Copy a Canvas Course

Canvas makes it easy to reuse content you've already created, saving you time and effort. Whether you've heard it called "Copy my course," "Import content," or "Roll my course forward," the process is the same: you don't have to rebuild your course each term. This guide walks you through importing content into a new Canvas course, explores alternative copying methods, and highlights key steps to complete after importing to avoid common issues.

How to Copy a Canvas Course

This is the most common method for preparing a new term with a new course shell. This guide uses the terms source course (the course you're copying from) and destination course (the course you're copying to) to clarify the copy process.

Warning: Do not edit your previous course before copying. Always copy first, then make changes in the destination course. This preserves the academic record and avoids broken links or missing content.

Open your destination Canvas course shell. This is the course you are copying content to.
Select Import Existing Content from the Home page or Settings

On the Import Content page, set Select Content Type to Copy a Canvas Course

In the search field, locate your source course. For best results, open the Settings of the source course and copy the Canvas ID value, then paste it into the search field.
- Not seeing a course? Only courses where you were enrolled as a Teacher, TA, Designer, Colleague, or UIW Librarian role will appear. Check "Include completed courses" to see courses from previous terms and ensure you are entering the name as it appears on your All Courses list.
Choose All Content to copy everything

Configure Options:
- (Recommended) Convert content to New Quizzes: Existing question banks and classic quizzes will be imported as Item Banks and New Quizzes
- (Highly recommended) Adjust events and due dates:Automatically shifts all events and due dates in accordance with the start and end dates of the destination course
  - Select Shift Dates to move events and due dates
  - Canvas will automatically populate the dates if they exist in the course settings. If absent, enter old term start/end dates and new term start/end dates

(Optional) Continue configuring options if needed:
- Use Substitution if your new term follows a different weekly schedule
- Use Remove Dates to remove dates for the destination course
When you're ready, select Add to Import Queue and wait for the process to finish

Understanding Import Status Results

After your import completes, you'll see one of these status indicators on the Import page:

Completed (Green): Import was completely successful. No further action necessary

Completed with Issues (Orange): Import succeeded but with warnings. Select "View Issues" to see details and open direct links to the broken items. This is normal and your course is still usable.

Red (Failed): Import failed completely. Contact Canvas Support for assistance.

Video Guide

00:00: How do I copy a Canvas course into a new course shell?

00:04: In Global Navigation, click the Courses link, then click the name of the

00:08: course.

00:10: In Course Navigation, click the Settings link.

00:13: Click the Copy this Course link.

00:16: Enter the name and course code for the new course, the name displays

00:20: on the course homepage. And in conversations the course code displays

00:24: at the top of the course navigation menu and in the course card in the dashboard

00:29: course, code is also referred to as the reference code

00:33: or short name.

00:35: Select a Term. When a term is selected, the Start date and End date

00:39: fields automatically default to the dates of the selected term. To modify

00:43: the term dates, contact your institution's admin.

00:47: If an instructor is time zone, differs from the courses time zone, both the local

00:51: time zone and the course, time zone display.

00:55: To import all content from the course, select the All Content radio button.

00:59: If you want to select specific content, click the Select specific

01:03: content radio button

01:06: If allowed by your institution, you can bulk migrate existing quizzes into

01:10: New Quizzes by clicking the Convert content to New Quizzes checkbox.

01:15: If your institution enables the quiz migration feature, question banks

01:20: linked via a question group in Classic Quizzes will migrate to New Quizzes.

01:23: If the quiz migration feature is not enabled by your institution, questions

01:28: from question banks must be individually added before migrating to New Quizzes.

01:33: After the copy or import is complete, all Question Banks converted to Item

01:38: Banks appear on the Item Banks page of the new course, filtered under This

01:42: Course. The Convert content to New Quizzes

01:45: checkbox Tooltip text is updated.

01:48: If you want to adjust the due dates associated with the course events and assignments,

01:52: click the Adjust events and due dates checkbox.

01:56: You can copy settings from a blueprint

01:59: course into another blueprint course. Copying blueprint settings

02:03: applies the same lock preferences to objects as the original blueprint course.

