For best performance, Canvas should be used on the current or first previous major release of Chrome, Firefox, Edge, or Safari. Because it’s built using web standards, Canvas runs on Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, Android, or any other device with a modern web browser.

Canvas only requires an operating system that can run the latest compatible web browsers. Your computer operating system should be kept up to date with the latest recommended security updates and upgrades.

For more information, check out Canvas’ guide on browser and computer requirements.

I am unable to access Canvas, what should I do?

If you are unable to login to Canvas using your NetID and password, or you need help with Duo Two-Factor Authentication please contact the Georgetown University Service Center:

email: help@georgetown.edu
phone: 202-687-4949

I am missing a course in Canvas, what should I do?

Changes and updates in MyAccess are not immediately reflected in Canvas and will be present in Canvas within 4-6 hours (but no later than the next business day).

Canvas relies on official course listing and enrollment data from the Office of the University Registrar (OUR). Courses and enrollments must appear in MyAccess before they automatically appear in Canvas. Make sure your enrollment is listed in MyAccess. If you see your enrollment listed in MyAccess, then it will also appear in Canvas.

Only courses that have been published by the instructor will appear on your Canvas Dashboard. You can try searching your All Courses list in Canvas, which will show both published and unpublished courses.

If you cannot login to MyAccess, or your course enrollment is missing in MyAccess, please contact:

Main Campus and School of Continuing Studies: univregistrar@georgetown.edu or 202-687-4020
School of Medicine: medregistrar@georgetown.edu or 202-687-1856
Georgetown Law: lawreg@law.georgetown.edu

I am unable to access a course in Canvas, what should I do?

In some cases, once the semester has ended, the instructor may prevent students from accessing past courses and its content.

Courses in Canvas must first be published by your instructor before you can access them. If a course is listed in your All Courses list, but not accessible to you it’s likely not published. Once your instructor has published the course you will be able to access it.

However, some courses may never be published by the instructor. If your course remains unpublished in Canvas after the start of the semester, please contact your instructor directly and ask if Canvas will be used. You can look for your instructor’s contact information in the Georgetown University online directory.

When do my Canvas courses for a new semester appear?

Courses in Canvas must first be published by your instructor before you can access them. If next semester’s courses do not appear on your Canvas Dashboard please check your All Courses list in Canvas. There you will be able to see what courses have been published by the instructor (or not).

When students begin to register for courses using MyAccess, their enrollments are typically reflected in Canvas within 4-6 hours (but no later than the next business day).

Students who are scheduled to return from a leave of absence will not have access to Canvas until shortly before the new semester officially begins. Learn more about students on a leave of absence and access to Canvas.

How do I add pronouns to my Canvas account?

For information or feedback about the available pronoun options in Canvas, please contact: oads-team@georgetown.edu

When you are making decisions about adding or updating your pronouns and/or name in Canvas, you might want to consider the following factors:

Adding/updating your pronouns or editing your name in Canvas will not affect other university systems. You will have to go to other platforms, such as Zoom or MyAccess, and set your pronouns in those systems too.
Adding/updating your pronouns or editing your name will be reflected in all of your Canvas courses, past and present. Canvas does not currently offer the ability to make account changes isolated to specific courses.
Most integrated tools in Canvas (also called LTI, external, or third-party tools and apps) do not currently support displaying Canvas pronouns properly or at all.
To display your pronouns in Canvas you will need to edit your Canvas account settings. There you can select your pronouns from a drop-down menu. Pronouns selected from the drop-down menu will automatically display after your name in Canvas and display in multiple areas including: account profile page, Canvas inbox, course discussions, course people and group page(s), and course activity comment fields.
If your pronouns are not represented in the drop-down menu, you can opt to edit your “Display Name” in Canvas and add your pronouns after your name. Warning: Adding your pronouns in the “Full Name” field in your Canvas account can disrupt Canvas’s connection with other university systems.

