How to use the timer in a Canva presentation

Number keys 1–9 while presenting

1. Open the presentation in Canva on a computer and start presenting.
2. Press a number key: 1 for 1 minute up to 9 for 9 minutes. The timer opens and counts down.
3. Press another number to reset it to that many minutes.

For a length the keys don't cover, open More › Timer while presenting and use +1 min. Once the timer is open, a timer button appears in the bottom bar next to the arrows. In Presenter view, Canva says you can open it from the presenter window or the audience window.

The Timer button in the editor, and its music

In the editor, click the Timer icon in the bottom corner. "By default, the timer is set to 5 minutes."

• Controls: Play, Reset and +1 min. A paused timer flashes.
• Music: Focus, Dramatic, Upbeat, Energetic or Lofi, with a volume slider.
• Sounds: at the start, at 10 seconds left, and at the end.
• Who sees it: "Everyone on the design you're working on will see the timer." That is everyone who has the design open with you, not only the room.

On a phone or iPad: not available

Canva's help page starts with "This feature is currently only available on a computer." If you present from the Canva app on an iPad or a phone, don't count on the timer being there.

To present from an iPad with a timer, run the timer somewhere else: a browser timer on a laptop or a second tablet. The free Stage Timer opens in any current browser, with no sign-up; pick 5, 10, 15, 20, 30 or 45 minutes, or type your own.

Slide duration (Edit timing) isn't the timer

The clock icon on a page's toolbar is a different setting. Select the page thumbnail, click Edit timing on the floating toolbar, and the Timing panel sets how many seconds that page stays on screen when the design plays on its own. Apply to all pages gives every page the same length and replaces "any custom durations previously applied to individual slides".

A page duration moves the slides forward; it doesn't show the time left. For a countdown the room can see, use the Timer.

A timer only the speaker sees

In Presenter view, Canva's help says a running timer you minimize with its Minimize icon "will appear on the presenter window". It doesn't say whether the audience window still shows it, so try it on your own set-up before the talk. For a timer the audience certainly can't see, use a second device facing the speaker:

1. On a tablet or a second laptop, open the Stage Timer and set the length of the talk.
2. Press Full screen where the browser offers it, and put the device on the lectern.
3. Press Start when you begin. The numbers turn amber at 2:00 left, red at 0:00, and then count up the time over.

It runs on that one device, so you start and pause it there. The same set-up works for PowerPoint and Google Slides.

Questions

How do I put a timer in a Canva presentation?

On a computer, open the presentation and click the Timer icon in the bottom corner of the editor; it is set to 5 minutes. While presenting, press a number key from 1 to 9 for a timer of that many minutes, or open More › Timer.

What is the Canva timer shortcut?

While presenting, the number keys 1 to 9. Press 3 for a 3-minute timer; press another number to reset it to that many minutes.

Why is the Canva timer missing?

Canva's help says the timer is "currently only available on a computer", so the Canva app on a phone or iPad doesn't show it. On a computer, look for the Timer icon in the bottom corner of the editor, or More › Timer while presenting.

Sources

• Canva Help: Setting a timer. Read on 4 November 2026.
• Canva Help: Setting slide duration: Edit timing. Read on 4 November 2026.