You can delete a course from Canvas, but the process and what happens depends on your role and the course status

Canvas lets you remove courses from your dashboard, but deletion works differently depending on whether you are an instructor, teaching assistant, or student. Instructors can permanently delete a course, which removes all content and enrollments. Students and TAs cannot delete courses — they can only hide them from their dashboard view. If you are an instructor trying to remove a course entirely, you will need access to the course settings and admin panel. If you are a student wanting a cleaner dashboard, hiding the course is usually what you need.

Key Takeaways

  • Instructors can permanently delete courses through course settings, which removes all content, assignments, and student enrollments from Canvas.
  • Students and teaching assistants cannot delete courses but can hide them so they no longer appear on the dashboard.
  • Hiding a course keeps your data intact and takes seconds; deletion is permanent and cannot be undone.
  • Canvas distinguishes between unpublished courses (which can be deleted when ready) and published courses (which may require additional steps).

How instructors delete a course permanently

If you are the instructor and own the course, go to the course and click the Settings gear icon in the top right. Scroll down to find the "Delete this course" button near the bottom of the page. Click it, and Canvas will ask you to confirm. Type the course name or number exactly as it appears to verify you understand what you are deleting. Once confirmed, the course and all its contents — assignments, grades, discussions, files — are removed permanently and cannot be recovered.

Before deleting, consider whether you might need the course later. Many instructors export their course content first by going to Settings, then Export Content, and choosing the export format. This creates a backup file you can import into a new course later. If students are still enrolled, they will lose access to all course materials the moment you delete.

How to hide a course if you are a student or TA

Students and teaching assistants do not have permission to delete courses in Canvas. Instead, you can hide courses from your dashboard so they no longer clutter your view. Go to your Courses page (the main dashboard where all your courses appear). Find the course you want to hide and click the three-dot menu icon next to it. Select "Hide from course list." The course will disappear from your dashboard when ready.

Hiding a course does not delete anything. Your grades, assignments, and all course content remain in Canvas. If you need to access the course again later, go to the All Courses section (usually at the bottom of your course list or in a separate view) and click "Unhide" next to the course name. You can hide and unhide courses as many times as you need.

What happens to student data when a course is deleted

When an instructor deletes a course, all student enrollments end when ready. Students lose access to the course, cannot see grades, and cannot read materials. If grades from that course feed into your institution's transcript or GPA calculation, check with your registrar about how deletion affects those records — Canvas deletion does not automatically update transcripts, but your school's system might need separate action.

If students need their work or grades after deletion, they should read or screenshot them before the instructor deletes the course. Once deleted, there is no way to recover student submissions or grades from Canvas itself. Some institutions keep backups, so contact your Canvas administrator if you need to recover deleted course data.

Deleting unpublished versus published courses

An unpublished course (one that has never been made available to students) can be deleted when ready with no extra steps. A published course (one that students have accessed or been enrolled in) may have additional safeguards. Some Canvas instances require you to unpublish a course first before deletion is allowed. To unpublish, go to Settings, find the "Publish this course" toggle, and turn it off. Then return to Settings and delete.

If you see a message saying the course cannot be deleted, check whether it is still published. You may also need to unenroll all students first. Go to People, select all students, and click the menu to remove them from the course. After that, unpublish and then delete.

Exporting your course before deletion

Before you delete a course, export it if you think you might teach it again or want to keep a record. Go to Settings and scroll to "Export Content." Choose your export format — most instructors use Common Cartridge (.imscc) because it preserves the most structure, or Content Package (.zip) for a simpler backup. Click Export, and Canvas will prepare a file. This can take a few minutes for large courses. You will receive an email with a read link when it is ready.

Save the exported file to your computer or cloud storage. You can later import this file into a new Canvas course to restore assignments, pages, discussions, and other materials. Student submissions and grades are not included in the export, only the course structure and content you created.

If you cannot find the delete option

If you are an instructor and do not see a "Delete this course" button in Settings, you may not have the permission to delete courses at your institution. Some schools restrict course deletion to admins only. Contact your Canvas administrator or your institution's IT help desk to request deletion. Provide them with the course name, number, and term.

Another reason deletion might be blocked is if the course is linked to other systems (like your school's student information system). These courses sometimes cannot be deleted through Canvas alone. Your administrator will need to remove the link first or delete the course through the admin panel instead of course settings.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I recover a course after I delete it?

No. Course deletion in Canvas is permanent and cannot be undone. If you exported the course before deleting it, you can import that file to create a new course with the same content. Otherwise, contact your Canvas administrator when ready — some institutions keep system backups, but recovery is not may provide and depends on your school's backup policy.

What happens to student grades if I delete a course?

Grades are removed from Canvas when you delete the course. Students will no longer see those grades in their Canvas gradebook. However, your institution's official transcript or student information system may have a separate copy of grades. Check with your registrar about whether Canvas grades automatically sync to official records.

Can I delete just one assignment instead of the whole course?

Yes. You do not need to delete the entire course to remove a single assignment. Go to the Assignments page, find the assignment, click the three-dot menu, and select Delete. The assignment is removed, but the course and all other content remain. You can also delete individual pages, discussions, or files the same way.

Why does Canvas ask me to type the course name when deleting?

Canvas requires you to type the course name as a confirmation step to prevent accidental deletion. This ensures you have read the warning and understand that deletion is permanent. Type the name exactly as it appears in the course settings, including any numbers or special characters.

Can a teaching assistant delete a course?

No. Teaching assistants do not have permission to delete courses, even if they have been given most other instructor permissions. Only the course instructor or a Canvas administrator can delete a course. If a TA needs to remove a course from their view, they can hide it instead.