How to Link Paragraph Text Frames in CorelDRAW

Linking paragraph text frames in CorelDRAW allows text to flow smoothly from one frame, column, or page to another without manual cutting and pasting. This guide explains how to connect text frames so that any overflowing text automatically continues into the next designated container, as well as how to break those links when they are no longer needed.

Steps to Link Paragraph Text Frames

  1. Create Your Text Frames: Use the Text tool (F8) to click and drag out at least two paragraph text frames on your canvas. Enter or paste text into the first frame until it overflows (indicated by a red outline and a red arrow at the bottom).
  2. Select the Source Frame: Choose the Pick tool and click on the first text frame containing the overflow text.
  3. Click the Flow Tab: Locate the tab at the bottom center of the text frame (the frame tab with the small arrow). Click it once. Your cursor will transform into a small paragraph text icon.
  4. Target the Second Frame: Move the cursor over the empty frame you want to link. The pointer will change to an arrow pointing into a frame. Click inside the frame to establish the link. The overflow text will now populate the second frame.

Linking to a New Frame Automatically

If you do not have a second frame already drawn:

  1. Select the overflowing frame with the Pick tool.
  2. Click the bottom flow tab.
  3. Click and drag anywhere on the blank page to draw a new frame. The new frame will automatically be linked, and the overflowing text will immediately flow into it.

How to Unlink Text Frames

To sever the connection between linked frames:

  1. Select the linked frame using the Pick tool.
  2. Click the flow tab at the top of the frame (to break the incoming link) or the tab at the bottom (to break the outgoing link).
  3. Alternatively, right-click the frame and choose Break Link, or go to the top menu and select Text > Paragraph Text Frame > Unlink. The text will consolidate back into the remaining frames, with any overflow remaining hidden until the frame is enlarged.