How to share a project in Cricut Design Space is a question that comes up super often! And I understand very well why! Cricut Design Space is constantly evolving and the latest updates have changed the way you share a project in Design Space.
This means that many of the tutorials you’ll find on the Internet probably won’t help you.
So here’s how to share a file or project in Cricut Design Space version 7.8 and above (in effect since May 2022) and why sometimes it doesn’t work!
Conditions for sharing a project in Design Space
To be able to share a project in Design Space, it must be made of images AND fonts from Design Space only.
I can’t share a project in Design Space
If you are unable to share a project in Design Space, your project contains a font or image that has been uploaded (if you prefer, imported into Design Space). Even if it’s just a tiny part of your design, you won’t be able to share it (actually see below to understand why you can share, but your friends can’t open it).
You’re wondering why it’s made like this? Well, it’s pretty simple: because of copyright and user licenses.
Imagine that you buy an SVG file. So only you have the license to use it.
Sharing it on Design Space would be like giving the file to others for free and would violate copyright laws and licenses. If a friend wants to have the same file or font as you, they have to get them and pay for the license.
Since it is impossible for Cricut to know where you got the fonts or files imported into Design Space, they cannot allow sharing.
So, if you want to share a project inside Design Space with a friend, it is essential that this project is designed only with images and fonts already available in Design Space.
Share a project in Cricut Design Space
There are now two ways to share a project in Design Space: you can simply share the project or you can make it public. I will show you the two methods.
How to share a project
This method allows you to share a project by sending, for example, the link to your friends. This means that only people who have the link will be able to access the project.
In Design Space, at the top right, click on “My Projects” and then click on the project you want to share to open the project window.
Click on the small arrow in the center on the left (note that you can also click on the same arrow directly on the project without opening the project window).
This window opens and you will have the options on the right to share your project. This is how only people in possession of the link will be able to see and use the shared project.
By clicking on “Copy link”, the link will be saved to your clipboard. You can then paste the link wherever you want (using CTRL+V or CMD+V). For example in an email, a chat window, etc.
If we paste this link into a web browser, here’s what happens:
Your browser will ask you to open the Design Space app. And if this app is not already installed, it will ask you to install it before.
Make a project public in Design Space
The second way to share a project in Design Space is to make it public in your profile.
To do this, simply toggle the “Make public in Design Space” bar as shown in the image below.
What happens then is that anyone searching in Design Space will be able to find your project.
To make it easier to find projects, you can edit your project details by clicking “Edit Project Details”.
You will be able to rename your project, add a description and add tags. For your information, these tags are predefined by Design Space so you can’t just write anything.
You can even add an image of your completed project.
How to find someone’s profile
To find all the projects shared by a particular person, just search for that person. On the home page type the profile name (for example here “NeliDesign”)
Search results will be displayed in all categories. You have to scroll to the bottom, in the “Community Members” category to see the profiles found.
By clicking on the profile, you will be able to see all the shared projects and even subscribe. (Usually, the button to subscribe is under the photo, but since I’m in my own profile, I see “edit profile” which you’ll only see if you’re also in your own profile!)
What if I succeed in sharing a project with imported images and fonts?
If you are an observer, you may have seen Mario’s 1-UP mushroom in the photo of my profile above.
And yes, that’s what gets very confusing. In theory, I can make projects accessible on my profile or share projects with uploaded or imported images or fonts. Design Space will let you do it… but once your friend opens the link, here’s what will happen:
See at the bottom of the image above? There are no buttons and it says “This project cannot be made or customized”. So sharing a project with imported images and fonts only serves to inspire people and show your project!
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Sharing with and without Cricut Access
When you have the Cricut Access subscription, everything that has the small green “a” is included with the subscription. So it’s important to understand what happens if you share a project.
For example, for this project, I used a free circle, but also a circle frame and a font that is part of the Cricut Access subscription.
If you share a project with someone who also has the Cricut Access subscription, then that person will see the same thing as you, as below.
On the other hand, a person who does NOT have Cricut Access will be charged for each element if they want to make your project. Here we see that the basic circle is free, but the other elements have a price that totals $8.38 (bottom left).
But note that once you buy them, the objects and fonts will be your forever and you’ll be able to use them as many times as you want without needing to pay more.
I hope all this helps you demystify project sharing in Design Space. For more details, you can also watch the video!