Download or Upload All Student Submissions
If you want to download all student submissions for an assignment, you can download them as a bulk download. When you download all student submissions for an assignment, you can then re-upload the assignment submissions as a bulk upload in your course.
All submissions are downloaded as a single ZIP file that you can use to grade submissions on your computer offline. If a student has resubmitted an assignment, only the most recent submission will be included in the ZIP file. You can also download assignments from the Gradebook.
Bulk downloads can be used for the following submission types: file uploads, text entries (displayed as HTML files), website URLs (displayed as HTML files), and Google Docs submissions.
In bulk downloads, Canvas automatically amends the file name for each submission type:
- For group assignments, the file name will include the name of the assigned group.
- For individual student assignments, the file name will include the name of the student (last name first).
- When anonymous grading is enabled, student names are not included in the names of downloaded files.
Note: After downloading student files, you can re-upload all student submissions. However, you cannot change the names of the submission files. Otherwise Canvas will not be able to recognize the files that should be replaced.
1. In Course Navigation, click the Assignments link.
2. Click the name of the assignment you want to view.
3. On the far right-hand side, click the Download Submissions link.
4. Canvas will generate the assignment submissions together and download them to your computer as a .zip file. You can view the status of the download in the progress bar [1] and also by download percentage [2].
5. When the file is finished processing, download the file by clicking the Click here to download link [1]. Canvas will also include the size of the download file as part of the link for your reference.
To close the download window [2], click the close icon.
6. Once the file has been downloaded, locate the ZIP file on your computer. To open the file, either double click to open it (Mac users) or right-click the file and select Extract All (PC users).
When the file expands, click the submissions folder to view the assignment submissions.
Please make sure you have not changed the names of the submission files from your bulk download. If the file names are changed, please rename them to match how they appeared in the download. With different file names, Canvas will not be able to recognize the files that should be replaced.
Notes:
- Files must be compressed as a ZIP file for upload. If you are not sure how to create a .zip file, please consult your computer's software manual.
- For best results, please upload submission files in their original format. For instance, if you download a Word document as a .doc, do not convert the file to a .docx.
1. In Course Navigation, click the Assignments link.
2. Click the name of the assignment you want to view.
3. On the far right-hand side, click the Re-Upload Submissions link.
4. Click the Choose File button[1].
5. Click the file name to choose the file. Then click the Open button.
6. Click the Upload Files button [2].
7. Canvas displays a submission status page while your files are uploading and processing. You can leave this page at any time while the files continue to upload. To go back to the assignment details page, click the Back to Assignment button.
8. To view the upload status of your submission files, click the View Upload Status link located on the far right-hand side.
Canvas will confirm your files have been uploaded and associated with student submissions. If any files were ignored in the upload, those files will also be listed.
Note: Depending on your computer's operating system, your upload may include hidden files with a ._ prefix. Canvas will ignore these types of files, as well as any files that do not match the file name of any students' original submission.
If you want to download all student submissions for an assignment, you can download them from the Gradebook in a bulk download. All submissions are downloaded as a single ZIP file that you can use to grade submissions on your computer offline. If a student has resubmitted an assignment, only the most recent submission will be included in the ZIP file. You can also download assignments from the assignment page.
Bulk downloads can be used for the following submission types: file uploads, text entries (displayed as HTML files), website URLs (displayed as HTML files), and Google Docs submissions.
In bulk downloads, Canvas automatically amends the file name for each submission type:
- For group assignments, the file name will include the name of the assigned group.
- For individual student assignments, the file name will include the name of the student (last name first).
- When anonymous grading is enabled, student names are not included in the names of downloaded files.
Note: After downloading student files, you can re-upload all student submissions in the Gradebook. However, you cannot change the names of the submission files. Otherwise Canvas will not be able to recognize the files that should be replaced.
1. In Course Navigation, click the Grades link.
2. Locate the desired assignment column, hover over the assignment column header and click the Options icon.
3. Click the Download Submissions link.
4. View the progress of the file compression by tracking the progress bar.
When the file is finished processing, download the file by clicking the Click here to download link [1]. Canvas will also include the size of the download file as part of the link for your reference.
To close the download window, click the Close icon [2].
5. Once the file has been downloaded, locate the ZIP file on your computer. To open the file, either double click to open it (Mac users) or right-click the file and select Extract All (PC users).
When the file expands, click the submissions folder to view the assignment submissions.