Current release notes for Design Space for Desktop. For mobile release notes, see the Apple App Store or Google Play Store. To view older release notes, click here.
▶️ Click here for a video from Cricut's CEO about recent Design Space updates!
2026-06-29 | New! | Version 9.75
This Design Space for Desktop release (v9.75) includes backend improvements and the following features and fixes.
Connection recovery update
This update adds a resilient, driver-agnostic self-healing UI flow for Cricut machines that temporarily lose their connection during an active operation. When the driver detects that the device is attempting to recover, Design Space now tracks that recovery attempt in real time, provides live visual feedback to the user, and automatically escalates to the force-connection modal if the recovery takes too long or fails.
Material Guide on Make screen
These new material guides on the Make screen, when clicked, show users details like how to identify materials, which side faces up, which mat to use, and how to load materials.
Project instructions on Prepare and Make screens
This feature makes instructions available not just on Canvas, but also on Prepare and Make screens. A link at the top of the screens opens step-by-step and video guidance specific to the project type. This ensures users always have easy access to project instructions across their work flow in Design Space.
Payment methods in Design Space
This feature is one phase of an update to the mechanism we’re using for address and payment elements in Design Space.
Designable blank on Canvas
This update adds an image of a sample blank under the Design Area for certain project types, so users can design directly on an image of their final product.
Smart Guides – Equal Distance
Equal Distance Smart Guides show temporary spacing markers between objects while the user is moving an object, helping them place it so the gap between neighboring objects becomes equal.
Create AI Images in My Stuff
This update allows images generated through the Create AI tool (not Project Designer) to get saved under a new tab in My Stuff. Once an image is generated and added to the Canvas, the image will automatically be saved under Saved images in the Create AI tool and in a new “AI Generated” tab in My Stuff.
Fixed field issues
This release:
- Fixed an issue on the project modal causing there to be no scroll bar on the Education page when the screen size is reduced.
- Cricut Explore 3 losing connection when firmware update is initiated through the machine picker has been fixed.
- Fixed an issue with Explore 5 causing multiple Bluetooth connection failures after switching machine from Bluetooth to USB.
- Save and Save As options being displayed for a new unsaved project when created using the New (+) icon from the Canvas has been fixed.
- Getting stuck on the Make screen after completing the new product setup from that screen has been fixed.
- Fixed an issue for Cricut Joy Xtra causing connection to fail while trying to upgrade firmware after downgrading it.
- Fixed an issue causing Design Space to not connect with a Maker 3 machine for a new user.
- Background Remover in Image Upload Flow – Fixed an issue causing the box / space around the image to be very small in the Manual Background Remover screen when the display window size is reduced.
- Machine Picker showing “Set Up Machine” button displaying in error after new product setup has just been completed (whether connected via Bluetooth or USB) has been fixed.
The last 6 weeks:
Over the last 6 weeks we've fixed 73 software defects, including the following priority field issues and reliability concerns:
- Fixed an issue causing the Offset preview to render behind the image when applying it to overlapping text.
- Cricut Explore 3 losing connection when firmware update is initiated through the machine picker has been fixed.
- “Preparing Print” panel remaining stuck and appearing on the Canvas even after cancelling the print has been fixed.
- Fixed a Print Then Cut issue for uploaded SVG files causing the Auto Resize icon to not be removed even after the image is resized.
- Unload Mat prompt appearing when no mat is loaded has been fixed.
- Force connect modal automatically routing to the new product setup has been fixed.
- Fixed an issue for Cricut Joy Xtra causing connection to fail while trying to upgrade firmware after downgrading it.
- Canvas machine picker screen being broken for Cricut Joy 2 and Cricut Explore 5 has been fixed.
- Green loader displaying continuously on moving on Canvas when image is added to the design area has been fixed.
- “Browse all materials” not working after Print Then Cut scan fails for that mat has been fixed.
- Fixed an issue causing the Start Designing button to be disabled after opening the project modal in Cricut Joy mode and switching to other machines.
- Fixed an issue causing a failure to reconnect after firmware update and test cut.
- Fixed an issue causing an active error/warning icon to be displayed in the Layers panel but no specific error is cited after expanding the error/warning in Layers panel.
- Template Cricut Access badge missing has been fixed.
- “Undo” getting disabled upon making some changes and saving a project has been fixed.
