Use the element menu

The element menu is the full action menu for the object or objects you selected on a canvas. Use it when the inline toolbar is too small, when an action depends on the selected element type, or when you need file, image, layer, copy, lock, group, sub-canvas, or destructive actions.

The inline toolbar and element menu overlap on purpose. The inline toolbar is the fast selected-object surface. The element menu is the full selected-object surface. Open it by selecting an element and using More, or by opening the context menu on the object. The exact list changes based on element type, selection count, permission, upload state, device, and workspace settings. This is normal. The menu is not meant to show every action all the time.

Availability and permissions

Actions by object type

Comments and review

Use Add comment or Comment when feedback belongs to the selected object. The thread stays anchored to the object and is easier to resolve later than a separate note placed nearby. You can also start a selected-object comment with Cmd/Ctrl+Enter.

Deleting an object can delete or detach the comment history tied to it, so slow down when a destructive action warns about comments. Resolve, copy, or summarize important review discussion before deleting reviewed content. For comment permissions, mentions, replies, resolving, and deletion behavior, see Comments and mentions.

Links and copy actions

Use Copy link when someone needs to jump to the exact selected object on the canvas. This is usually a private link: it points back into ALLO and works for people who already have access to the canvas. If the recipient may not have access, open Share a canvas first, then send the object link. For the full access-versus-precision model, see Private links and share links in Canvas.

This is different from adding a link to text or an object. A copied object link points back into ALLO. A link attached to text or an object can point to another ALLO canvas or sub-canvas, or to an external website.

Canvas links keep collaborators inside ALLO and still depend on access to the destination canvas. External website links open outside ALLO and depend on the destination site's permissions, login state, and availability. For supported link formats, YouTube embeds, and link troubleshooting, see Links and YouTube embeds.

Use Copy as Markdown when you want supported object content in a text-first destination. Use Copy, Duplicate, or Paste when you want more canvas objects. Pasting copied objects back onto the canvas uses Cmd/Ctrl+V.

File and image workflows

For a file review, select the file and use Preview to inspect it in ALLO. Work with images, files, and spreadsheets covers the file, image, PDF, and spreadsheet-specific actions in more detail. Use Download only when you need the local file and the canvas allows downloads. Use Copy link when another collaborator needs to jump to the exact file element, not just the canvas.

For an image that needs updating, use Replace image instead of deleting and re-uploading when you want to keep the object's placement and surrounding context. Use Crop for framing, Flip horizontal or Flip vertical for mirroring, Remove background when the subject should sit cleanly on the canvas, and Restore image if background removal should be undone.

Remove background is an AI-assisted image action for supported image objects and states, including processable JPEG, PNG, WebP, or AVIF sources that ALLO can safely resolve. It can be missing when:

• An upload or generated image is still pending.
• The workspace does not have the image-processing capability available.
• The selected image source cannot be used for background removal.
• You do not have edit permission.

Restore image appears only when ALLO still has the original image state to restore.

For PDFs, images, and uploaded documents, some actions depend on processing state. If the object was just uploaded, wait for the preview or thumbnail to finish before retrying media actions.

Use Convert to canvas when a supported uploaded PDF or Office file has become large enough to deserve its own workspace. ALLO creates a sub-canvas beside the source document and keeps the original object visible on the parent canvas.

The action requires exactly one selected uploaded document and edit access. It is not available for:

• Guests.
• Multiple selections.
• Unsupported file types.
• Link-only embeds.
• Files that are still processing.

See Convert an uploaded document to a canvas.

Layout workflows

Use Group after arranging a set of objects that should move together. This is especially useful for a label plus screenshot, a diagram block, or a workshop instruction with its example notes.

Use Lock for objects that should behave like canvas infrastructure: backgrounds, section labels, facilitator instructions, imported reference screenshots, or page frames. Do not lock everything. Collaborators interpret locked content as intentional and important.

Use Bring to front and Send to back when overlap prevents selection or makes a diagram unreadable. If an object becomes hard to select after sending it back, select from an open edge, use another visible part of the object, or temporarily move the covering object.

Use Tidy Up, align, and distribute before sharing a messy workshop result. These actions clean up spacing without rewriting the work.

Useful shortcuts

Sub-canvas workflows

For a sub-canvas element, use Open canvas to enter the connected canvas. Use Share if a collaborator can see the parent but cannot open the sub-canvas. Use Rename and Upload a thumbnail to make the doorway understandable from the parent canvas.

If a sub-canvas contains important work, avoid deleting the element casually. The element is how collaborators find the connected canvas.

What can go wrong

If the action you expect is missing, check the selected element type first. A sticky note does not need Preview, and a file does not need line markers. A mixed selection cannot show every object-specific action.

If a destructive action warns about comments, slow down. Deleting an object can delete or detach the comment history tied to it.

If a file action is disabled, the file may still be uploading, downloads may be restricted, the workspace capability may be unavailable, or your permission may allow viewing but not downloading. Ask the canvas owner if the restriction is intentional.

If grouping or alignment affects unexpected objects, clear selection and reselect carefully. Dense canvases make accidental multi-selection easy, especially when objects overlap.

If Open canvas is visible but access fails, the sub-canvas may not be shared with you even though the parent canvas is visible. Ask the owner to share the sub-canvas or move it into a project you can access.