What happens to a Canva account when someone dies
Canva publishes no process specific to a deceased person's account; a written request goes by email to privacy@canva.com.
Canva decides what happens to a Canva account after a death case by case; its terms promise no transfer.
Canva publishes no process specific to a deceased person's account; a written request goes by email to privacy@canva.com. The request takes 5 documents.
How to request a transfer
- •A copy of the death certificate
- •Letters testamentary, letters of administration or a court order
- •The executor's government-issued photo ID
- •The digital-assets clause from the will or trust, if there is one
Required Documents
- Death certificate
- Proof of legal authority: Letters testamentary, letters of administration or a court order.
- Government-issued photo ID of the requester
- The email address the Canva account is registered under
- The digital-assets consent clause from the will or trust: where one exists
What Canva Pty Ltd's terms say at death
- 15(c) Effect of Termination
“Upon termination, you must cease using the Service. You will lose access to your Designs, User Content, and any other information uploaded to the Service (and we may delete all such data unless legally prohibited) after termination.”1
What Canva Pty Ltd says happens10
- Who owns the asset
The Terms of Use grant "a non-exclusive, limited, non-transferable, freely revocable license to access and use the Service," and each person must have a unique account (sec. 2(b)).1
- Transfer at death
The terms bar assignment "without Canva's written consent" (sec. 16(g)), so a transfer of designs or of a team to a survivor rests on Canva granting that consent.1
Team ownership passes only by a nomination the owner starts and the nominee accepts within 30 days, which a deceased owner cannot start, so the owner seat is dealt with through Canva.2
On a paid team, an admin can transfer a member's designs to another member as part of removing them, which is the one structured path that does not depend on Canva's discretion.3
The design transfer completes in minutes, or over 30 minutes for a large one, and cannot be undone. Canva asks the admin to confirm they have the departing person's consent and to follow privacy laws where personal data is involved.3
- How requests are reviewed
Canva tells team members who can no longer reach their owner to contact it through the Help Assistant so Canva can follow up. Canva decides at its discretion.2
- Deletion and data retention
Once an account is deleted, Canva schedules every design, folder, template, upload, team and app for permanent deletion after 14 days, and the account cannot be recovered.4
- Restoring a deleted account
A deletion request can be cancelled within those 14 days by signing back in to the account.4
- Closing the account
Canva's help center says to cancel the plan before deleting the account so charges do not continue; closing first starts the 14-day countdown to permanent deletion of everything in the account.4
- Subscriptions and billing
Paid plans "will automatically renew each billing cycle" (sec. 9(a)). Cancellation takes effect at the end of the current billing cycle with no refund of fees already paid, and outstanding fees become immediately due (sec. 9(d)).1
A plan is cancelled where it was bought, which the billing email or bank statement shows: Canva, Google, Apple or PayPal. A plan bought through Google Play or the App Store is cancelled there, and uninstalling the app does not cancel it.5
A paid plan can be paused for up to 3 months.5
- Passwords and login
The Terms of Use make the holder responsible for any activity on their account and forbid allowing any other party to use the Service with the holder's username, password or other security code (sec. 2(b)).1
- Court orders and legal process
Canva's Authority Request Policy covers law-enforcement and government requests only, served through Canva's Kodex portal or its Legal Team postal address, and is not the estate path.6
- Continuing a shop, channel or listing
A Canva Website is hosted by Canva, so the site goes with the account. Its domain can be a free Canva domain, a domain bought through Canva, or the holder's own domain connected by DNS, which the executor traces separately.7
Not in Canva's published guidance10
- A process for a deceased account holder
- A form for estate requests
- Memorialization
- How long a request takes
- A phone number for this
- Verifying the requester
- Disclosure of account content
- Whether a certified death certificate is required
- A preservation commitment
- A general support email address
Sources7
- 1.Canva Terms of Use (effective 19 August 2026)
- 2.Transfer and take over teams (Canva Help Center)
- 3.Transfer design ownership (Canva Help Center)
- 4.Delete your account (Canva Help Center)
- 5.Cancel your Canva plan (Canva Help Center)
- 6.Canva Authority Request Policy
- 7.Publishing Canva Websites (Canva Help Center)
A written request to Canva can ask it to preserve the account while the estate is opened, disclose the account’s content, transfer the accounts to a named family member, provide purchase and transaction records for the estate inventory and close the account.
Digital Assets Recovery Letter for Canva drafts that request from the estate's details.
Sources
Data sourced from Canva Pty Ltd primary sources (12 pages reviewed). How we research.
Canva estate claims
Canva Privacy team (no estates team exists; the Privacy requests form and its fallback email are the published channel for personal-data requests)
Mailing address
Website
Is this your situation?
Get a complete guide for your specific circumstances.
Forms for Settling an Estate
Free forms for settling an estate: the probate petition, small estate affidavit, notice to creditors, inventory, and closing forms.
Affidavit of Death
Put a joint owner's or a transfer on death deed owner's death on the land records with the affidavit your state's statute names, laid out for recording.
IRS Form 56
Notify the IRS that you are the fiduciary of an estate, a trust or a person, or end a notice filed before, on the official form.
Digital Assets Recovery Letter
Prepare a letter requesting a deceased person's online accounts, points, and balances from the program that holds them.
Petition for Probate and Letters
Open probate and ask the court to appoint you and issue Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration.
Notice to Creditors
Notify estate creditors and start the claim period — the published notice plus mailed copies for known creditors.
Renunciation of Executor
Decline an appointment as executor named in a will — the writing filed with the court before anyone is appointed.
Tools for Settling an Estate
Free tools for settling an estate: whether probate is needed, executor and trustee pay, creditor deadlines, and inheritance taxes.
How Many Death Certificates Do I Need?
Calculate how many certified death certificates you need and see ordering info for your state.
Do I Need Probate?
Find out if an estate needs probate or qualifies for simplified procedures.
What Happens to Jointly Owned Property When an Owner Dies?
See what your state records when a joint tenant with right of survivorship dies: an affidavit, the death certificate or a new deed.
Do I Have to File Tax Returns for Someone Who Died?
Find out which tax returns need to be filed after someone dies and whether tax clearance is required.
How Do I Settle an Estate?
Personalized plan for settling an estate after someone passes away.
What Do I Do When Someone Dies?
A step-by-step checklist for the days, weeks, and months after a death, with state rules noted where they apply.
