The fastest way to copy a Canvas course
To copy a Canvas course, open the course you want to duplicate, click the Settings gear icon in the top right, scroll down to find the "Copy this course" option, and select it. Canvas will ask you to name the new course and choose a term. The system then creates a complete duplicate — all modules, assignments, quizzes, and files copy over, though you'll need to re-enroll students in the new section.
The entire process takes about five minutes to start, though the actual copying happens in the background and may take several minutes depending on how much content is in the original course. You can use the course right away while the copy is still finishing.
Key Takeaways
- Open your course, click Settings, and select "Copy this course" — this is the official Canvas feature built for this exact task.
- All course content copies over: modules, assignments, quizzes, files, and discussion boards, but student enrollments do not.
- You must manually add students to the new course section after copying is complete.
- The copied course keeps the same structure and due dates as the original, so you'll need to adjust dates for the new term before students see them.
Step-by-step: copying your course in Canvas
Start by opening the course you want to copy. In the top right corner, you'll see a gear icon labeled Settings — click it. A menu will drop down with several options.
Scroll down in that menu until you see "Copy this course." Click it. Canvas will open a dialog box asking you to name the new course and select which term it belongs to. Give it a clear name (for example, "Biology 101 - Spring 2025") and choose the correct term from the dropdown. Then click the button to confirm — the exact label varies by Canvas version, but it's usually "Copy Course" or "Create Copy."
Canvas will show you a confirmation message and begin copying in the background. You can close the dialog and keep working — you don't have to wait for the copy to finish. The new course will appear in your course list once it's ready.
What gets copied and what doesn't
Canvas copies nearly everything: all modules and their order, every assignment with its rubric and instructions, all quizzes with questions and settings, discussion boards, files and folders, syllabus content, and any pages you created. Grades, submissions, and student work do not copy — only the structure and instructions.
Student enrollments also do not copy. You'll need to add students to the new course section yourself. Your institution may do this automatically through a roster sync, or you may need to manually enroll them through the People tab. Check with your Canvas administrator about how your school handles enrollment for new sections.
Adjusting dates in your copied course
The copied course keeps all the original due dates and availability dates. If your original course ran in Fall 2024 and your new section starts in Spring 2025, every assignment will still show the old dates until you change them. Students will see assignments as unavailable or past due.
Canvas has a built-in date shift tool to help with this. Go to Settings in your new course, find "Shift Dates," and tell Canvas how many days forward or backward to move all dates. For example, if your original course started September 1 and your new one starts January 15, you'd shift forward about 137 days. Canvas will adjust all assignment due dates, quiz availability windows, and module unlock dates automatically.
After shifting, spot-check a few assignments to make sure the new dates make sense for your calendar. Some instructors prefer to shift dates and then manually adjust a few that don't fit the new schedule.
Copying only part of a course
If you don't want to copy the entire course — maybe you want to keep some old assignments out or start fresh with a new structure — you can copy individual items instead. Open the module or assignment you want to copy, click the three-dot menu next to it, and select "Copy." Then navigate to your new course and paste it where you want it.
This method takes longer if you're moving a lot of content, but it gives you control over what transfers. You can also use this approach to copy assignments from one course into another course you're teaching in the same term.
Troubleshooting common copying problems
If the "Copy this course" option doesn't appear in your Settings menu, your Canvas account may not have permission to copy courses. Contact your Canvas administrator — they can grant you this permission or copy the course for you.
If the copy starts but seems to be taking a very long time, check your course size. A course with hundreds of files, many large videos, or thousands of quiz questions may take 10–15 minutes to copy. Canvas sends you a notification when the copy is complete. If you don't receive a notification after 30 minutes, contact your administrator.
If some content didn't copy (for example, a quiz appears but has no questions), the original content may have had a permission issue. Check the original course to confirm the content is there, then try copying again. If it still doesn't work, copy that specific item manually using the three-dot menu method described above.
When to copy versus when to start fresh
Copying works best when you're teaching the same course again and want to keep the same structure, assignments, and materials. It saves hours of setup time and reduces the chance of forgetting to include something.
Starting fresh makes more sense if you're significantly changing the course — new learning outcomes, different assignments, or a different format. You can still reference your old course while building the new one, but creating from scratch gives you a chance to rethink what works and what doesn't.
Many instructors do both: copy the course to preserve the structure, then delete or replace assignments that didn't work well and add new ones that do.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do student grades and submissions copy to the new course?
No. Only the course structure, assignments, quizzes, and files copy over. Student grades, submissions, and all work from the original course stay in the original course. This is intentional — it keeps old student work separate from the new section.
Can I copy a course from a previous year?
Yes. You can copy any course you have access to, regardless of when it ran. Open the old course, go to Settings, and follow the same steps. This is useful for reusing courses from several years ago, though you'll want to check that links, videos, and external tools still work.
What if I want to copy just one module or assignment?
Click the three-dot menu next to the module or assignment and select "Copy." Then go to your new course and paste it where you want it. This works for individual assignments, quizzes, discussion boards, and modules.
Can I undo a course copy?
No, but you can delete the copied course if you change your mind. Go to Settings in the new course, scroll to the bottom, and select "Delete this course." This removes the entire course and all its content. Make sure you're deleting the right course before confirming.
How long does it take Canvas to finish copying a course?
Most courses copy within a few minutes. Very large courses with many files or quizzes may take 10–15 minutes. Canvas sends a notification when the copy is complete, and you can start using the new course right away even if the copying is still in progress.