Organizing Files
Learning Intentions
Participants who complete this module will gain an understanding of how to access and organize the various files that are within their Canvas course.
Success Criteria
Participants will know they are successful when they can:
- locate the files section with their Canvas course.
- organize files in folders.
- rename and/or delete files.
Move and Organize Files
Task: Create a folder and move files into that folder.
You can move and organize the files in your course by dragging and dropping files or using the Move options for each file. Files are always organized in alphabetical order, so you are not able to rearrange the organizational structure of files, but to locate a file you can always sort files by column.
Open Files
In Course Navigation, click the Files link.
Move File via Move Button or Options Icon
Locate the file you want to move. Click the line item for the file [1].
To move the file via the toolbar, click the Move button [2].
To move the file via file settings, click the Options icon [3], then click the Move link [4].
Select the folder where you want to move the file [1] and click the Move button [2].
Move File via Drag and Drop
You can also manage your files using a basic click-and-drag method. Click the file name and drag the file to the desired folder. Once you see the folder highlighted, release your mouse. The file has been moved.
Note: Instructors can drag and drop files from their personal files into course files.
You can also move a file from the right pane to the left pane.
Move Multiple Files
To select multiple files, press the command key (Mac) or the control key (Windows) while clicking the line of each file you want to select.
To select all files, press the command + A keys (Mac) or the control + A keys (Windows).
To select a range of files click the first file you want to select, hold down the Shift key, and then click the last file you want to select. All files between the first and the last file will be selected.
Note: You can also use the same key command to deselect a file.
Renaming Files
Task: Rename a file. ***files named "screenshot" are great ones to practice on**
You can rename your files at any time using the Rename option in the file's settings menu.
Note: If you add a file to another area of Canvas (e.g. Modules or Assignments) and then rename the file in Course Files, the file rename will not update in any other Canvas location and must be changed manually. Please ensure that your file names are correct in Course Files before adding them to other content areas.
Open Files
In Course Navigation, click the Files link.
Rename File
To rename a file, click the line item for the file [1].
Click the Options icon [2], then click the Rename link [3].
In the text field, change the name of the file [1]. To save the name of the folder, press the Return (Mac) or Enter (PC) key or click the Check button [2]. To return to the previous title, click the Cancel button [3].
Note: Renaming or removing the extension in the file name may strip the extension from the file when it is downloaded.
View File
View the new name of your file.