Add and style text
Type straight onto the canvas, choose Google fonts or your own font files, and set character and paragraph options, outline and shadow.
Beginner4 min readUpdated 25 September 2026Editor · Type
On this page
Text in Voidcanvas is typed straight onto the canvas and stays editable: you can retype, restyle and resize it at any time. This article covers adding text, picking fonts, the Character and Paragraph settings, and outline and shadow.
Add text
- Press T for the Type tool.
- Click for a single line of text that grows as you type (point text). Drag a box for a paragraph that wraps inside it.
- Type. A small bar above the text lets you change the font, make it smaller or larger, and pick a colour.
- Click Done, press Escape, or press Ctrl+Enter to finish. Enter on its own starts a new line.
The Add button's Text tile does the same without a tool: it drops a new line of text in the middle of the design. New headings start bold; new paragraphs start regular weight with more generous line spacing. If you leave a new text layer empty, it is removed when you click away, so stray clicks never leave blank layers behind.
To edit existing text, double-click it with the Move tool, or select it and press Enter. The Type section in Properties also has a box with the text in it, for people who prefer typing into a form.
Fonts
The font menu lists 16 built-in Google fonts: Inter, Poppins, Montserrat, Space Grotesk, DM Sans, Archivo Black, Bebas Neue, Oswald, Anton, Playfair Display, DM Serif Display, Lora, Fraunces, Caveat, Permanent Marker and JetBrains Mono. Fonts used in the design that are not in this list appear first, marked (in this design).
Any Google font
Open the Character panel (Window, Character). In the search box, type the name of any family on Google Fonts and press Enter, or click Use "name" from Google Fonts. Type the name exactly as Google spells it.
Your own font files
In the Character panel, click Add a font file from this device and choose a .ttf, .otf, .woff or .woff2 file. The font stays on your device and is saved inside the design, so it opens correctly next time. It is never requested from Google.
When you open a design or PSD that uses a font this device cannot find, a dialog lists each missing font and how many text layers use it. Pick a replacement, or click Add font file.
Character settings
The Character panel holds the full set. The most used ones are also in Properties under Type (click More type options).
| Setting | What it does |
|---|---|
| Size (px) | Height of the letters |
| Weight | 100 to 900. Variable fonts take any weight in that range |
| Leading (×) | Space between lines, as a multiple of the size. 1.1 to 1.2 suits headlines, 1.4 to 1.6 suits body text. Called Line spacing in Properties |
| Tracking (px) | Even space between all letters. Called Letter spacing in Properties. A little extra helps text set in capitals |
| Word spacing (px) | Extra space between words |
| Baseline shift (px) | Moves the text up or down |
| Width (%) | Uses the font's width axis, from 50 to 200, when the family has one |
| B, I | Bold and italic |
| Underline, Strikethrough | Lines under or through the text |
| TT, Tt | All caps and small caps |
| Use the font's kerning | The font's own spacing between letter pairs. Leave it on |
Paragraph settings
The Paragraph panel (Window, Paragraph) sets alignment (Align left, Centre, Align right, Justify), Wrap in a text box with a Box width, First-line indent and Space after paragraph. It also tells you how many lines the text runs to.
- Justify needs a text box to spread lines across. Turn on Wrap in a text box first.
- Drag a text box's side handles to change its width: the text reflows rather than stretching.
- Dragging a corner scales the text, and the font size is updated to match, so the number in the panel stays true.
Outline and shadow
In Properties under Type, open More type options:
- Outline: click Add, pick a colour, then set Outline width.
- Shadow: click Add, pick a colour, then set Shadow opacity, Shadow blur, Shadow across and Shadow down.
For more control, such as glows, gradient fills or an outline in a set position, use Layer styles, which work on text too.
Type on a path
With the Type tool, click on the outline of the selected shape, or on the path selected in the Paths panel, and the text flows along it. Properties then shows Start along the path, Lift off the path, Flip side, Edit the path and Release from path. See Shapes and the Pen for drawing paths.
On a phone
Tap Text in the bottom bar, then Add heading or Add paragraph. With a text layer selected, the same sheet offers fonts, a Size slider, Regular or Bold, alignment and Colour. Tap a text layer, then Edit text, to retype it.
Common problems
- The font looks wrong or falls back to a plain font. The name may be misspelled, or the font is not on Google Fonts. Add the font file instead.
- Justify does nothing. Point text has no width to justify across. Turn on Wrap in a text box.
- I added a mask and now I cannot edit the text. A layer mask turns text into pixels. Undo, then use a vector mask or a clipping mask. See Masks.