02:07: To copy settings from a blueprint

02:09: course, click the Import Blueprint Course settings checkbox.

02:14: Click the Create Course button.

02:17: The Content imports section displays the status of your import. Running

02:22: reports display a progress bar indicating the time remaining to complete

02:26: the import.

02:28: If you chose to select specific content in your course, the current

02:32: job will show as Waiting for Select, which means you must select the content

02:36: you want to import. The import may also display other

02:40: status indicators as part of the import process.

02:45: View the content from any completed imports by accessing any link

02:49: in Course Navigation.

02:51: This guide covered how to copy a Canvas course into a new course

02:56: shell.

Additional Copy Methods

Copy only specific content

During the import process, you can choose to Select Specific Content. This is ideal if you only need certain assignments, quizzes, or pages rather than the entire course.

Written Guide: Copy only specific content

Open your destination Canvas course shell
Select Import Existing Content from the Home page or Settings
On the Import Content page, set Select Content Type to Copy a Canvas Course
In the search field, locate your source course using the Canvas IDfrom the source course Settings for best results
- Not seeing a course? Only courses where you were enrolled as a Teacher, TA, Designer, Colleague, or UIW Librarian role will appear. Check "Include completed courses" to see courses from previous terms
Choose Select specific content instead of All Content
Configure date settings if needed
Select Add to Import Queue
When the job shows "Waiting for Select," click Select Content
Check the boxes next to content you want to copy
Expand sections using arrows for more granular control
Click Select Content to begin the import

Video Tutorial: Copy only specific content

Copy individual items or modules with "Copy To" and "Send To"

Perfect for reusing a specific assignment or updating a single resource. This method works differently, you start in the source course, not the destination.

Written Guides: Copy individual items

Use Copy To to move content to another course you teach
Use Send To to share content with another course or instructor

Video Tutorial: Copy individual items

Post-Copy Checklist

After importing, complete these essential steps to ensure your course is ready for students:

Task Action Items ☐ Verify Import Success

Check import status on the Import Existing Content page
- Review any warnings in "View Issues" (most warnings are minor)
- "Completed with Issues" is normal
Confirm content appears correctly in the course

☐ Set Course Home Page

If home page appears blank, this is normal. Your original home page in the Pages area and just needs to be set.
- Learn how to set the home page

☐ Update Course Navigation

Remove outdated or unused navigation links to limit the options to approximately 10.
- Learn how to manage course navigation links

☐ Review Course Settings

Use the link validator to fix broken links
Verify participation dates are correct

☐ Complete UIW Canvas Checklist

Follow the UIW Canvas Checklist for essential course setup. Ensure all critical requirements are addressed before the term begins

Copy a Canvas Course: FAQ

Why does my import show "Completed with Issues" in orange?

This is completely normal and doesn't mean your import failed. Orange status indicates the copy was successful but Canvas encountered minor issues like:

Missing files that were linked but deleted from the original course
Updated Canvas features that work differently than when originally created
External links that may have changed
Minor formatting adjustments

Select View Issues and open the direct links to fix the broken and flagged items.

My course home page is blank or shows the wrong content

This happens because course import doesn't always preserve home page settings. Your original home page is still there—it's located in the Pages area and just needs to be set as the home page. Learn how to set the home page for your course.

Can I import content multiple times?

Not recommended. Importing content multiple times can cause issues:

Duplicate assignments and content
Conflicting due dates
Overwritten customizations you made in the new course

If you need to add specific items after your initial import, use the "Copy To" feature for individual items instead.

What content doesn't copy during course imports?

Student submissions and grades
Course analytics and statistics
Student enrollments
Some external tool configurations
Conversation/message history
Calendar events not tied to assignments

When should I use "Remove Dates" vs "Shift Dates"?

Shift Dates: Use when you want to automatically move all due dates to your new term schedule. Best for regular semester transitions.
Remove Dates: Use when you want to manually set all due dates, or when your new course has a very different structure.

Where can I find my course's Canvas ID?

The Canvas ID is located in the Settings of any course. It's a unique identifier that ensures you select the exact course you need, especially helpful when you have multiple courses with similar names across different terms.