How to do hanging indent on Canva

A hanging indent is often used in bibliographies or lists where the first line is aligned to the left, while the subsequent lines are indented.

While Canva doesn't have a dedicated "hanging indent" tool, you can create the effect manually with a few simple steps.

In this guide, I’ll show you how to achieve a hanging indent in Canva.

How to Do a Hanging Indent on Canva: A Step-by-Step Guide

Step 1: Open Your Canva Design

Log into Canva and open the design where you want to create the hanging indent.

If you’re starting from scratch, click on "Create a design" and choose the canvas size you need.

Step 2: Add Text to Your Design

If you haven’t already added text, click on the “Text” option in the left-hand toolbar.

Select “Add a heading” or “Add a subheading” to insert your text. Type or paste the text that requires a hanging indent.

Step 3: Separate the First Line

In the text box, click to position the cursor at the end of the first line. Press “Enter” to move the rest of the paragraph or sentence onto a new line.

This separates the first line from the subsequent ones, which will help in manually creating the indent.

Step 4: Adjust the Indent for the Second Line

Highlight the second line (and any other lines that follow).

Use the space bar or tab key to create an indent by adding spaces at the start of the second line.

Adjust the spacing until you achieve your desired indent size. Canva doesn’t support an automatic indent feature, so this manual adjustment is necessary.

Step 5: Align and Fine-tune the Text Box

Ensure that the text alignment is set to "Left Align" for the first line to stay at the margin.

You can further adjust the text box size or use Canva’s alignment grid to make sure everything looks neat and even.

Step 6: Save or Share Your Design

After achieving the hanging indent, review your design to make sure the formatting looks right.

Once you're satisfied, click “Share” to either download your design in your preferred format (PNG, PDF, JPG) or share it directly via social media or email.

Once you've mastered hanging indents, take your design to the next level by learning how to change the size of a Canva template for more customization.

Conclusion

Although Canva doesn’t have a direct hanging indent feature, following these simple steps will allow you to manually create one and format your text the way you need.

With a bit of manual adjustment, your text will look professional and well-organized, whether it’s for citations, bibliographies, or formatted lists.

FAQs are here to guide!

Can I use the tab key for hanging indents in Canva?

Unfortunately, Canva doesn't support the tab key for indenting. You need to use spaces to create the indent manually.

Is there an automatic hanging indent feature in Canva?

No, Canva doesn’t have an automatic hanging indent feature, but the effect can be achieved manually as described in the steps above.

Can I create hanging indents in the Canva mobile app?

Yes, the process is similar on the Canva mobile app. You can manually space the second line to create the hanging indent.