Canvas - Exporting and Preserving Canvas Course Content (for Instructors)


Introduction

Canvas is Virginia Tech's learning management system (LMS). Instructors use Canvas to manage teaching materials like assignments, quizzes, feedback, and student grades. 

  • Official courses are automatically created in instructors' Canvas accounts.
  • Enrolled students are automatically added.
  • Instructors can reuse teaching materials by importing them to a new course site.
  • Canvas provides 24-7 support by phone (833-639-7621) and chat (click Help on any Canvas screen).

The Canvas LMS Instructor Guide and the Canvas LMS Student Guide have full instructions on using Canvas. These instructions are specific to Virginia Tech. To see other Canvas topics, please see:

Contents

Instructions

Overview

Canvas provides several ways to access and reuse course content, but each method serves a different purpose. No single option will produce a complete, clean, and fully usable copy of a course outside of Canvas.

Your approach should depend on whether you plan to:

Canvas is not designed as a long-term archive for complete course content outside the system. If you need a fully usable version of your materials elsewhere, plan to download files and save key instructional content. Downloaded formats, including those created with Ally, are best used for reference and may not preserve full functionality or structure.

If you anticipate needing your course content outside Canvas, organize and save materials throughout the course rather than relying on export at the end. Download files and retain copies of key instructional content as you build or update your course.

This guidance may apply if your course is being archived, if you are preparing to leave the university, or if you simply want to retain a copy of your course materials.

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Reusing Your Course in Canvas (Recommended)

If you plan to teach the course again or continue working in Canvas, this is the most effective way to keep your course editable, functional, and organized.

See: How do I copy content from another Canvas course using the Course Import tool? 

Benefits

  • Preserves course structure (Modules)
  • Maintains relationships between content (Pages, Assignments, Quizzes)
  • Keeps content editable and functional
  • Student data is not included

Limitations

  • Some tools require additional steps:
    • External tools (e.g. Google Docs)
    • New Quizzes item banks

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Using Course Content Outside Canvas

Canvas does not provide a single export that produces a complete, ready-to-use version of a course outside the system. To retain content for use elsewhere, you will need to combine multiple methods.

1. Download Course Files

Go to Files and download materials. See: How do I download a file or folder?

2. Save Instructional Content (Pages, Assignments, etc.)

Unlike files stored in the Files area, most Canvas instructional content, such as Pages, Assignment instructions, Discussion prompts, and Syllabus content, does not include a built-in download option.

Options:

  • Print to PDF: Use your browser’s print function to create a static, readable version.
  • Manual copy/paste: Copy content into another document for editing or reuse.
  • Ally Alternative Formats: Allows you to download generated versions of Canvas content (such as PDF, HTML, or ePub). These are useful for readable copies but do not preserve full structure, embedded media, or interactivity. 

Best for:

  • Pages
  • Assignment instructions
  • Discussion prompts
  • Syllabus content

3. Export Course Content (Optional)

How do I export a Canvas course?

Best for:

  • Backup or transfer between Canvas systems

Notes:

  • This format is designed for use within Canvas, not for direct use outside the system.
  • Content may appear as HTML, XML, or other structured formats.
  • Additional processing is required to make content readable or reusable outside Canvas.
  • This option preserves course structure but does not produce a user-friendly version of your content.

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Content Not Fully Preserved

Even when using the methods described above, some content cannot be fully exported or reused outside Canvas.

These elements are either not stored in Canvas in a reusable format or rely on external systems.

  • Student submissions and interactions
  • Discussion replies and activity
  • External tools (e.g., Kaltura, Google Docs, Collaborations)
  • Certain quiz content (e.g., New Quizzes item banks)

Ally Alternative Formats may provide readable versions of some content, but they do not preserve student activity, external tool content, or full Canvas functionality.

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Recommendation

To retain a usable version of your course, whether for reuse or personal reference:

  1. Copy your course into another Canvas site.
  2. Download files from the Files area.
  3. Save Pages, Assignments, and other instructional content using Print to PDF, copy/paste, or Ally Alternative Formats when available.
  4. Use course export as a backup.

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Getting Help

For instructions on resolving common issues with Canvas, see:

Instructure, the creators of Canvas, provide 24-7 Canvas support, including live chat and a support hotline.

To get Canvas help, click Help on any Canvas screen and choose from help options:

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