Storage in Canvas is intended only for CSU course and group work.
The Files tool in Canvas provides online storage and file sharing in three areas:
- User files – Located in your user profile
- Course files (Student or Instructor) – Located in each course where you are enrolled
- Group files – Located in each group where you are a member
User Files
At CSU, User Files (students, instructors) have a quota of 200 MB. User files include profile pictures, uploaded assignment submissions, and other files uploaded to your personal Canvas file storage area.
To view your user file usage in Canvas, navigate to Account, then choose Files.
User Storage Quota Exceeded – Error Code 400
Exceeding the user storage quota prevents users from uploading files to Discussions and User Files.
To make room for more file uploads, delete files in either, or both, of these folders of your User Files until total file size is under 200 MB.
- My Files – Personal files you may have uploaded to Canvas. See table below to see impact on ungraded discussion attachments.
- Conversation attachments – Once removed, the attachments will no longer be part of the conversation message in Canvas.
See the file size below the list of folders. Refresh your browser after deleting to see the new files size.
Course Files
At CSU, Course files have a quota of 2GB. Course files include all files uploaded in a course’s Files navigation that are unique to CSU’s Canvas system and the course’s assignment submissions. The course file size is listed on the bottom left of the Files navigation.
Instructors have the option to restrict course file access from students by hiding the Files navigation or locking course folders and files so they won’t be visible to students.
Video Files
Video files tend to be very large in size and Canvas is not optimized to deliver video content. See the Videos page for great ideas on how to manage your video content.
How Do Files Affect Course Quota
Canvas stores only one instance of a file for CSU. When a file is copied to a new course by importing content, the files in the new course are linked to the originally uploaded file. The file only counts toward the course file quota in the course where it was originally uploaded.
Newly recorded or uploaded media via the Upload/Record Media link does not affect Canvas file quotas. However, media files uploaded via any other method (such as the Upload Files link) count toward the course quota
Group Files
At CSU, Group files have a quota of 200 MB. Group files include uploaded assignment submissions and other group-related files uploaded to your group storage area.
Group files are available to all students enrolled in the group and the course teachers. All members have the same permissions to manage all the files.
Upload File Size Limits
Individual file upload to user files – 200MB.
Video and audio uploads via the media tool in a course – 500MB.
Files
See the Canvas File Quota’s file for more information.
Note: CSU’s file size quota’s do differ than the defaults set by Canvas.
| User files folders | How files are added | Count towards Quota | Can files be deleted? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conversation Attachments | Files attached to a conversation. | Yes | Yes. The file will be removed from the conversation message. |
| Profile Pictures | Pictures uploaded to your profile | Yes. | Yes |
| Submissions | Copies of online assignment submissions organized by course folder. | No | No. |
| Unfiled | Files attached to discussion topics or replies. | Yes | Yes. The file will be removed from the ungraded discussion. |