How to Export a Canva Carousel as Separate Images
Canva makes it easy to design carousels but awkward to export them as individual images for Instagram and LinkedIn. Here's the exact workflow, plus a faster alternative.
By Syed Ali Hamza Shah · · 2 min read
You designed a beautiful carousel in Canva. Now you need 10 separate images to upload to Instagram or LinkedIn — and Canva's export options are confusing. Here's exactly how to do it.
The quick answer
- Click Share (top right) → Download
- Set File type to PNG (or JPG for smaller files)
- Check "Download pages as separate files" — this is the key step
- Under Select pages, choose the pages you want (or leave all selected)
- Click Download
Canva will download a ZIP file containing each page as its own image, named in order. Unzip, and upload them to Instagram or LinkedIn in sequence.
The gotchas
The ZIP problem. Canva downloads multiple pages as a ZIP archive, not individual files dropped in your downloads folder. On phones this is extra annoying — you need a file manager app to unzip before uploading.
Page order matters. Instagram displays images in filename order. Canva names them sequentially, so don't rename the files unless you keep the numbering.
Wrong dimensions. If your design isn't 1080×1350 (Instagram portrait) or 1080×1080 (square), the export will be too — and Instagram will crop it. Check your design dimensions before exporting: Resize → Custom size.
Quality loss on JPG. If your carousel has text (it should), PNG keeps text crisp. JPG compresses text into a blurry mess at small file sizes. Use PNG unless file size is a real constraint.
For LinkedIn specifically
LinkedIn carousels work differently — you upload a PDF document, not images. In Canva: Share → Download → PDF Standard (not Print). Upload the PDF as a document post on LinkedIn and it becomes a swipeable carousel automatically.
The faster alternative
This whole export-unzip-rename-upload dance is why carousel-specific tools exist. In Carousels Maker, you design (or AI-draft) your slides and hit export — ordered images, correct dimensions, no ZIP wrangling. The free plan covers 5 carousels a month, no signup needed to try your first one.
Canva is a great general design tool. But if carousels are your weekly content format, a tool built for the job saves the 15 minutes of export friction every single time.