Open the countdown in Fugte
In Fugte, open Starters, search for countdown, and choose Use on the Countdown Timer. It opens in the editor as your own copy.
Canva websites show embeds that sit in the page, where you place them. A countdown bar pinned to the top of the screen, a timer that follows visitors down the page, or a popup countdown will not appear on a Canva site, from Fugte or any other provider. That limit is Canva's. The timer goes in a box in your layout, and a box at the top of the first section is the closest a Canva site gets to a bar.
Dates move. The launch slips a week, the sale runs through Monday, the event changes day. The timer is hosted by Fugte and the Canva embed points at it, so you change the date in Fugte, publish, and within about a minute the published Canva site counts down to the new date. You do not open the Canva editor, publish the site again, or paste a new link.
Two things to know before you set the date. The end time is read in each visitor's own time zone: midnight on the 1st arrives in London hours before it arrives in New York, so visitors in each see a different count. For a moment fixed worldwide, such as a live stream at 6 PM Eastern, write the time and zone beside the timer. And at zero the timer stops at 00:00:00 with no message, so word the text around it to make sense once the day has passed, or change it when it does.
Why Fugte
Canva's countdown options, and where this one differs.
Templates are pictures of a countdown
Canva's countdown templates look right and never move. For a countdown inside a design, such as a post or a slide, the Apps panel in Canva is the place to look.
Canva will not run pasted code
Canva websites have no code block on any plan, so a countdown script from a tutorial or an AI chat has nowhere to go. Canva's Embed element takes a link, which is what Fugte gives you.
One date, edited in one place
The timer runs from Fugte, so a new date is one edit that reaches the Canva site without a republish. Put the same timer on a Notion page or a Shopify store too, and the edit reaches every copy.
Watch it done
Add a Live Countdown Timer to a Canva Website (Free, No Code)
The full walkthrough in about two minutes, then the written steps below.
Step by step
Embed the Countdown Timer in your Canva website.
Set the date and the look
Set the target date and time. Pick Flip or Minimal as the style, then the font, colors, and labels. Leave the background transparent so your Canva background shows behind the numbers.
Publish and copy the link
Publish the widget and copy its link from the publish panel. Canva takes the link. It does not accept HTML embed code on any plan.
Add an Embed in Canva
In your Canva website design, open Apps in the left sidebar, search for Embed, and open it. Paste the link and choose Add to design.
Size the box for a phone too
Drag the box where the timer belongs and make it wide enough for the whole row. Leave height to spare: on a narrow screen the numbers shrink, and a row that still does not fit wraps onto a second line, which a box sized for one line cuts off.
Publish and check the live site
Publish the Canva site and open the published page on a computer and on a phone. Judge the timer there. Inside the Canva editor it can sit still, and that is not a fault: it runs for visitors on the published site.
When the date moves
Change the date in Fugte and publish. Refresh the published Canva site, and within about a minute it counts down to the new date. Nothing changes in Canva.
Good to know
Canva specifics worth planning around.
Canva renders only static, in-page embeds: floating buttons, sticky bars, and popups will not work on Canva sites.
There is no site-wide option: a widget you want on several pages must be embedded on each page individually.
The Embed element is available on free Canva accounts.
The link stays stable, so later edits made in the widget editor appear on the Canva page automatically, no need to reopen the design.
Why Canva takes a link and not code, and what to do when an embed is blank or cut off: How to Add HTML to Canva.
Ideas
Where the Countdown Timer fits.
Sales and promos
Build urgency for launches, promos, and registration deadlines
Product launches
Build urgency for launches, promos, and registration deadlines
Events
Build urgency for launches, promos, and registration deadlines
FAQ
Common questions.
Can I add a countdown widget to a Canva website?
Yes, through Canva's Embed element, which takes a link. Canva has no code block, so the countdown is hosted elsewhere and Canva shows it in a box on your page. For a countdown inside a design such as a post or a slide, look in Canva's Apps panel instead.
Why is my countdown not moving in the Canva editor?
The editor does not always run an embed live, so the timer can look frozen while you design. Publish the site and open the published page, which is what visitors see. If it is still frozen there, check that the date has not already passed: a finished countdown stays at 00:00:00.
Can I put the countdown in a sticky bar or a popup on Canva?
No. Canva websites show embeds inside the page, not over it, so a bar pinned to the screen, a timer that follows the visitor, or a popup will not appear, whichever provider made it. Put the timer in a box near the top of the page instead.
The date moved. Do I have to edit my Canva site?
No. Change the date in Fugte and publish, and within about a minute the published Canva site counts down to the new date. The link in Canva stays the same, so there is nothing to re-paste and no reason to publish the Canva site again.
Which time zone does the countdown use?
Each visitor's own. The date and time you set are read on the visitor's device, so midnight on the 1st is midnight where they are. For a moment that is fixed worldwide, such as a live stream, write the time and zone beside the timer so visitors elsewhere know when it really starts.
What happens when the countdown reaches zero?
It stops at 00:00:00 and stays there. Months and Days drop out on the way, once each reaches zero. There is no end message, so after the date passes, change the text around the timer, set a new date, or take the embed off the page.
Does the countdown keep running after I close Canva?
Yes. It runs in each visitor's browser on the published site, served by Fugte. Canva is only where you placed it.
Is there branding on the free plan?
Yes. Free widgets carry a small Fugte badge in one corner, left out when the frame is under 320 pixels wide or 140 tall. Paid plans remove it, and a one-time payment removes it from a single widget. A countdown collects nothing, so it does not use the free plan's one live form.
Can I paste HTML or iframe code into Canva instead?
No. Canva websites do not support raw HTML, JavaScript, or iframe embeds on any plan. Hosting the widget elsewhere and embedding it by link is the supported route.
Will the Countdown Timer stay interactive after the Canva site is published?
Yes. The Countdown Timer loads live on the published site, on desktop and mobile, and visitors can interact with it without any account.
Does this need a paid Canva plan?
No. Canva's Embed element works on free accounts, and Fugte has a free plan, so you can test the full workflow at no cost.
More guides
Same widget, other platforms.
Add a Countdown Timer to a Notion page
Add a Countdown Timer to any Notion page or Notion Site with the /embed block. Hosted, interactive, works on free Notion plans, no code.
Add a Countdown Timer to a Shopify store
Add a Countdown Timer to your Shopify store without installing an app or editing theme code: paste one hosted embed into a Custom Liquid section or page.
Add a Countdown Timer to a WordPress site
Add a Countdown Timer to WordPress with a Custom HTML block, no plugin required. Works with the block editor, classic editor, and page builders like Elementor.
Add a Countdown Timer to a Webflow site
Add a Countdown Timer to a Webflow site with the Embed element: one hosted snippet, editable later without republishing the site.
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Try it
Put a Countdown Timer on your Canva website today.
Start free, customize the Countdown Timer without code, and embed it with one link. Free widgets show a small Fugte badge, which you can remove from this one for $9.99 once when you publish, with no subscription.