- DTF Projects – Fixed an issue causing objects with “Basic Cut” & “Print Then Cut” operation to get added to design area in error upon adding images/shapes/text with multiple clicks.
- Fixed an issue causing Guided Flow interstitial to not open upon completing new product setup.
- Fixed an issue causing error -47 to occur while updating Cricut Explore 5.
- Fixed an issue causing no error to appear when USB was disconnected from Cricut Explore 5 during test cut in new product setup.
- Filter options not being translated into German has been fixed.
- Not all templates loading compared to the number of search results has been fixed.
- Fixed an issue causing Save/Save As option to be displayed for newly created projects in error.
- Image panel not scrolling past 600 results has been fixed.
- Sticker tool missing in Blank Canvas when navigating from Folded Card flow has been fixed.
- Issue causing Firmware Update Retry errors when device is mid reconnect has been fixed.
- Assembly Instructions button not responding in Design Space has been fixed.
- Issue causing “Project Incompatible” pop-up to be displayed when clicking Make from project details page for compatible projects has been fixed.
- “Make” button not responding on the first click when multilayer text is added to the Canvas has been fixed.
- Event timing issues related to Image Panel Education have been fixed.
- Cricut Joy 2/Explore 5 machines not connecting and showing offline during new product setup on Windows 10 computers has been fixed.
- Subscription purchase modal getting stuck on payment profile failure for premium plans has been fixed.
- Fixed an issue causing endless loading bar after saving a project.
- Fixed an issue causing a firmware update to trigger in new product setup even though the machine is already up to date, and then get stuck in failed firmware update after that.
- Fixed an issue in new product setup causing the Unload page to not have a fallback image if the video fails to load.
- Fixed a project-specific issue with copy/paste freezing.
- Fixed an issue on Mac computers causing inability to change System fonts to any style other than Regular for most fonts.
- Unsaved project getting removed from Canvas if the machine setup is completed from Mat preview page has been fixed.
- Fixed an issue causing mat load button to still indicate if the user cancels the cut on Mat 2.
- Save/Save As pop-up not showing up on creating project from “New” icon on Canvas page has been fixed.
- Project incompatible error showing even after hiding the unsupported layer has been fixed.
- Getting “Calibration Canceled” error on Print Then Cut Calibration flow has been fixed.
- Issue of dropping SVG with text onto Canvas from AI Project Designer not resulting in loading the fonts used in the design has been fixed.
- Hand pointer showing when hovering on project name for unsaved Blank Canvas project (as if the name is clickable) has been fixed.
- Issue of getting “Your machine is offline” message after removing machine from Settings and then running new product setup has been fixed.
- Removing machine from machine picker while in a connected state not resulting in disconnecting the machine has been fixed.
- Bluetooth connectivity issue (Joy 2 / Explore 5) causing machine to show “Offline” in Design Space despite showing connected in device settings has been fixed.
- Machine connection sometimes failing after firmware update in new product setup flow has been fixed.
- Modal with zoomed in generated image getting displayed while navigating to My Stuff after saving project has been fixed.
- Uploaded Print Then Cut images getting distorted after restoring from pattern / color application has been fixed.
- Issue of USB-connected machine changing its name in the machine picker after firmware update from new product setup flow, and not being able to reconnect until the new name is selected in the machine picker list, has been fixed.
- Project selection modal – Fixed an issue causing Letter size to not change to A4 size when selected until Design Space is refreshed.
- Fixed an issue causing some Cricut Explore 5 & Cricut Joy 2 machines to not resume cutting after reconnecting.
- Fixed an issue in Edit toolbar causing Letter Space and Line Space values to revert to 0.
- No “Skip Test Cut” option displaying on “Time for a quick test” page despite these options being enabled, has been fixed.
- Fixed an issue causing the setup/day 1 experience to be laggy due to a non-optimized version of Design Space.
- Fixed a backend issue causing two events with two different canvasuuids to get fired in error upon creating Stickers & Labels project.
- Fixed an issue causing Print Then Cut calibration process to hang during scanning phase.
- Fixed an issue causing “No printers found” to occur for some users
- Fixed an issue causing there to be no way to switch back to Automatic Background Remover from manual remover flow.
- Getting “Project not saved” error while clicking “Save” in Make flow, after closing Design Space and relaunching with an auto saved project, has been fixed.
