| Way | Who | What you get | The catch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Download Course Content | Students | The course as an ePub e-book, plus a ZIP of its files. | Only if your school turned it on. Not for courses that have ended. No discussion replies or submissions. |
| Export Course Content on Modules | Students | A ZIP of the modules that opens in a browser. | Only if your school and teacher allow it. Only what is in modules. Not for courses that have ended. |
| Files, select all, Download | Everyone | A ZIP of the course's Files page. | Many teachers hide the Files page. Files linked from pages and modules are often not in it. |
| Download Submissions | Students | A ZIP of the files you handed in, for all your courses. | Only submitted files: no grades, feedback, quizzes or discussion posts. |
| Export Course Content in Settings | Teachers | An .imscc package for importing the course again. | Not readable on its own. No student work or grades. The link expires after 30 days. |
| Canvas Course Downloader | Students and teachers | The whole course as folders or a ZIP that opens without internet. | A browser extension, so it runs on a computer, not a phone. |
Canvas's own ways
Download Course Content (students)
In Canvas, go to Account › Settings › Download Course Content, pick a course and press Generate ePub. You get the course as an e-book, sorted by module, and next to it Download Associated Files gives a ZIP of files the e-book can't hold, such as Office documents and media.
The button is only there if your school turned on ePub exporting, and it doesn't work for a course that has already ended. Discussion replies and your submissions aren't in it. (Instructure's guide)
Export Course Content on the Modules page (students)
Some courses show Export Course Content at the top of the Modules page. It makes a ZIP; unzip it and open index.html to read the course without internet.
Your school has to allow it and your teacher has to switch it on for the course. It only holds what's in modules, quizzes and discussions keep just their descriptions, and like the ePub it stops working once the course has ended. A school uses this or the ePub, never both. (Instructure's guide)
Download from the Files page (everyone)
Open the course's Files, tick All and press the download button. Canvas zips the folders for you. (Instructure's guide)
Many teachers hide the Files link and share files through modules and pages instead. Then there's no Files page to download from, and the files in modules and pages aren't in it anyway. (Instructure's guide)
Download Submissions (students)
Account › Settings › Download Submissions › Create Export makes a ZIP of the files you handed in for assignments, in a folder per course, including courses that have ended. It leaves out grades, comments, quizzes and discussion posts, and the export expires after 30 days. (Instructure's guide)
Your grades have no export for students; the Grades page only has a Print Grades button. (Instructure's guide)
Export Course Content in Settings (teachers)
Teachers can go to Settings › Export Course Content › Course. Canvas builds an.imscc package, a standard format for importing the course into Canvas or another learning system. You can't read it like a website, it leaves out student work and grades, and the download link expires after 30 days. (Instructure's guide) The page for teachers covers archiving a course you teach.
What Canvas's own ways leave out
- Discussion replies, in every one of them.
- Your grades, as a file you can keep.
- Quiz results and, often, the questions.
- Files linked from pages and modules when the Files page is hidden.
- Courses that have already ended, for the ePub and the Modules export.
Download a whole course with Canvas Course Downloader
Canvas Course Downloader is a free, open-source browser extension for Chrome, Edge, Firefox and Brave. It uses the Canvas you're already logged in to, so there's no API token to create and nothing to set up at your school.
- Install it, then open a course in Canvas.
- Press Download course next to the course name. For several courses, use Download courses on your dashboard; past courses are there too.
- When it's done, open the
Open mepage in the folder. It works without internet.
A copy holds:
- Files in their folders, including files linked from pages and modules.
- Pages, assignments with their rubrics, announcements, and discussions with their replies.
- Quizzes with your score, and your answers when the teacher allows it.
- Your own submissions with feedback, your grades as
Grades.csv, and every deadline as a calendar file. - Videos uploaded in Canvas itself, with captions.
It can't save what you can't open yourself: locked or hidden files, and videos inside other tools such as Panopto or Kaltura, which have their own login. The Open me page lists anything that couldn't be saved, and why.
Add to Chrome, it's freeEmail myself the link
Other tools
There are also desktop apps and scripts, such as Course Downloader for Canvas (canvasdownloader.app) and several projects on GitHub. Most ask for a Canvas access token, which you create in your Canvas settings; some schools don't let students make one.
Before you lose access
Courses close after a term and your login goes when you graduate, sometimes on the same day. See Canvas access after graduation for what your university says, and save your courses while you can still open them.