Would you like to create a visual whiteboard inside your workspace? No problem. The built-in version of WorkCanvas enables you to create and collaborate visually directly within monday.com. 

Unlike the standalone WorkCanvas product, this allows you to brainstorm, plan, and organize ideas directly within your workspace, alongside Docs, Forms, and other monday.com assets. It’s an intuitive way to turn visual thinking into actionable work, without ever leaving your board 🤩

Note: The layout of WorkCanvas inside monday differs from the standalone product. While the layout may vary, the features work the same. For this reason, WorkCanvas product articles are referenced throughout this article to explain functionality.

WorkCanvas in monday

WorkCanvas on monday.com is a visual collaboration space you can open directly inside your account, similar to adding workdocs or WorkForms. You can sketch ideas, build diagrams, add widgets like Gantt or Org charts, and connect everything to your monday boards with live sync between items and shapes, all within your existing boards and workspaces. 

Note: As a monday user, you access this experience through your existing account and billing, rather than through a separate WorkCanvas login.

Add a WorkCanvas inside monday

There are two ways to add a WorkCanvas inside your monday account: either within your workspace or as a board view within a specific board. 

• Add as a board view

Adding a WorkCanvas as a board view allows you to conveniently access your canvas from within that specific board and have the board automatically linked to the canvas, enabling the convenient importing of board items.

1Open a board where you want to collaborate visually.

2Click the “+ Add View” button located right below your board's title and select WorkCanvas from the dropdown menu.

3Your new WorkCanvas will open as a view within the board, fully connected to your monday data so you can build visuals from live information.

Note:You can also choose to import items from a different board into your board view canvas! Simply search for the workspace and board you would like to add items from. Read more about importing items in the section below.

• Add a WorkCanvas to your workspace

You can also add a canvas directly into your workspace as an independent view. 

1Choose the workspace where you want to add your WorkCanvas.

2Click the “+” icon to the right of the workspace name, and select WorkCanvas from the dropdown menu.

3Your new WorkCanvas will open within your workspace, fully connected to your monday data so you can build visuals from live information.

Design your canvas

There are various tools available for use when building and designing your canvas. The two primary menus available for use are the main toolbar at the bottom of your canvas and the edit toolbar that appears when you select an element on your canvas. 

Main toolbar

Once you open a canvas inside monday, you’ll see the main toolbar, located at the bottom of the screen, which offers a range of options for creating, organizing, and interacting with your canvas. 

Canvas main toolbar actions:

• Select your cursor
• Add shapes
• Add text
• Add sticky notes
• Draw with pen icon
• Add icons
• Create frames
• Upload images or files
• Access templates
• Import items from your boards
• Insert widgets such as Gantt charts and mind-maps to your canvas

• Templates

  Clicking the "templates" icon takes you to the template center, offering a variety of pre-made options, including synced, monday, customized, and WorkCanvas's premade templates. You can easily customize these templates by clicking on the various elements and using the edit toolbar. 

• Import items

Use the "Import" button to connect visuals with data, enabling display of live board items as cards, notes, or shapes for visual mapping, planning, and project management, while keeping everything synced. Click on "Import" and select a workspace, board, and item from the menu. 

You can also customize the shape and color of the item, as well as which information from the various columns appears on the item card, by using the edit toolbar that appears when you click on the item card. 

• Widgets

You can quickly access Gantt charts, Org charts, Mind maps, Tables, and more by clicking the "Widgets" button on the right side of the toolbar, making it easy to turn your ideas into structured, shareable visuals.

Edit toolbar

Once you have added elements to your canvas, when you select an element, a toolbar will appear, enabling you to edit the element. These edit options include changing the element's appearance, converting the element to a monday board item, and creating data layers for the element. 

• Convert elements into board items

Canvas and boards connect directly, allowing seamless transition from brainstorming to structured execution by converting canvas elements into monday.com board items. After adding sticky notes, shapes, or task cards for tasks, milestones, or ideas, select an element and click 'Convert' on the toolbar. Choose the target board and assign information to each column. 

The element then becomes an item on your board with columns filled. Continue editing on either your board or Canvas, and changes will be synced to both.

• Display data

You can use the "Display data" option on the toolbar to select what data from your connected board item you wish to display on your element. Simply click on the element, select the "Display" icon from the toolbar, and use the checkboxes to select or deselect data. 

