> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.replit.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Canvas

> Open, navigate, and add to the canvas, the infinite surface where Replit Design displays your frames.

The canvas is the infinite pan-and-zoom surface where Replit Design displays your frames. Everything you design lives here: generate frames, drag them around, zoom in on a detail, and iterate until one is right.

<Frame>
  <img src="https://mintcdn.com/replit/OIImiKPshhawqFXK/images/replitai/canvas-overview.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=OIImiKPshhawqFXK&q=85&s=5cd2330c89bbdedfb249151ee582f070" alt="Canvas with three frames laid out on the board: a Website (Scroll Hero), an APEX X1 Design System, and a Design mockup of the APEX X1 supercar, with the floating toolbar (Chat, Draw, Edit, Generate) at the bottom" width="2000" height="1255" data-path="images/replitai/canvas-overview.png" />
</Frame>

## Open the canvas

The canvas is the first thing you see in Replit Design. In a project, select **Design** in the header and the canvas fills the pane; select **Build** to switch back to your running app.

<Frame>
  <img src="https://mintcdn.com/replit/OIImiKPshhawqFXK/images/replitai/canvas-design-button.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=OIImiKPshhawqFXK&q=85&s=08c21763270694a8ecd5d2d62e83f8a9" alt="Close-up of a project header with the Design and Build toggle, Design selected, above frames on the canvas" width="987" height="619" data-path="images/replitai/canvas-design-button.png" />
</Frame>

Starting fresh at [replit.com/design](https://replit.com/design) prompts you to create a new design, which opens on the canvas. See [Design vs. Build](/design/design-vs-build) for when to use each surface.

## What lives on the canvas

* **Frames**: every tile on the board. A frame can be a design mockup, a web app, a mobile app, slides, an image, a video, or a vector graphic. Generate them from a chat prompt, the toolbar's [Generate menu](/design/toolbar#generate), or the [library panel](/design/library-panel). Everything you do to a frame, Build, Focus, suggestions, happens through the frame itself: see [Frames](/design/frames).
* **Drawings and notes**: markup you add with the [Draw tool](/design/toolbar#draw), such as sketches, arrows, shapes, and sticky notes. Agent reads your markup, so you can circle a problem area and ask for a change.
* **The chat panel**: Agent chat docked alongside the canvas. Selecting frames before sending a message attaches them as snapshots so Agent has visual context.

For what each component is and how they fit together, see the [components overview](/design/core-components).

## Navigate the board

Pan, zoom, and select work from any tool unless noted.

**Panning:**

* Trackpad: two-finger drag.
* Mouse: middle-click-and-drag, or hold spacebar and left-click-drag.
* [Pan tool](/design/toolbar#pan): click-and-drag with the left mouse button.

**Zooming:**

* Trackpad: pinch.
* Mouse: `Ctrl` (or `Cmd` on macOS) + scroll wheel.
* Keyboard: `Cmd`/`Ctrl` + `+` to zoom in, `Cmd`/`Ctrl` + `-` to zoom out, `Cmd`/`Ctrl` + `0` to reset zoom.

Zoom is anchored on the cursor, so the spot under the cursor stays put as the rest of the board scales around it.

**Selecting:**

* Single frame: click it with the [Interact tool](/design/toolbar#interact).
* Multi-select: hold `Shift` and click each frame, or drag a marquee rectangle across the board.
* Deselect: click an empty area, or press `Escape`.

Selecting one or more frames surfaces the [per-frame action bar](/design/frames#per-frame-action-bar) and attaches those frames to the next Agent message as snapshots.