Add or update your pronouns from the drop-down menu:

Login to Canvas
Click Account (above the dashboard button)
Click Settings
Click Edit Settings (right side of the page)
Select the pronoun from the drop-down menu
Click Update Settings (bottom of page)

Your selected pronouns will now appear in your account and in your courses.

(Optional) Edit your “Display Name” and add your pronouns after your name:

Warning: Adding your pronouns to your “Full Name” in Canvas will disrupt the alphabetical order of the Canvas Gradebook, Canvas Speedgrader and alter your account data in third-party tools like Panopto. Therefore, we recommend only adding pronouns to your “Display Name” in Canvas.

If your pronouns are not represented in the drop-down menu we recommend you add your pronouns only to your “Display Name” in Canvas. Pronouns added to your “Display Name” will appear on your Canvas account profile page, Canvas inbox, course discussions, course people and group page(s), and course activity comment fields.

Login to Canvas
Click Account (above the dashboard button)
Click Settings
Click Edit Settings (right side of the page)
In the “Display Name” field add your pronouns after your name
Click Update Settings (bottom of page)

How do I upload and embed an image in a discussion reply?

In the Canvas Rich Content Editor (RCE) you can embed an image file from your computer or device directly into discussion replies by clicking the “Image icon” or the “Insert–> image” buttons on the menubar. Select the ‘Upload Image’ option. Follow the steps to upload or link the file, add your written reply (if necessary), and then post your reply for your peers and instructor to see.

Note: Files uploaded and embedded in discussion replies will use your Canvas User File storage (limited to 50mb). If you run out of user file storage consider uploading the image to your Georgetown Google Drive account.

Then follow the guide to embed the image using the Google Drive App in the Canvas Rich Content Editor (RCE). Embedding files from your Google Drive account following the guide above will automatically handle all file permissions. You won’t need to change the share settings on the file within Drive in order for your peers and instructor to view the embedded file within the discussion reply.

How do I upload and embed a media file in a discussion reply?

In the Canvas Rich Content Editor (RCE) you can embed a media file from your computer or device directly into discussion replies by clicking the “Media icon” or the “Insert–> Media” buttons on the menubar. Select the “Upload/Record Media” option. Follow the steps to upload the file, add your written reply (if necessary), and then post your reply for your peers and instructor to see.

Note: Files uploaded and embedded in discussion replies will use your Canvas User File storage (limited to 50mb). If you run out of user file storage consider uploading the media to your Georgetown Google Drive account.

Then follow the guide to embed the media using the Google Drive App in the Canvas Rich Content Editor (RCE). Embedding files from your Google Drive account following the guide above will automatically handle all file permissions. You won’t need to change the share settings on the file within Drive in order for your peers and instructor to view the embedded file within the discussion reply.

How do I record media and embed it in a discussion reply?

In the Canvas Rich Content Editor (RCE) you can record your video (camera) and audio (microphone) and embed it directly into discussion replies by clicking the “Media icon” or the “Insert–> Media” buttons on the menubar. You can record media for any length of time, but shorter media recordings are recommended. Follow the steps to open the Media Recording Tool, record your content, and then post your reply for your peers and instructor to see.

Note:

Using the RCE to create longer media recordings will require more time to render and may be interrupted without a stable internet connection.
If your media is longer than 15 minutes, you may want to consider recording using other media capture tools and upload that media following our guide above: How do I embed a media file in a discussion reply?
The Safari browser does not support recording media. Please use Chrome or Firefox to record media from the Rich Content Editor.
Media recorded in the Rich Content Editor is saved in the Uploaded Media folder in your Canvas User Files or Canvas Group Files, depending on where it is recorded. If media is recorded for an assignment submission, the media file is stored in your User Files and will not count toward your Canvas User File storage (limited to 50mb) .

How do I upload and embed a document in a discussion reply?

In the Canvas Rich Content Editor (RCE) you can upload and embed documents a number of different ways:

Drag and drop
Copy/paste
Click the “Document icon” or the “Insert–> Document” buttons on the menubar and then select the ‘Upload Document’ option. Follow the steps to upload the file.

Once the file has been uploaded and embedded, add your written reply (if necessary), and then post your reply for your peers and instructor to see.

