box surrounding your text, you may find your text expands outside your canvas. You can fix the expanded text by selecting your text and using the Text Size Button to shrink the text down to where you need it.

Now that your text is a good size for your design, it’s time to change your font. You can do this by selecting your text and clicking the Font Style Box in the Top Menu. This will open up a long list of fonts that Canva allows you to choose from.

One final thing before we move on to the next step, make sure to pick the alignment of your text by clicking the Alignment Icon. This will align your text within the bounding box.

You can align your text to the left, right, and center. For vertical text, it’s best to ensure it’s aligned in the center, but it’s up to you and your design.

Step 3: Add Any Additional Vertical Text

Now that your first piece of text is laid out, now it’s time to add any additional text if you have any.

To speed things up, select your text and click on the Duplicate button instead of adding in a brand new text box. This will add an exact duplication of the previous text that you made.

Click inside your new text box and type your second piece of text.

Step 4: Polish Your Vertical Text (Optional)

All your vertical text is now in place, and it’s time to polish what you’ve made. These polishes are optional, and at the end of the day, it all depends on your design.

The first thing you can do is rotate the text in Canva. Click on your text and use the Rotate button on the bottom to skew your text left or right.

Now that your design is officially in the correct position, you can add an effect to your text to make it shine.

Select the text to add an effect to it, then click on the Effects button.

Now that your text is polished, add any layers you need to and congratulate yourself on a job well done.

How To Adjust Character Spacing Of Vertical Text In Canva

There is one last aspect of your vertical text that you can adjust: the character spacing between the text.

You can adjust the character spacing of your text by selecting your text and clicking on the Character Spacing Button in the Top Menu.

When you click on the Character Spacing Button, the first option is the Letter Spacing Slider. This option is mainly used for horizontal text as the effect isn’t very helpful for vertical text. You can ignore this option for vertical text.

To space vertical text, use the Line Spacing Slider.

Before we dive into using the Line Spacing Slider, first, let’s go over an essential part of using this slider: the Anchor Text Box Option.

It’s important to decide where your text will be anchored before adjusting the line spacing.

I’ll show you below the extremes of how far you can adjust your line spacing, but in your actual designs, it’s best to adjust your spacing somewhere in the middle.

The first anchor option is the top anchor option which can be selected by clicking the Top Anchor Button. Using this option will bolt the first letter of your text in place while the rest of the text moves up and down with the Line Spacing Slider.

The second anchor option lets you anchor your line spacing to the middle of your text by clicking the Middle Anchor Button. This will bolt the center of your text in place while the top and bottom parts of your text are adjusted with the Line Spacing Slider.

The third anchor option anchors the last letter of your text in place by clicking on the Bottom Anchor Button. The rest of the text will be adjusted as you move the Line Spacing Slider.

Using the Line Spacing Slider can be very beneficial for not just the look of the text itself but for adding new elements and layering images or graphics to your design.