Design Space for Desktop 10.4 can show “Purchase Required” when you select Canvas content that is not already owned or included with your Cricut Access subscription. The label is a prompt to inspect an image, font or template before making the project; it is not, by itself, a charge. Check the selected item and the project cart before paying.
Cricut listed this Canvas indicator in its 21 September 2026 desktop release notes. This guide explains the documented change and a cautious troubleshooting path. We have not tested every account state or the mobile apps; Cricut directs mobile users to their app-store release notes.
What changed in version 10.4?
Previously, a maker could discover paid content late in the project flow. Cricut says the new indicator appears on the Canvas when a selected image, text or other content is neither already owned nor included in the account's Cricut Access subscription. That makes the potential cost visible while you can still replace the item.
The release note names images, fonts and templates as examples. It does not say that every “Purchase Required” item has the same price, that every licensed design is covered by Access, or that the label proves a payment has been taken. Read the actual item and checkout summary instead of guessing from the label alone.
Does “Purchase Required” mean you need Cricut Access?
No. Cricut says its machines can be used without a subscription, and that Design Space includes free content. A particular asset may be free, previously purchased, included with an active subscription, or sold separately. Some licensed content is excluded from Cricut Access and can require a separate purchase even for a subscriber.
Cricut's Access help page also describes a green crown: no icon means your account currently has access; a green crown means it does not. The new Canvas wording gives you another point at which to notice an entitlement issue. Neither display tells you to buy a subscription immediately.
Before paying: identify the exact asset, confirm which Cricut account is signed in, and check whether the asset is free, individually owned, or included in your current plan. A newly uploaded personal SVG should not need to be replaced with a paid library image merely to make a cut.
How do you find the item that triggers the label?
- Save a copy of the project. Preserve the layout before removing or replacing anything.
- Select one object on the Canvas. Inspect its name and its layer. Repeat for suspicious images, text and templates; a font can make ordinary-looking text chargeable.
- Check hidden layers too. Cricut specifically warns that content hidden on the Canvas can still be present in a project cart.
- Review the purchase summary before authorization. Cricut's troubleshooting page says the Mat Preview purchase path shows the items in the cart and requires password authorization before a purchase is submitted. Stop at the summary if the item or amount is unexpected.
- Replace only the unwanted asset. Choose an item your account can use, or use your own properly licensed artwork. Then check the summary again.
If the label disappears after you remove one object, you have isolated the trigger. If it persists, keep checking the remaining layers rather than deleting the entire design. A project can contain more than one paid asset.
What if you already bought the image or font?
First, verify that you signed into the account that made the purchase or owns the subscription. Cricut says a long-lived Design Space session can appear signed in while its entitlement information is stale. Sign out and back in, then reopen the project and inspect the label and cart again. Cricut gives the same refresh step after digital content was bought on cricut.com while Design Space remained open.
For an in-app purchase on iOS or Android, Cricut says the rights can take a few minutes to update through the app store. If the charge still appears after an account refresh, use Cricut Member Care with the asset name and proof of purchase. Do not buy the same asset again merely to clear a confusing indicator.
Can you use your own SVG instead?
For a design you made or are licensed to use, upload your own cut-ready SVG through Design Space. Cricut's subscription FAQ says a subscription is not required to use the machine. Keep the vector file separate from any Cricut library image or font in the project so you can tell which layer, if any, is flagged.
If you are starting from your own PNG or JPG, the free Cricut SVG converter can prepare a browser-local cut file; it does not sell Cricut library assets or resolve an account entitlement. Check the exported SVG before upload, especially live text, embedded images and complex traces. The SVG upload-limit guide explains a different failure: too many paths. For a new machine, the Maker 5 file guide separates SVG cut layers from full-colour Print Then Cut artwork.
What should you check before the final cut?
After replacing or refreshing a flagged item, reopen the project and confirm that the intended artwork is still present at the intended size. Check layer operations, mat preview and the cart summary. For a multi-colour vinyl design, make sure each colour remains an intentional cut layer. For a sticker, make sure the printable art has been flattened to the intended outer contour; the Print Then Cut border guide explains that separate issue.
The practical rule is simple: treat the new label as an early accounting clue, then inspect the exact asset and account before authorizing payment. It cannot tell you whether a design will cut well, and an SVG geometry problem is separate from content ownership.
Sources and date checked
- Cricut Design Space desktop release notes, version 10.4 dated 21 September 2026; accessed 23 September 2026.
- Cricut help: charged for previously purchased content; accessed 23 September 2026.
- Cricut help: Access indicators and exclusions; accessed 23 September 2026.
- Cricut FAQ: whether a machine needs a subscription; accessed 23 September 2026.
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