• Data layers 

With the added advantage of data layers, you can sort through, input, and create specific data validations to dynamically and seamlessly represent data from your monday boards on your canvas. Click on the shape or sticky note, and select the "Style" icon from the toolbar. Fill in your data rule that you want to apply to that element. 

View and navigate

There are various actions to help you view and navigate your canvas with ease and expertise. 

• Zoom

Access the zoom controls in the bottom left corner of your canvas to adjust the size of your canvas view. 

• Drag to move

By unselecting the "Select" tool on your main toolbar, you can access the drag option to move easily across your canvas. 

• Show/Hide cursor 

You can choose whether or not to see your own and other users' cursors on the canvas. This is particularly helpful when multiple people are working on the canvas simultaneously. Click on the three-bar menu in the top left corner of your canvas, hover over "Preferences", and then "Cursors". From there, you can select either "Show cursors" or "Hide cursors". 

• Undo and redo

Utilize the two arrows in the menu at the top left corner of your canvas to undo or redo actions on your canvas. 

• Trackpad and mouse controls 

You can customize your engagement with the canvas based on whether you're using a trackpad or a mouse. Click the three-bar menu in the top left, hover over "Preferences," then select "Mouse or trackpad." A dropdown will show three options: Auto-detect, Mouse, or Trackpad. Click "Learn more" to see the difference between each option.

Collaborate with your team

You can invite teammates to your WorkCanvas and collaborate simultaneously. Each user’s cursor appears in real time, making it easy to co-create and discuss ideas. Use the menu located at the top right side of your canvas to comment, vote, or start a video call, all without needing to switch tabs.

Top right menu actions:

• Export
• Present
• Voting and timer
• Video calls
• Comments
• Users

Note: User-based permissions for your canvases in monday are determined by your account, workspace, and board permissions depending on where the canvas is added.

How pricing and trials work for WorkCanvas in monday.com

Unlike the standalone product, which is billed as a separate WorkCanvas subscription through Stripe, the native canvas in monday is tied to monday’s billing and add-on system.

• Freemium experience: monday accounts can create and use canvases with a free tier to explore its core value.
• Trials for paid canvas features: When you hit premium capabilities, you can start a 14-day trial of the relevant canvas plan directly from the add-ons screen.
• View-only after trial: After the trial ends, canvases move into view-only mode until your admin upgrades to a paid plan on monday’s billing page.

Note: Canvas add-ons appear as part of your monday.com billing, rather than as separate WorkCanvas invoices. Read our article on Pricing and billing for WorkCanvas in monday to learn more.

Best practices

There are various ways to keep your WorkCanvases in monday organized and streamline your workflow with a canvas! Here are some best practice ideas to get you started:

• Use frames: Frames are a great way to separate topics, sprints, or project phases. 
• Create templates: Save frequently used layouts as templates to streamline your recurring workflows.
• Optimize with dynamic content: Use widgets like the Gantt or mind map to make your visuals actionable
• Present your ideas: Switch to presentation mode when sharing ideas during meetings. 
• Keep canvases close to boards: Whenever your work is board-centric (e.g., projects, pipelines, hiring), create the canvas as a board view so that visuals and data stay aligned.
• Name canvases by outcome: Use descriptive titles, such as “Q1 Strategy Map – Marketing,” to help teammates quickly find the right visual space.
• Move from ideas to items early: Convert sticky notes into items as soon as decisions are made, so nothing gets lost after workshops.

FAQs

Can I bring data from my boards into WorkCanvas?

Yes, use the “Import monday items” option to bring live data from your boards directly into the canvas.

How does WorkCanvas compare to Docs or Forms?

Like Docs and Forms, WorkCanvas is now a native asset in monday.com, designed for visual thinking and collaboration alongside your data.

What’s the difference between canvas in monday.com and WorkCanvas as a standalone product?

Canvas in monday.com is embedded in your account, enabling you to create and use a WorkCanvas directly inside monday.com, but with a different layout, and it is billed through monday add-ons. WorkCanvas, as a standalone product, is accessed separately and billed through its own subscription.

How is WorkCanvas billed when I use it inside monday.com?

When you use canvas in monday.com, trials and paid usage are managed through monday’s billing system as an add-on, and canvases become view-only when a trial expires until you upgrade.

Why did my canvas go into view-only mode?

This usually means a trial has ended or your account no longer has access to the paid canvas add-on. Ask an account admin to review the WorkCanvas add-on status on your monday billing page.

I can’t find the same layout in standalone WorkCanvas.

Some layout changes (such as the bottom toolbar and widget section) are initially exclusive to canvases within monday.