How to Use a Cricut for Beginners (Download, Upload, Cut)

Both the Cricut Maker and the Cricut Explore Air 2 come with a power cord and a USB cord in the box. Plug the power cord into the wall and the USB cord into your computer.

Mac users may need a USB-C adapter depending on the laptop. The Cricut Maker also has Bluetooth, so you can connect it wirelessly to an iPad if you'd rather work from a tablet. Turn the machine on once everything is plugged in.

Go to design.cricut.com, choose your operating system (Mac or PC), and download Design Space. Install and open it.

From the menu inside Design Space, choose New Machine Setup and select the model you have - Maker or Explore Air. Make sure the machine is plugged in and turned on while you do this. Create a free account at this point. The 30-day Cricut Access trial gets unlocked automatically; after that it's a paid subscription, but you don't need it - you can use the machine and Design Space without ever subscribing.

Five tools handle 90% of jobs. The squeegee is for applying the finished decal to surfaces (and for getting cut vinyl off the mat). The weeding tool has a pick on the end and is what you'll use every project to lift away the negative-space pieces. Reverse tweezers grab tiny pieces like polka dots without crushing them. Small scissors and an exacto knife round out the kit.

Mats come in 12x12 and 12x24, plus a few grip strengths. Light grip is for paper and cardstock. Standard grip is for everyday vinyl and what most people use. Fabric grip is for fabric. Strong grip is for glitter vinyl that doesn't stick well to standard mats.

Click the Upload icon on the left side of Design Space and pick your file from your computer. Cricut accepts PNG, JPG, GIF, SVG, DXF, and BMP.

For PNG or JPG: select the complexity (use Complex if the image has multiple colors or fine detail), then use the eraser to clean up any background you don't want. Save it as either 'Print Then Cut' (if you want to print the design at home and have the machine cut around it) or 'Cut Image' (if you're cutting vinyl).

For SVG: just name the file and save. SVG is already vector data, no cleanup needed - the layers and colors come through automatically.

Drag the design onto the Canvas. Resize using the corner handles - keep the lock icon checked so the proportions stay intact. Change the color from the color box at the top left if you want a different vinyl color in the preview. The toolbar above also has flip and rotate.

When the layout is exactly how you want it, select all the pieces and click Attach in the bottom right. Without Attach, Cricut will rearrange your pieces on the mat by color. Attach tells the machine to cut everything in the exact arrangement you set.

Click Make It in the top right. The mat preview pops up - confirm the size matches the mat you're using. If you're cutting heat transfer vinyl (HTV) for a t-shirt, check the Mirror box - this flips the design so it reads correctly when you peel and apply. For regular adhesive vinyl, leave it unchecked.

Click Continue. Pick the material from the dropdown - on the Maker, type the material name (like 'holographic vinyl') in the search and pick it. On the Explore Air 2, turn the dial on the front to Custom and pick from the list on screen. Place your vinyl on the mat exactly where the on-screen preview shows, slide the mat under the rollers on the machine, and press the flashing Load button.

Press the flashing Cricut button to start. The machine cuts the design - you can watch it happen in real time. When it's done, press Load again to eject the mat.

Pull the MAT away from the vinyl, not the vinyl away from the mat - that's how you keep the decal flat. Use the weeding tool to pick out the negative-space pieces (the parts of the design you don't want), apply transfer tape over the design, and squeegee the decal onto your final surface.