Overview
Publishing a Canvas course makes published course content available to enrolled students, subject to applicable course availability settings.
An unpublished course remains inaccessible to students, allowing instructors time to develop and review instructional materials before the course begins.
Before You Begin
Open the Canvas course you want to publish or unpublish. Review the course content, including Modules, Assignments, Pages, and Files, to determine whether the course is ready for students.
Tip: Before publishing a course, review your course navigation, instructional content, due dates, and student-facing materials.
How to Publish or Unpublish a Canvas Course
- Open the Canvas course you want to manage.
- On the course Home page, locate the Course Status area, typically displayed on the right side of the page.
- Click Publish to make the course available to enrolled students, subject to applicable course availability settings.
- If needed, click Unpublish to return the course to an unpublished state, if Canvas permits the action.
- Review Modules, Assignments, Pages, and Files to ensure the course materials students need are also published.
Understanding Course Publication Status
| Status |
Meaning |
Student Access |
| Unpublished Course |
The course has not been made available to students. |
Students cannot access the unpublished course. |
| Published Course |
The course has been published for enrolled students. |
Access depends on course dates, enrollment, and individual content publication settings. |
| Unpublished Content |
An individual item remains unpublished within a course. |
The item remains unavailable to students until published and otherwise accessible. |
What to Review Before Publishing
- Modules: Verify that the appropriate modules and their required items are published.
- Assignments: Review assignment instructions, due dates, and submission options.
- Pages: Confirm that instructional pages are published and contain the intended content.
- Files: Verify that students can access required documents and course resources.
- Course Navigation: Review the navigation menu to ensure students can locate essential materials.
Unpublishing a Course
In some situations, an instructor may want to return a course to an unpublished state. However, Canvas may restrict unpublishing after students have submitted graded work or completed certain course activities.
If the Unpublish option is unavailable, do not assume that the course can be returned to an unpublished state. Contact Canvas Support for assistance with available options.
Important: Course and Content Publication Are Separate
Students cannot access an unpublished course. Additionally, items within a published course may remain hidden until those individual items are published. Always review both the overall course status and the publication status of required materials.
Need Additional Assistance?
If you need help publishing a Canvas course, managing course availability, or troubleshooting student access to published content, submit a Canvas Support request.
Canvas Support →