A Canvas is a freeform space to brainstorm ideas and mark them up with lightweight whiteboard tools, enabling you to think visually at the start of a project. You can draw, highlight, add text, images, post-it notes, shapes and even group content into frames. Similar to notebooks, a Canvas is a collaborative space where multiple users can add and modify content simultaneously.

A Canvas asset can be created in the Workspace Drive by clicking on the +Add button at the top of the Drive panel. You can also create a Canvas within a workspace folder from the folder’s context menu.

This will place an empty Canvas asset in the Workspace Drive. As with other Drive assets, a Canvas will have a context menu with basic file options such as open, move, rename and delete. A Canvas can also be added to favourites for faster access.

Multiple users can view and edit a Canvas simultaneously. Each user's cursor will be represented by their name and a unique cursor colour.

Users that are currently viewing the Canvas will be represented by icons in the top right corner of the Canvas. Clicking on these icons will show their names. Clicking on a user's name will jump to that user’s position on the Canvas. Hovering over a name will reveal the ‘follow’ option, which will allow you to follow that user around the Canvas.

To aid your brainstorming session, you can open other files alongside the Canvas using the split view option.

You can navigate around the canvas using the navigation tools in the bottom toolbar.

Navigation

You can toggle between the pointer and hand options. This determines what happens when you click on the Canvas.

Zoom

Clicking the + and - buttons to zoom in and out. Clicking on the percentage indicator also allows you to choose preset options such as "Zoom to fit", "Zoom to 100%" and "Zoom to selection".

Viewing frame

You can click the arrow option at the end of the toolbar to show a small preview of the canvas. Click and drag the viewing frame in the preview to quickly move to a different location on the canvas.

The toolbar at the top of the Canvas includes the main tools you need add objects and feedback to the Canvas.

Add objects

You can add various objects to the Canvas.

Editing Commands

An eraser tool is available directly on the toolbar. When this tool is selected, clicking objects on the canvas will delete them. There are also a number of editing commands (such as undo, redo, copy, paste etc.) available via the Kebab menu (three dots) at the end of the toolbar.

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Depending on the object you have selected on the Canvas, various styling options will be available in a panel on the right hand side of the Canvas.

Click on any object on the Canvas to access resize options. Hover over the edges for resize options. Hover over the corners for rotate options.

You can easily create diagrams and flowcharts with shapes connected by arrows. There are built in quick actions to make this even faster. After drawing a shape, hover over it to reveal directional buttons on the edge of the shape. Click one of these buttons to have a new connected shape appear.

If you move or resize either of the connected shapes, they will stay connected and the arrow will adjust dynamically.

The following text formatting options are available when highlighting text.

The following image options are available when an image has been selected.

Right-clicking on any object in the Canvas will show a standard context menu with various editing options, including reordering options Bring to front, Bring forward, Send backward, Send to back.

You can export your Canvas as a PNG file.

You can access various preference settings by clicking on the Kebab icon (three dots) at the end of the top toolbar, and selecting "Preferences".

You can add your Canvas file to a review just like other assets in the Workspace Drive. Feedback can be pinned to the Canvas by selecting the feedback tool on the top toolbar. Clicking this tool will change your cursor to a feedback callout icon.

Click anywhere on the Canvas to pin a feedback card and add some feedback. The resulting feedback card works exactly the same as pinning feedback to a 2D or 3D file. It will appear in the feedback panel on the right hand side, where other users can view it and reply to it.

If the feedback was pinned to an item on the Canvas, such as sticky note or shape, then it is anchored to that item. Moving and resizing that item will dynamically move the feedback pin with it.

Feedback pins can be moved around by clicking directly on the pin (the user initials) and dragging the pin to a new location on the Canvas.

You can access previous versions of the canvas by clicking on 'Version History' dropdown arrow in the breadcrumb trail above the canvas. Click on a previous version in the list to view it.

Previous versions are read-only, but can be restored by clicking the 'Restore this version' option at the top of the canvas. This will make this version editable again.

You will be presented with a confirmation message stating that restoring this version of the canvas will overwrite the latest version with a new save of this older version. The current live version will be moved to the version history and can be restored later if needed.

The default Workspace roles have the following permissions for Canvas assets: