How to Crop a Picture into a Circle in Canva on iPhone

To crop a picture into a circle in Canva on your iPhone, add a circular frame to your design and drag your photo into it. Canva crops the photo to fit the frame. You can then adjust the composition and download the finished design.

The round photo is part of your Canva page. If you need a separate image with transparent corners, check the download settings as well: a circle on a white page does not automatically become a transparent file.

Add a circle frame and your photo

1. Open the Canva app and create or open a design. Upload the photo you want to use if it isn't already in your uploads.
2. Tap + in the editor and search for Frames. In Elements, choose a plain circular frame and add it to the page.
3. Tap + again and find your picture under Uploads. Drag the picture onto the circle frame. Canva will fit the image to the frame's shape.
4. Select the framed photo to access the available crop or positioning controls. Move or zoom the image until the part you want is visible, then confirm the adjustment.
5. Resize and position the circle in your design. If you're making a profile image, leave some room around the face, pet or logo so it is still recognizable at a small size.

The layout and control names can vary with the app version. Canva's circle-crop guide describes the frame workflow for mobile, and its frames guide explains adjusting photos inside frames.

Why is the picture still rectangular?

A circular shape placed over or behind a photo is not necessarily a frame that crops it. Choose a frame from Elements and drag the photo onto the frame itself. If the photo appears separately, try moving it directly onto the frame again.

A circular frame also differs from rounded corners: rounding the corners of a rectangle can leave a rounded rectangle rather than a circle.

Save the design or download a transparent image

For a finished design with its page background, go to Share → Download, choose a file type and download. If the design has multiple pages, choose the pages you need. Premium elements and some export options may require a purchase or an eligible plan; check Canva's download guidance.

For a transparent area outside the circle, check Canva's Transparent background option before downloading. Canva's help page lists this export feature for Pro, Teams, Business, Education and Nonprofits plans, and says to select PNG or WebP. Follow its background instructions and check the options offered on your account.

Open the downloaded result over a colored background to see whether the corners are truly transparent. PNG supports transparency, but choosing PNG alone does not guarantee transparent pixels. If the corners are white, our white-background troubleshooting guide can help you compare the original and downloaded copy.

Make a circle photo before designing

If you prefer to prepare a circle photo on your iPhone first, Rounder offers circular photo editing. Choose a photo, adjust the framing, save your result and check it before adding it to your design. The app is free to download, contains ads and offers in-app purchases; its App Store listing requires iOS 26 or later. Check the saved image's background before relying on it as a transparent cutout.

For a slide instead of a Canva design, see how to put a photo in a circle in Keynote on iPhone.