- Fixed an issue causing the app to show incorrect behavior when switching quickly from one project type to another.
- Fixed an issue in Stickers & Labels flow causing clicking “Undo” once to not remove a Text object once it is added to the Canvas and auto-stickerized.
- Blank project modal displaying after changing machine selection without refreshing Design Space and selecting “Stickers & Labels” project has been fixed.
2026-06-22 | Version 9.74
This Design Space for Desktop release (v9.74) includes backend improvements and the following features and fixes.
Connection Diagnostics and Troubleshooting Improvements
This update features backend improvements in machine connection diagnostics, as well as improved troubleshooting assistance that reflects the actual state of the Cricut machine at the time of connection failure. Design Space will now provide more specific instruction that escalates progressively as needed (i.e., each connection retry that fails advances to a more specific instruction).
Mat Prepare Tour
A guided tour option has been added to the Mat Prepare screen to help orient users. The guided tour will introduce key concepts about Mat Prepare, including what actions are required or possible.
Highlight bounding box on hover
This feature adds hover highlight functionality on the Canvas. When you hover your pointer over a group of objects, a single object, or an object within a group, that item’s bounding box will be highlighted.
Contextual Pre-prompts in Chatbot
Currently, pre-prompts for the chatbot are contextual. This feature introduces pre-prompts that adapt based on the user’s current screen.
Fixed field issues
This release:
- Fixed an issue causing the Offset preview to render behind the image when applying it to overlapping text.
- Cricut Explore 3 losing connection when firmware update is initiated through the machine picker has been fixed.
- “Preparing Print” panel remaining stuck and appearing on the Canvas even after cancelling the print has been fixed.
- Fixed a Print Then Cut issue for uploaded SVG files causing the Auto Resize icon to not be removed even after the image is resized.
- Unload Mat prompt appearing when no mat is loaded has been fixed.
- Force connect modal automatically routing to the new product setup has been fixed.
- Fixed an issue for Cricut Joy Xtra causing connection to fail while trying to upgrade firmware after downgrading it.
- Canvas machine picker screen being broken for Cricut Joy 2 and Cricut Explore 5 has been fixed.
- Green loader displaying continuously on moving on Canvas when image is added to the design area has been fixed.
- “Browse all materials” not working after Print Then Cut scan fails for that mat has been fixed.
The last 6 weeks:
Over the last 6 weeks we've fixed 71 software defects, including the following priority field issues and reliability concerns:
- Fixed an issue causing the Start Designing button to be disabled after opening the project modal in Cricut Joy mode and switching to other machines.
- Fixed an issue causing a failure to reconnect after firmware update and test cut.
- Fixed an issue causing an active error/warning icon to be displayed in the Layers panel but no specific error is cited after expanding the error/warning in Layers panel.
- Template Cricut Access badge missing has been fixed.
- “Undo” getting disabled upon making some changes and saving a project has been fixed.
- DTF Projects – Fixed an issue causing objects with “Basic Cut” & “Print Then Cut” operation to get added to design area in error upon adding images/shapes/text with multiple clicks.
- Fixed an issue causing Guided Flow interstitial to not open upon completing new product setup.
- Fixed an issue causing error -47 to occur while updating Cricut Explore 5.
- Fixed an issue causing no error to appear when USB was disconnected from Cricut Explore 5 during test cut in new product setup.
- Filter options not being translated into German has been fixed.
- Not all templates loading compared to the number of search results has been fixed.
- Fixed an issue causing Save/Save As option to be displayed for newly created projects in error.
- Image panel not scrolling past 600 results has been fixed.
- Sticker tool missing in Blank Canvas when navigating from Folded Card flow has been fixed.
- Issue causing Firmware Update Retry errors when device is mid reconnect has been fixed.
- Assembly Instructions button not responding in Design Space has been fixed.
- Issue causing “Project Incompatible” pop-up to be displayed when clicking Make from project details page for compatible projects has been fixed.
- “Make” button not responding on the first click when multilayer text is added to the Canvas has been fixed.
- Event timing issues related to Image Panel Education have been fixed.
- Cricut Joy 2/Explore 5 machines not connecting and showing offline during new product setup on Windows 10 computers has been fixed.
