SCHOOL OF APPLIED TECHNOLOGY

FACULTY ORIENTATION – CANVAS

FILES IN CANVAS will be limited to 500 megabytes, but it is not

Things to remember when using the Files Area: known if the limit is for one course or all courses
combined.
• The files area in Canvas works similar to the File
Manager in Blackboard Vista.
• Students will have access to the files. This
option was turned off in Blackboard Vista.
• There are ways to keep students out of the files
depending on what settings are used.
• Files are managed in this area like Windows
Explorer.
• There are more than one way of uploading files
and are supposed best when using FireFox
browser instead of IE.

Upload Files via Drag and Drop:

1. Log into Canvas and select your course via
FireFox. (Only works in FireFox)
2. Click on Files on the left navigation menu.
3. Open your folder that has your files and
press Ctrl + A to select all the files. (if you want
only certain files see Step 5 in the previous)
4. Place your pointer on any one of the files
and click and hold your mouse button down.
Upload Files via Add Files link: 5. Drag from your file window over to the far
1. Log into Canvas and select your course right-side of the Canvas window. You will see
2. Click on Files on the left. Drop files here to add them to this folder.
Release the mouse button, and the files will
3. Click on Add Files link in the upper right-
start uploading. Again this may take awhile
side.
depending on sizes.
4. A dialog box will open.
5. Navigate to your files and select the ones Note: This option also works for zipped files as well
you want. You can upload several files at a time but will not uncompress the files.
by clicking on the first file and holding the Shift
key down while clicking on the last file in the
list, or clicking on each file while holding the
Crtl key (great for files that are not next to each
other).
6. Click the Open button. Sit back and wait.
Large file sizes will take awhile to upload.
Note: Keep in mind that we as of yet don’t know
what the file size limits there are, if any. Students
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 SCHOOL OF APPLIED TECHNOLOGY
FACULTY ORIENTATION – CANVAS
Upload Files via Zip Option:
1. Log into Canvas and select your course.
2. Click on Files on the left navigation menu.
3. Open your folder that has your files and
press Ctrl + A to select all the files. (if you want
only certain files see Step 5 in the Upload Files
via Add Files link).
4. Right-click any of the files and select Send
to/Compressed (zipped) folder. A zipped folder
icon will appear. You can change the name by
right-clicking on the icon and selecting Rename.
Type the new name and hit the Enter key.
5. In the Files area in Canvas, click the icon
that has a green arrow on it. You will be taken
to Import Files.
6. Click the Browse button and navigate to
your zipped folder. Select and click Open. Click
Upload file. The file will uncompress and all
your files will appear in the Files area.
Creating Folders:
1. Log into Canvas and select your course.
2. Click on Files on the left.
3. Click Add Folder link at the right-side of the
window.
4. A folder icon will appear with a text box
beside it. Type the name of the folder and hit
the Enter key or click anywhere in the white
area.
Moving Files and Folders:
1. Log into Canvas and select your course.
2. Click on Files on the left.
3. To move a file or Folder, place your pointer
over the icon before the name of the item you
want to move. The pointer will change to a
four-headed arrow.
4. Press and hold the mouse button down and
drag to the folder of your choice. As you drag,
you will see a rectangle with the file or folder
name.
5. Drag to the name of the folder you want.
Once your pointer is on the name, you will see
text appear in the rectangle area below the file
or folder name. It will indicate that you are
moving to the folder location.
6. When you see the text appear, release the
mouse button. The file or folder will move into
the folder you have chosen.
Note: You can drag from the right window pane to
the left window pane just like in Windows Explorer.
You can reorder files or folders as well.
1. Point at a file or folder and you will see
several icons appear.
2. Click and hold on the two headed arrow
icon.
3. Drag your file or folder up or down in the
list. You can reorder files with other files
and folders with other folders but not files
with folders and vice versa.
4. Release the mouse button.
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 SCHOOL OF APPLIED TECHNOLOGY
FACULTY ORIENTATION – CANVAS

Controlling Access to Files: 2. Click on Files on the left navigation area.

There are two ways to control the access to the 3. Point at the file or folder you want to
files. delete. Icons will appear at the end of the
Method 1 – Deny access to some but not all files: file or folder.
1. Log into Canvas and select your course. 4. Click the trash can icon, and the file or
2. Click on Files on the left navigation area. folder will be deleted.
Note: This action cannot be undone.
3. Point at the file you want to deny access to,
you will see several icons. Click the lock
icon. This will lock the file.

Renaming a file or folder:

1. Log into Canvas and select your course.
2. Click on Files on the left navigation area.
3. Point at the file or folder you wish to
Note: If you need to create a link to the file, create
rename. Icons will appear at the end of the
the link first before locking the file. Locking the file
file or folder.
first will prevent you from creating a link to it.
4. Click the pencil icon.
Method 2 – Deny access to all the files 5. Type in the new name and hit the Enter key.
1. Log into Canvas and select your course.
2. Click on Settings on the left navigation area.
3. Click the Navigation tab.
4. Click and hold the Files item, and drag it
below where it says Drag items here to hide
them from students.
5. Click the Save button. This will hide the Files
on the student’s navigation area.

The following is a list of supported file types for

Canvas:
Media Files:  Document files:
.avi  .doc/.docx
.wav  .ppt/.pptx
.swf  .xls/.xlsx –
.flv  .pps/.ppsx
.mov  .pdf/.ps
.mpg/ .mpeg  .odt/.odp
Deleting Files or Folders: .wmv  .sxw/.sxi
.mp4 
1. Log into Canvas and select your course. .txt/.rtf
.m4v Note: Office 2007 and 2010
.3gp 3
will not preview well