Note: Files uploaded and embedded in discussion replies will use your Canvas User File storage (limited to 50mb). If you run out of user file storage consider uploading the document to your Georgetown Google Drive account.

Then follow the guide to embed the document file(s) using the Google Drive App in the Canvas Rich Content Editor (RCE). Embedding files from your Google Drive account following the guide above will automatically handle all file permissions. You won’t need to change the share settings on the file within Drive in order for your peers and instructor to view the embedded file within the discussion reply.

How do I attach a file to a discussion reply?

If your instructor allows file attachments, you can attach a file to a discussion reply using the attachment icon at the bottom left of the Canvas Rich Content Editor (RCE). Attachments can be added to both graded and non-graded discussions. Any attachments added as part of discussions are copied to your Canvas User File storage (limited to 50mb). Attachments for graded discussions are not counted against your user quota and cannot be deleted.

Note:

If the attachment icon does not display at the bottom left of the Rich Content Editor (RCE), then this option is not available in your course.
If your attachment causes you to exceed your user file quota, the file may fail to attach to an ungraded discussion.

If you run out of user file storage consider uploading the file to your Georgetown Google Drive account.

Then follow the guide to embed the file(s) using the Google Drive App in the Canvas Rich Content Editor (RCE). Embedding files from your Google Drive account following the guide above will automatically handle all file permissions. You won’t need to change the share settings on the file within Drive in order for your peers and instructor to view the embedded file within the discussion reply.

How do I fix errors caused by third-party cookie settings?

In most cases, switching to a different web browser will solve the problem.

You may get third-party cookie error messages when trying to access some tools and pages in Canvas. Cookies allow your user authorization and account details (e.g. name, NetID and course role) to pass from Canvas to the third-party tool. If you receive error messages when accessing third-party tools in Canvas you will need to make a change to your web browser’s settings.

Follow the guides below if you would like to change your web browser’s settings to allow cookies in Canvas. We do NOT recommend setting your browser to accept all third-party cookies. However, adding cookie exceptions in your browser will allow the specific third-party tool to work in Canvas.

Do students on a leave of absence have access to Canvas?

Typically, students on a leave of absence from Georgetown do not have access to Canvas.

Students who are scheduled to return from a leave of absence can expect to have their access to Canvas restored only shortly before the new semester officially begins (on or close to the following dates):

August 20: Fall semester
May 20: Summer semester
January 5: Spring semester

There will be some variation on the exact dates posted above. These dates are controlled by the Office of the University Registrar.

Do consortium students get access to Canvas?

Yes, consortium students at Georgetown will have access to Canvas in order to fully participate in coursework. To establish your access to Canvas, you will need to do the following:

Obtain your NetID: As soon as your registration is processed at Georgetown, you will receive an email from Georgetown’s consortium coordinator, which will include your NetID and temporary NetID Password. If you are missing this information please email: consortium@georgetown.edu
Change your NetID password: Once you have your NetID, you must reset your temporary NetID password (which will be provided to you by the consortium coordinator).
Set your NetID email routing (optional): After resetting your NetID password, you may consider accessing your your Georgetown email and configuring your Georgetown email to route to your home school’s email account.

Do I have access to Canvas after graduating?

Most Georgetown alumni will maintain their access to Canvas for twenty-one (21) years after graduation. As alumni you will still use your NetID and NetID Password to access Canvas.

Access to specific courses and content in Canvas might be modified, blocked, or completely removed by the instructor. As a result, prior to the end of each semester we recommend students consider downloading any course materials that they may need in the future.

Non-Degree seeking students and Non-Credit Certificate Programs

Students enrolled in non-credit or non-degree programs have ninety (90) days after the program has concluded to download any course materials before access to Canvas and other online University tools and services becomes disabled.

The School of Continuing Studies recommends students in Non-Credit Certificate programs consult the Non-Credit Student Handbook for details on Canvas access after completing their program.

Don’t see what you are looking for?

Check out the Get Help page to connect with Canvas support.