How to Restore Deleted Images or Videos on Canva

Accidentally deleted important images or videos from Canva? Don’t worry, Canva offers ways to restore your deleted media, but only within certain limits. Whether you’re a free or Pro user, this guide will walk you through all the possible recovery methods, explain Canva’s data retention rules, and offer pro tips to avoid permanent loss in the future.

🗑️ Understanding Canva’s Trash System

When you delete an image, video, or other asset in Canva, it is first moved to the Trash, rather than being immediately and permanently deleted.

Deleted assets remain in Trash for 30 days.
During that time, you can restore them.
After 30 days, items are permanently deleted and cannot be recovered.

🔄 Method 1: Restore Deleted Media from Trash

Step-by-Step Instructions

Log in to Canva via your desktop browser.
Click on “Home” from the left-hand menu.
At the bottom, select the “Trash” tab.
Browse or search for the image/video you want to recover.
- Use file name or type filters if needed.
Hover over the file, click the three-dot menu (⋯), and choose “Restore”.

✅ This will return the asset to its original location (e.g., Uploads or folder).

🔍 Method 2: Restore Designs That Contain the Deleted Media

If you deleted an upload but it still exists in a saved design, you might be able to retrieve it by duplicating or extracting it from that design.

How to Do It

Open a Canva design that previously used the deleted media.
Click on the media element (image/video) within the design.
Right-click and choose “Detach Image” or “Copy”.
Paste it into a new blank design or download it.

⚠️ Note: If the deleted asset is not cached or already removed from Canva’s servers, the placeholder may show as “broken” and recovery via this method won’t work.

🧷 Method 3: Check Shared or Team Folders (for Canva Pro)

Sometimes an asset may appear deleted in your personal space but still reside in shared folders or brand folders.

How to Check

Go to “Projects” → “Folders”.
Browse through shared folders, team folders, or brand kits.
Look for the missing asset.
If found, move or duplicate it back to your personal uploads.

💡 Useful when working with teams or multiple brand kits.

💬 Method 4: Contact Canva Support (If Within 30 Days)

If you’ve deleted something important and can’t find it in Trash, but it was removed less than 30 days ago, Canva Support may be able to help.

How to Reach Out

Go to Canva Help Center.
Click on “Get Help” or “Contact Us” at the bottom.
Choose “Technical Issue” or “Missing Design or Upload”.
Provide as much detail as possible:
- File name or description
- Approximate deletion date
- Workspace name

🎯 They might help retrieve data if it hasn’t been fully purged from backend storage.

🚫 What You Can’t Restore

Files deleted over 30 days ago: Permanently removed.
Uploaded files not saved in a design: If not backed up, these can’t be recovered.
Items deleted and then manually purged from Trash: Fully unrecoverable.

📦 Pro Tips to Avoid Losing Files

🔐 Tip 1: Backup Uploaded Files

Always upload from your device or cloud backup instead of relying solely on Canva’s uploads panel.

🗂️ Tip 2: Use Folders Strategically

Organize uploads into clear folders so you can spot accidental deletions more easily.

👥 Tip 3: Collaborate in Teams

Working in a team workspace increases the chance your assets are duplicated/shared in multiple locations.

🔁 Tip 4: Duplicate Key Designs

If you heavily rely on a design with a rare asset, duplicate the entire design so you have a backup.

Restoring deleted images or videos in Canva is straightforward, as long as you act within 30 days. Whether you use the Trash folder, search your team folders, or recover media from existing designs, these methods can help prevent data loss. For permanently deleted files, unfortunately, there’s no recovery, so proactive backup and organization are key.