Importing & Exporting

Copy Canvas Content

Import content from Other Canvas courses

Please use the information below to learn how to import content into your own Canvas courses.


Please note: 

Settings applied to Canvas content in the course in which it is created follow that assignment when imported.  For example, an assignment that is unpublished in a sandbox course will be unpublished when imported into a "real" course.  Similarly, an assignment with a gradebook setting of "manual" grade posting will import with that same setting.

Includes student navigation settings and grading scheme
Includes Homepage and About Your Teacher pages
Importing all includes categories and weights

Importing and Exporting Content

You can also import content into your Canvas courses.  Depending on your level of access, you may need to first export the copy before importing.  Please use the instructions below that work for your particular level of access in Canvas.  Please do NOT import the same content into a course more than once.  Copies or imports of the same content into a single course after the initial import result in strange behavior in Canvas, including disappearing content.

If you use OUTCOMES in your course, please be sure to check the slide in the deck below for best practices.

Canvas - how to import specific course content (no admin)

To save time, identify the Canvas course number for the course you wish to copy content out of (your original course), found in the course URL

Note: this number is different from what shows up as part of the course name

Important: 

If you use OUTCOMES in your course, please be sure to check the slide in the deck below for best practices.

Copy To

"Copy To" is a quick and easy way to copy content between your Canvas courses.  

Important: 

Do NOT use "Copy To" within an individual course.  This is not what it is intended for and Canvas will eventually delete the copied assignments.  Only use "Copy To" from one course to another.  As well, do not import the same content into a course more than once.  Copies or imports of the same content into a single course after the initial import result in strange behavior in Canvas, including disappearing content.

To use "Copy To", find the content you wish to copy.  

This could be an individual assignment, discussion, or page.  This could also be an entire module.  

Click the 3 magic dots to the far right of your content and select "Copy To".

You can then search for the course in which you wish to copy your content.  

If you see too many courses, you can type in the unique course number.  This is not the overall course number (it's not unique).  

The easiest way to grab a unique course number is by opening that course in another tab and finding the number from the URL as shown.

Importing Content from Sandbox Courses

This video outlines how to import content, specifically from a Sandbox course into a "real" Canvas course.