How to delete or hide courses on Canvas
Canvas keeps every course you've ever enrolled in visible on your dashboard by default, which clutters the page if you've taken many classes. You have two options: archive a course (hides it but keeps it accessible) or conclude a course (marks it as finished and moves it to a separate section). You cannot permanently delete courses—Canvas instructors and administrators need the record—but archiving works just as well for cleaning up your view.
The method depends on your role. If you're a student, you can only archive courses yourself. If you're an instructor or teaching assistant, you can conclude courses, which is the official way to mark a term as over. Both actions take about 30 seconds.
Key Takeaways
- Students can archive courses to hide them from the dashboard; archived courses still appear under "Past Enrollments" if you need them later.
- Instructors and teaching assistants can conclude courses, which moves them to a separate section and prevents new student enrollments.
- Archiving and concluding are not the same—archiving is a student action, concluding is an instructor action.
- You can restore an archived course at any time by finding it in "Past Enrollments" and clicking the archive button again.
How students archive a course
Open Canvas and go to your dashboard. Find the course you want to hide. In the top right corner of the course card, click the three-dot menu (sometimes called the "more options" button). Select "Archive this course" from the dropdown.
The course disappears from your main dashboard when ready. It does not delete any of your grades, assignments, or messages—it just moves the course out of sight. If you need to see it again, click "Past Enrollments" at the bottom of your course list, find the archived course, open its menu, and click "Archive this course" again to restore it.
How instructors and teaching assistants conclude a course
Concluding a course is the instructor's way of officially ending a term. Open the course and click "Settings" in the left navigation menu. Scroll down to find the "Conclude this course" button. Click it, and Canvas will ask you to confirm. Once you conclude a course, it moves to a separate "Concluded Courses" section on your dashboard, and students cannot enroll in it anymore.
Concluding does not delete the course or any of its content. Grades, assignments, and discussion posts remain intact and visible to students who were already enrolled. You can still access a concluded course to view grades or read materials. If you need to reopen the course to students, click "Settings" again and select "Un-conclude this course."
The difference between archiving and concluding
Archiving is what students do to clean up their own dashboard. It affects only what that student sees; other students and the instructor are not affected. Archived courses stay in "Past Enrollments" and can be restored anytime. Archiving does not change the course itself.
Concluding is what instructors do to officially end a course. It affects everyone—the course moves to a concluded section for all users, and new students cannot enroll. Concluding is meant to signal that a term or semester is over. The course can be un-concluded if needed, but concluding is the formal way to mark a course as finished.
If you are a student and your instructor has concluded the course, you cannot un-conclude it yourself. You would need to ask your instructor to restore it.
What happens to your grades and assignments
Archiving or concluding a course does not affect your grades, assignments, or any course content. Everything stays in Canvas exactly as it was. Your transcript and GPA are not changed. If you need to view your grades or read assignments from an archived or concluded course, you can still do so by opening the course from "Past Enrollments" or the concluded section.
If you are an instructor, your grade book and all student submissions remain accessible after you conclude the course. You can still enter grades, leave feedback, and read files. Concluding straightforward prevents new enrollments and signals that the course is no longer active.
Restoring a course you archived
Click "Past Enrollments" at the bottom of your course list on the dashboard. Find the course you want to restore. Click the three-dot menu on its card and select "Archive this course" again. The course moves back to your main dashboard.
If your instructor concluded the course instead of you archiving it, you cannot restore it yourself. The course will appear in a "Concluded Courses" section, but you cannot move it back to active courses. Ask your instructor if you need the course restored to the main dashboard.
Troubleshooting: The menu button is not showing
If you do not see the three-dot menu on a course card, try hovering your mouse over the card—the menu sometimes only appears on hover. On mobile devices, the menu may appear as three dots or as a swipe option. If you still cannot find it, try opening the course itself and looking for an archive option in the course menu or settings.
If you are an instructor and cannot find the "Conclude this course" button in Settings, check that you have instructor-level permissions for the course. Teaching assistants may not have the ability to conclude courses depending on how the instructor set up their permissions. Contact your Canvas administrator if you believe you should have access but do not.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I permanently delete a course from Canvas?
No. Canvas keeps all course records for administrative and grade-keeping purposes. You can archive it (as a student) or conclude it (as an instructor), but you cannot permanently remove it. Archiving hides it from your dashboard, which accomplishes the same goal of cleaning up your view.
If I archive a course, can the instructor see that I archived it?
No. Archiving is a personal action that affects only your own dashboard. Your instructor and classmates cannot see whether you have archived a course. The course itself is not changed in any way.
What if I concluded a course by mistake?
Click "Settings" in the course and select "Un-conclude this course." The course moves back to your active courses, and students can enroll again. All grades and content remain unchanged.
Can I archive a course if I am still enrolled and taking it?
Yes, but it is not recommended. Archiving hides the course from your dashboard, so you might forget to check it for new assignments or announcements. It is better to archive courses only after you have finished them.
Do archived courses count toward my course load or GPA?
Yes. Archiving only hides the course from your view—it does not change your enrollment status or grades. Your GPA and transcript include archived courses the same way they include active ones.