Bulk File Uploads

Instructors often choose to bulk upload files to save significant time and maintain organizational consistency when transitioning materials into a Canvas environment. Rather than manually uploading documents one by one, bulk uploading allows for the simultaneous transfer of entire folder structures, lecture notes, and supplemental readings, ensuring that all necessary resources are available to students from day one. This method is particularly efficient for faculty managing multiple course sections or migrating comprehensive curricula from a local drive or a previous Learning Management System (LMS).

Note: To maintain an accessible and clutter-free learning environment, Canvas course sites should not be used as general file storage for content unrelated to the current term's instruction. To avoid unnecessary remediation, only copy over the specific content you need rather than an entire past course; for any materials you wish to preserve but not publish, consider utilizing an unpublished development site or a cloud storage solution (e.g., Microsoft OneDrive, Google Drive) as a more appropriate storage solution.

Basic Steps

1. From the course navigation menu, select Files.
2. Click the Upload button.
3. Select the files you want to upload to your course. You can hold down the Shift key on your keyboard and click the first and last files to select a group of files that are in a consecutive list. You can select multiple files from within the directory by holding down Command or Control and clicking each file.
   Alternatively, select the files you wish to upload and drag and drop them into the file upload pane.
4. Click the Open button.
   If a file with the same name already exists, you will be prompted with the options to Skip, Change Name, or Replace the file.

Further Resources

• How do I bulk upload files to a course?