How do I use Files as a student?

Body

As a student, Files allows you to store files and assignments within Canvas. You can upload one or multiple files, view all details about your files, and preview files. Files is built with responsive design to adjust for browser scaling. The folder navigation window, file displays, and even file names adjust to the width of the browser window.

You may have access to files (documents, images, media, etc.) in three different feature areas:

User files, located in your user account
Course files, located in each course where you are enrolled (if your instructor allows you to view Course Files)
Group files, located in each group where you are a member

View Files

The basic functionality within Files is the same within each files location, but some features may differ according to feature area.

The left panel [1] shows all folders for quick navigation. Some folders may be housed within other folders. To expand all folders, click the arrows next to the folder name.

When you click the name of a folder, all contents within the folder you are viewing display in the right panel [2]. You can also click folder names in the right panel to view folder content.

For each file, you can view the name of the file [1], the date the file was created [2], the date the file was modified [3] the name of the person who modified the file (if modified by another user) [4], and the size of the file [5].

You can also view the published status [6] for your user files.

Files are sorted alphabetically. To sort files, click the name of any column heading.

Manage Files

Depending on the file area, files may contain several options to manage files:

Search for files [1]. Files is fully searchable by file name.

Add a folder [2]. Add a new folder to Files to store files. Folders can also house other folders.

Upload a file [3]. Upload a file to Files.

Change the state of the file [4]. Files can be published, unpublished, or include a restricted status.

Manage Selected Files

To select a file, click the name of the file. You can also select multiple files at the same time by holding the command (Mac) or control (PC) key.

When a file is selected, Files displays the file toolbar at the top of the window. Depending on the files area, the toolbar may contain several options to manage the selected file(s):

Preview the file [1]
Restrict access to the file [2]
Download the file [3] (when selecting more than one file, option appears to download as a zip file)
Move the file [4]
Delete the file [5]

You can also manage some or all options for a selected file within the file's Options menu [6].

View Usage Rights

Course Files and Group Files may display a column for usage rights. If enabled, the column displays the usage right (copyright) for the file [1]. Files that do not contain a usage right display as a warning icon [2].

To change the usage right for a file in Group Files, click on the usage right icon for that file [3].