- Subscription purchase modal getting stuck on payment profile failure for premium plans has been fixed.
- Fixed an issue causing endless loading bar after saving a project.
- Fixed an issue causing a firmware update to trigger in new product setup even though the machine is already up to date, and then get stuck in failed firmware update after that.
- Fixed an issue in new product setup causing the Unload page to not have a fallback image if the video fails to load.
- Fixed a project-specific issue with copy/paste freezing.
- Fixed an issue on Mac computers causing inability to change System fonts to any style other than Regular for most fonts.
- Unsaved project getting removed from Canvas if the machine setup is completed from Mat preview page has been fixed.
- Fixed an issue causing mat load button to still indicate if the user cancels the cut on Mat 2.
- Save/Save As pop-up not showing up on creating project from “New” icon on Canvas page has been fixed.
- Project incompatible error showing even after hiding the unsupported layer has been fixed.
- Getting “Calibration Canceled” error on Print Then Cut Calibration flow has been fixed.
- Issue of dropping SVG with text onto Canvas from AI Project Designer not resulting in loading the fonts used in the design has been fixed.
- Hand pointer showing when hovering on project name for unsaved Blank Canvas project (as if the name is clickable) has been fixed.
- Issue of getting “Your machine is offline” message after removing machine from Settings and then running new product setup has been fixed.
- Removing machine from machine picker while in a connected state not resulting in disconnecting the machine has been fixed.
- Bluetooth connectivity issue (Joy 2 / Explore 5) causing machine to show “Offline” in Design Space despite showing connected in device settings has been fixed.
- Machine connection sometimes failing after firmware update in new product setup flow has been fixed.
- Modal with zoomed in generated image getting displayed while navigating to My Stuff after saving project has been fixed.
- Uploaded Print Then Cut images getting distorted after restoring from pattern / color application has been fixed.
- Issue of USB-connected machine changing its name in the machine picker after firmware update from new product setup flow, and not being able to reconnect until the new name is selected in the machine picker list, has been fixed.
- Project selection modal – Fixed an issue causing Letter size to not change to A4 size when selected until Design Space is refreshed.
- Fixed an issue causing some Cricut Explore 5 & Cricut Joy 2 machines to not resume cutting after reconnecting.
- Fixed an issue in Edit toolbar causing Letter Space and Line Space values to revert to 0.
- No “Skip Test Cut” option displaying on “Time for a quick test” page despite these options being enabled, has been fixed.
- Fixed an issue causing the setup/day 1 experience to be laggy due to a non-optimized version of Design Space.
- Fixed a backend issue causing two events with two different canvasuuids to get fired in error upon creating Stickers & Labels project.
- Fixed an issue causing Print Then Cut calibration process to hang during scanning phase.
- Fixed an issue causing “No printers found” to occur for some users
- Fixed an issue causing there to be no way to switch back to Automatic Background Remover from manual remover flow.
- Getting “Project not saved” error while clicking “Save” in Make flow, after closing Design Space and relaunching with an auto saved project, has been fixed.
- Fixed an issue causing the app to show incorrect behavior when switching quickly from one project type to another.
- Fixed an issue in Stickers & Labels flow causing clicking “Undo” once to not remove a Text object once it is added to the Canvas and auto-stickerized.
- Blank project modal displaying after changing machine selection without refreshing Design Space and selecting “Stickers & Labels” project has been fixed.
- “Basic Cut” Operation missing from Operation dropdown when Font Style is changed to “Writing” or “Writing Italic” has been fixed.
- macOS warning indicating Cricut Design Space is not fully supporting Apple Silicon has been fixed.
- Videos sometimes not loading in new product setup flow has been fixed.
- MaterialIsMissing error occurring when user cancels Print Then Cut project flow after failed fiducial scan and creates a new job has been fixed.
- “Firmware Update” not showing when a user chooses USB mode after selecting Bluetooth mode has been fixed.
- Sticker templates: After disabling “Keep Layout” toggle project still showing as auto-attached until the material size is changed has been fixed.
- Fixed a backend machine connection handling issue.
2026-06-15 | Version 9.73
This Design Space for Desktop release (v9.73) includes backend improvements and the following features and fixes.
Bring Project Designer chat to Canvas
This feature allows users to bring their current AI Project Designer chat to the Canvas and continue the chat experience. Once a user clicks “Edit on Canvas” to add a generated image from the chat to the Canvas, the same chat will be available in the left panel under an “AI Project Designer” tab.
