Topics Map > Instructional Resources > Canvas
Canvas (Instructors) - Using Files
Files Basics
The following video demonstrates how to use the Canvas Files interface to upload and manage files in a course or your user account.
Video Source (Canvas Video Guide)
What are Files? (Canvas Basics Guide)
Sharing Files With Students
The enforced setup options of the Universities of Wisconsin Canvas environment prevent students from accessing the Files page of a Canvas course. Instructors cannot enable the Files navigation menu item for students from the course Settings page. This restriction requires instructors to share files in the context of another element of the course instead of requiring students to search for files in the large course files directory. Instructors can share a file by inserting a link to the file in another content item or by adding the file to a module as a module item.
Sharing Files by Link
Instructors can use the Canvas Rich Content Editor to upload a file to a course and insert a link to it in the content item they are editing. Instructors can also create links to existing (previously uploaded) course and user files.
How do I upload a document in the Rich Content Editor? (Canvas Instructor Guide)
How do I link a document from Canvas in the Rich Content Editor? (Canvas Instructor Guide)
Sharing Files as Module Items
Instructors can add files to course modules. While adding a file to a module, instructors can either upload a new file to the course or select any previously uploaded course file. User files cannot be added as module items.
How do I add course content as module items? (Canvas Instructor Guide)
Course Files Storage Quota
UW-Green Bay Canvas courses have a default 1GB course files storage quota. Attempting to upload a file to a course which would cause the course to exceed its files storage quota will result in an error.
To avoid exceeding the storage quota for a course, instructors should upload audio and video files to the Kaltura My Media service instead of to the course Files page. To share a large non-media file in Canvas, we recommend that instructors upload the file to OneDrive and paste a properly configured OneDrive share link in Canvas or use the Rich Content Editor's Office 365 integration to create a link to a file on OneDrive.
Exporting narrated PowerPoint presentations to video and uploading the videos to the Kaltura My Media service is a best practice for reducing Canvas course storage requirements and improves the accessibility of presentations.
Instructors can also reduce file sizes by using built-in tools to compress images in PowerPoint and Word documents and optimize PDF files with Adobe Acrobat before uploading to Canvas.
Selected How-to Resources (Canvas Instructor Guides)
Full Canvas Instructor Guides Index
Managing Files
- How do I use Files as an instructor?
- How do I view my user files as an instructor?
- How do I view course files as an instructor?
- How do I move and organize my files as an instructor?
- How do I create a folder in Files as an instructor?
- How do I rename a file as an instructor?
- How do I preview a file as an instructor?
- How do I delete a file or folder as an instructor?
- How do I restrict files and folders to students in Canvas? - Please note that because students cannot access the Files page in a UWGB Canvas course, there is no functional difference between the "Only available with link" and "Publish" availability options.
Uploading Files
- How do I upload a file to a course?
- How do I bulk upload files to a course?
- How do I upload ZIP files as an instructor?
Downloading Files
- How do I download a single file as an instructor?
- How do I download a folder in ZIP format as an instructor?
Sharing Files With Students
- How do I upload a document in the Rich Content Editor?
- How do I link a document from Canvas in the Rich Content Editor?
- How do I add course content as module items?
Getting Help
Canvas support is available 24 hours a day! Access Canvas support options by clicking the Help button in the Global Navigation Menu located along the left-edge of any page in Canvas. The Help menu contains options for contacting Canvas support via live chat, phone, and email. For more information on contacting Canvas support, please see Canvas - Contacting 24/7 Canvas Support.