Magic Recommendations: How to Speed Up Your Canva Workflow

Canva's Magic Recommendations feature uses AI to suggest layouts, fonts, and colors based on what you're designing. Here's how to use it to work faster.

One of Canva's most underused AI features is Magic Recommendations — a smart panel that suggests design improvements in real time. If you're still manually hunting for the right font or color combination, this guide will change how you work.

Where to Find Magic Recommendations

With any design open in Canva, click the magic wand icon in the toolbar (usually labeled "Magic" or found under the Apps menu). Canva will scan your current design and surface suggestions for layouts, color palettes, font pairings, and element swaps.

How to Get the Best Suggestions

Start with your brand color. Add at least one element in your primary brand color before asking for recommendations — Canva will use it as an anchor.
Use a real image. Upload a photo and Magic Recommendations will extract a palette from it. Pair this with ColorSense to see the exact HEX codes before you start.
Try multiple suggestions. Canva generates several options — don't stop at the first one. The third or fourth suggestion is often the most unexpected and striking.

When to Use It

Magic Recommendations shines when you're starting from a blank canvas and want a direction fast. It's less useful when you have a very specific brand identity — in that case, your existing brand kit should take precedence.

Use it for social media posts, promotional flyers, and email headers where speed matters more than perfect precision.