Firmware performance optimization
This update brings improvements in speed and reconnections when updating firmware.
Mat visualization in Vinyl Decal, Iron-On T-Shirt, and Folded Card project flows
A new Mat Details section has been added to the right preview panel for Vinyl Decal, Iron-On T-Shirt, and Folded Card project flows, so users can easily see how their design will cut.
Updated appearance of active “Combine” objects
With this update, when a “Combine” object (i.e. Unite, Subtract, Intersect, Exclude) is active, we will retain its current color instead of temporarily reverting to the color it was when the Combine action was applied to it, but we’ll make it slightly darker with an inner shadow while it’s active.
Single click to access objects in a group
This improvement to object selection allows users to access objects in a group with a single click, including “Combine” objects.
New product setup flow – project modal navigation updates
This update to the new product setup flow streamlines the post-setup experience by navigating users directly to this modified project modal after product setup.
Print Then Cut size selection
When using a Stickers or Labels project flow, there is now a size dropdown in the right panel offering two options: A4 and Letter.
Fixed field issues
This release:
- Fixed an issue causing the Start Designing button to be disabled after opening the project modal in Cricut Joy mode and switching to other machines.
- Fixed an issue causing a failure to reconnect after firmware update and test cut.
- Fixed an issue causing an active error/warning icon to be displayed in the Layers panel but no specific error is cited after expanding the error/warning in Layers panel.
- Template Cricut Access badge missing has been fixed.
- “Undo” getting disabled upon making some changes and saving a project has been fixed.
- DTF Projects – Fixed an issue causing objects with “Basic Cut” & “Print Then Cut” operation to get added to design area in error upon adding images/shapes/text with multiple clicks.
- Fixed an issue causing Guided Flow interstitial to not open upon completing new product setup.
- Fixed an issue causing error -47 to occur while updating Cricut Explore 5.
- Fixed an issue causing no error to appear when USB was disconnected from Cricut Explore 5 during test cut in new product setup.
The last 6 weeks:
Over the last 6 weeks we've fixed 76 software defects, including the following priority field issues and reliability concerns:
- Filter options not being translated into German has been fixed.
- Not all templates loading compared to the number of search results has been fixed.
- Fixed an issue causing Save/Save As option to be displayed for newly created projects in error.
- Image panel not scrolling past 600 results has been fixed.
- Sticker tool missing in Blank Canvas when navigating from Folded Card flow has been fixed.
- Issue causing Firmware Update Retry errors when device is mid reconnect has been fixed.
- Assembly Instructions button not responding in Design Space has been fixed.
- Issue causing “Project Incompatible” pop-up to be displayed when clicking Make from project details page for compatible projects has been fixed.
- “Make” button not responding on the first click when multilayer text is added to the Canvas has been fixed.
- Event timing issues related to Image Panel Education have been fixed.
- Cricut Joy 2/Explore 5 machines not connecting and showing offline during new product setup on Windows 10 computers has been fixed.
- Subscription purchase modal getting stuck on payment profile failure for premium plans has been fixed.
- Fixed an issue causing endless loading bar after saving a project.
- Fixed an issue causing a firmware update to trigger in new product setup even though the machine is already up to date, and then get stuck in failed firmware update after that.
- Fixed an issue in new product setup causing the Unload page to not have a fallback image if the video fails to load.
- Fixed a project-specific issue with copy/paste freezing.
- Fixed an issue on Mac computers causing inability to change System fonts to any style other than Regular for most fonts.
- Unsaved project getting removed from Canvas if the machine setup is completed from Mat preview page has been fixed.
- Fixed an issue causing mat load button to still indicate if the user cancels the cut on Mat 2.
- Save/Save As pop-up not showing up on creating project from “New” icon on Canvas page has been fixed.
- Project incompatible error showing even after hiding the unsupported layer has been fixed.
- Getting “Calibration Canceled” error on Print Then Cut Calibration flow has been fixed.
- Issue of dropping SVG with text onto Canvas from AI Project Designer not resulting in loading the fonts used in the design has been fixed.
- Hand pointer showing when hovering on project name for unsaved Blank Canvas project (as if the name is clickable) has been fixed.