### Keyboard shortcuts

| Shortcut                       | Action                               |
| ------------------------------ | ------------------------------------ |
| `V`                            | Activate the Interact tool           |
| `H`                            | Activate the Pan tool                |
| Hold `Space` + drag            | Pan from any tool                    |
| `Cmd` / `Ctrl` + scroll        | Zoom                                 |
| `Cmd` / `Ctrl` + `+`           | Zoom in                              |
| `Cmd` / `Ctrl` + `-`           | Zoom out                             |
| `Cmd` / `Ctrl` + `0`           | Reset zoom                           |
| `Shift` + click                | Add a frame to the current selection |
| `Cmd` / `Ctrl` + `Shift` + `C` | Copy the selected frame as a PNG     |
| `Escape`                       | Deselect                             |

## Right-click menu

Right-click anywhere on the board to open a context menu. The menu is contextual, so the actions adapt to what's under the cursor: a frame gets frame actions, while empty canvas gets board-level actions, and app frames add **Refresh artifact**.

On a selected frame the menu includes:

| Action                         | Shortcut                      | What it does                                                 |
| ------------------------------ | ----------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------ |
| Edit                           |                               | Switch to the Edit tool to select elements inside the frame. |
| Chat                           |                               | Chat with Agent about the frame.                             |
| Focus                          |                               | Enter [focus mode](/design/frames#focus) on the frame.       |
| Cursor chat                    | `/`                           | Start a quick chat at the cursor position.                   |
| Reorder                        |                               | Move the frame forward or backward in the stacking order.    |
| Copy, Paste, Duplicate, Delete | `⌘C`, `⌘V`, `⌘D`, `Backspace` | Standard clipboard and frame management.                     |
| Export as…                     |                               | Export the frame as a file.                                  |
| Select all                     | `⌘A`                          | Select every frame on the board.                             |

<Frame caption="The right-click menu on a selected frame.">
  <img src="https://mintcdn.com/replit/OIImiKPshhawqFXK/images/replitai/canvas-right-click-menu.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=OIImiKPshhawqFXK&q=85&s=7c57a64a352438ea80d992ad6803278c" alt="The right-click menu open on a selected Design frame showing a gray Apex X1 supercar, with Edit, Chat, Focus, Cursor chat, Reorder, Copy, Paste, Export as…, Duplicate, Delete, and Select all actions." width="2000" height="1252" data-path="images/replitai/canvas-right-click-menu.png" />
</Frame>

### Export a frame as PNG

Save any artifact or design frame as a PNG image. This is useful for sharing a preview in a doc or chat, capturing a snapshot before you iterate further, or sending a screenshot to a teammate.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Select the frame">
    Select the artifact or design frame you want to export, then wait for it to finish loading.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Choose Export">
    Select **Export** in the frame's action bar. You can also right-click the frame and select **Export as…** > **PNG**. The image downloads to your computer with a filename based on the frame's name.
  </Step>
</Steps>

To copy the selected frame as a PNG instead of downloading it, press `Cmd+Shift+C` (or `Ctrl+Shift+C` on Windows and Linux).

<Note>The exported PNG matches what the frame currently shows on the canvas. If your app or design is still loading, wait for it to fully render before exporting.</Note>

## The canvas and the live app

The canvas and the live app preview share the same pane, and a few modes bridge them:

* **Focus mode**: the **Focus** action on a selected frame expands it to fill the view. Select **Exit focus** at the top of the board to return to the canvas.
* **Read-only mode**: when the canvas is locked inside a background-task context, iteration actions hide and only Focus remains.

<Note>
  Building a new app from a Design frame requires Core or Pro; every other canvas capability works on every plan. See [Billing](/billing/ai-billing) for plan details.
</Note>

**Reference**

* [Components overview](/design/core-components): the building blocks and how they fit together.
* [Frames](/design/frames): frame kinds; the per-frame action bar; Build and Focus.
* [Elements](/design/elements): the individual pieces inside a frame.
* [Toolbar](/design/toolbar): the full tool catalog.

**Learn**

* [Explore suggestions](/design/explore-suggestions): branch new directions from a selected frame and apply the winner to your app.
* [Design vs. Build](/design/design-vs-build): when to use each surface.
