Canva + Safari Split View on iPad: The Complete Guide

You can use Canva and Safari together in Split View on iPad by dragging one app to the side of the screen while the other is open, letting you design and research at the same time without switching back and forth.

This particular pairing is more useful than it might sound at first. Canva is a capable design tool, but it has one persistent limitation: you can't browse the web inside it. The moment you need to check a brand's hex color, find a reference image, read the copy from a client's live website, or verify how a competitor's graphic looks, you're forced to leave your canvas entirely. Safari running beside Canva fixes that completely.

Why Canva and Safari work well together

Here are three workflows where this split pays off:

• Copying live website copy into a design. Open a client's website in Safari on one side and your Canva template on the other. Read the headline, tagline, or product description directly from the page and type it into your design without memorizing it or switching apps every thirty seconds.
• Color-matching to a real brand. Load a brand's website or a reference image in Safari, use a color-picker browser extension or simply eyeball the exact shade, and enter the hex code directly into Canva's color panel. No more guessing or losing your place.
• Sourcing and placing images. Browse royalty-free image sites like Unsplash or Pexels in Safari, find the right photo, download it, and immediately drag or upload it into your open Canva project — all without leaving either app.

How to set it up with Splicon

The standard Split View setup works, but you have to repeat it every time. A better approach is saving the Canva–Safari pair as a dedicated Home Screen shortcut so one tap opens both apps already side by side.

If you haven't already, Download Splicon free from the App Store — it's the fastest way to create custom icons for any Split View combination.

1. Open Splicon and use the search fields to find Canva and Safari. Select them as your app pair.
2. Choose a split style — left-heavy, right-heavy, or equal — then generate your icon. When it looks right, save it to your Photos library.
3. Open the Shortcuts app, create a new shortcut, and add an "Open App" action. Set it to open your chosen app in Split View with the second app alongside it. When prompted to choose an icon, select the image you just saved from Photos.
4. Add the shortcut to your Home Screen using the shortcut's share menu. Give it a clean name like "Design + Browse" and place it wherever it makes sense.

From that point on, tapping that icon launches both Canva and Safari already arranged side by side — no dragging, no hunting through the dock.

A few practical tips

Canva works best on the larger side of the split, so give it roughly 60–65% of the screen if your iPad supports the adjustable divider. Safari is perfectly readable in the narrower pane, especially if you're just scanning for text or colors rather than watching video.

If you work with multiple clients, consider making separate Splicon shortcuts — one for Canva and Safari, another for Canva and Files — and grouping them in a dedicated folder. That way your design environment is always one tap away regardless of the task.