- Issue of getting “Your machine is offline” message after removing machine from Settings and then running new product setup has been fixed.
- Removing machine from machine picker while in a connected state not resulting in disconnecting the machine has been fixed.
- Bluetooth connectivity issue (Joy 2 / Explore 5) causing machine to show “Offline” in Design Space despite showing connected in device settings has been fixed.
- Machine connection sometimes failing after firmware update in new product setup flow has been fixed.
- Modal with zoomed in generated image getting displayed while navigating to My Stuff after saving project has been fixed.
- Uploaded Print Then Cut images getting distorted after restoring from pattern / color application has been fixed.
- Issue of USB-connected machine changing its name in the machine picker after firmware update from new product setup flow, and not being able to reconnect until the new name is selected in the machine picker list, has been fixed.
- Project selection modal – Fixed an issue causing Letter size to not change to A4 size when selected until Design Space is refreshed.
- Fixed an issue causing some Cricut Explore 5 & Cricut Joy 2 machines to not resume cutting after reconnecting.
- Fixed an issue in Edit toolbar causing Letter Space and Line Space values to revert to 0.
- No “Skip Test Cut” option displaying on “Time for a quick test” page despite these options being enabled, has been fixed.
- Fixed an issue causing the setup/day 1 experience to be laggy due to a non-optimized version of Design Space.
- Fixed a backend issue causing two events with two different canvasuuids to get fired in error upon creating Stickers & Labels project.
- Fixed an issue causing Print Then Cut calibration process to hang during scanning phase.
- Fixed an issue causing “No printers found” to occur for some users
- Fixed an issue causing there to be no way to switch back to Automatic Background Remover from manual remover flow.
- Getting “Project not saved” error while clicking “Save” in Make flow, after closing Design Space and relaunching with an auto saved project, has been fixed.
- Fixed an issue causing the app to show incorrect behavior when switching quickly from one project type to another.
- Fixed an issue in Stickers & Labels flow causing clicking “Undo” once to not remove a Text object once it is added to the Canvas and auto-stickerized.
- Blank project modal displaying after changing machine selection without refreshing Design Space and selecting “Stickers & Labels” project has been fixed.
- “Basic Cut” Operation missing from Operation dropdown when Font Style is changed to “Writing” or “Writing Italic” has been fixed.
- macOS warning indicating Cricut Design Space is not fully supporting Apple Silicon has been fixed.
- Videos sometimes not loading in new product setup flow has been fixed.
- MaterialIsMissing error occurring when user cancels Print Then Cut project flow after failed fiducial scan and creates a new job has been fixed.
- “Firmware Update” not showing when a user chooses USB mode after selecting Bluetooth mode has been fixed.
- Sticker templates: After disabling “Keep Layout” toggle project still showing as auto-attached until the material size is changed has been fixed.
- Fixed a backend machine connection handling issue.
- Fixed an issue causing a required event to not fire after returning to Canvas from Prepare screen.
- Card mat size showing as empty for Cricut Joy and Cricut Joy 2 has been fixed.
- Fixed an issue causing machine picker to not autoconnect to machine that was selected in new product setup.
- Fixed backend issue causing necessary events to not occur as expected when machine is selected in machine picker.
- Load Type in settings for Cricut Joy showing empty braces for “On Card Mat” has been fixed.
- Application freezing when clicking Edit on Make screen for card projects with Cricut Joy Xtra machine has been fixed.
- Background removal flow issue causing ability to enter zoom value manually instead of clicking + or – icons has been fixed.
- Fixed an issue related to connection causing “Press Allow” page to show persistently.
- Fixed an issue causing the in-app cart to start flickering when opening it in multiple windows.
- Fixed an issue with Cricut Explore 5 new product setup causing the “Getting things ready” screen to not be displayed, and the the machine to not reboot during setup.
- Fixed an issue with “Getting things ready” page taking time to process for Cricut Joy 2 and Cricut Explore 5 new product setup.
- Save modal showing up with “item too small” flag, even without unsaved changes has been fixed.
- Green loader displaying continuously on Canvas when objects are added to design area has been fixed.
- Fixed an issue causing an infinite loader to occur when machine is disconnected in the Make screen, and then reconnected.
- Fixed an issue causing a “connection failed” screen to appear when “machine deactivated” error message should have occurred.