Canvas Tricks You Need to Know

Every application has little-known helpful features but never promoted - CTRL-F, anyone? Here are four to try in Canvas.

1. Undelete

What is it: Did you accidentally delete an assignment, page, discussion, or module? A simple trick takes you to a list of recently deleted items you can restore.

How to use it:

Go to your course Home Page.
In the browser’s address bar, add:
/undelete to the end of your course URL.
Example: https://canvas.instructure.com/courses/12345/undelete
Press Enter to see a list of deleted items. Click Restore next to any item you'd like to recover.

2. Page and Gradebook History

What it is: Canvas keeps a revision history for Pages, to view and restore previous versions. Similarly, the Gradebook history tracks changes made to grades, showing who made the change, when, and what the old/new values were.

How to use it:

For Pages: Open any page > click the three dots in the top right > choose View Page History.
For Grades: Go to Grades > click the Gradebook menu (top-left corner) > select Gradebook History.

3. Auto-Generated Schedule in the Syllabus Tool

What it is: The Syllabus tool automatically summarizes all dated assignments and calendar events.

How to use it:

Click Syllabus in your course navigation.
Below the syllabus text box, Canvas will display a Course Summary listing all upcoming assignments and due dates.

4. Private Notes Column in the Gradebook

What it is:
A hidden Notes column lets instructors and TAs (with permission) leave private comments on each student.

How to use it:

Go to Grades.
Click the gear icon (⚙️) in the top right corner.
Under View Options, check the box for Notes.

Additional Resources

Frequently Asked Questions - FAQs for Instructors

Getting Started

Need help? Reach out to OTL Services