How to add videos to a Canvas Course

  1. Access Canvas Studio from your menu on the left, between Commons and Help. For Panopto videos skip to Step 5.
    Studio menu item in Canvas
  2. In the top right, click "Add" to upload a video or link to a YouTube video. Hit "Record" to start recording using Canvas, instructions for which can be found here.
    Canvas Studio Record and Add buttons
  3. After your recording or upload has finished processing and your video is visible, mouse over the video thumbnail and click on the "View" button.
    Studio video View button
  4. From here you can Download the video (far upper-left) or watch it to make sure everything looks correct. Now let’s move on to embedding it into your Course.
    Example Canvas Studio upload
  5. Open your Course, and then Modules. Go ahead and click the red “+Module” button in the top right if you do not have one.
    (Optional) If you have never used Modules before, this is a good way to present Files, Assignments, and Quizzes to your students all in one place.
    Canvas Add Module button
  6. Go to the Module or Week you would like to insert the video in, and click the gray Plus “+” button.
    Canvas Module add item button
  7. Choose “Add [Page] to <Your Module Name>”, in this case ‘Week 10’. Select [New Page] at the top of the list. Then name it however you would like to title the video, and click the Add Item button near the bottom.
    Finalize Add Item
  8. Click the title you just entered to open that page, then click the Edit button in the top right.
    Canvas Module item example        Canvas Page edit button
  9. From the top toolbar, click the blue 'play' button for Canvas Studio. If you are importing your video from Panopto instead click the power plug icon labeled “Apps”, then View All. Scroll down or Search to find Panopto recordings.
    Embed from Canvas Studio dropdown menu
  10. Mouseover the video you want to embed and press the “Select” button. For Panopto videos, skip to Step 13.
    Select video to embed
  11. (Recommended) Uncheck “Allow Comments”, and Check “Display Download Option”. This lets your students download the video for later if they are unable to stream it.
    Canvas Embed options
  12. Click the blue “Embed” button, or “Select Another Video” if you wish to have more than one video on a page. More than 2 videos per-page is not recommended.
    Embed button
  13. You should now see the video preview in the editing box. Go ahead and click on the red “Save” button near the bottom right, or “Save & Publish” if you wish to publish it right away.
    Save buttons
  14. Navigate back to your Modules, and the video title should still be visible where you placed it. Click on that page and you should now have an embedded video in your Course!
    Example Canvas embedded video