Share a Canvas course by exporting it, then importing it into the other teacher's account

Canvas does not have a direct "share course" button between teacher accounts. Instead, you export your course as a file, then the other teacher imports that file into their own Canvas workspace. The export captures your syllabus, assignments, discussion boards, files, and grade settings—though not student grades or enrollment records. The process takes about 10 to 15 minutes per course and works whether you teach at the same school or different institutions.

Both teachers need access to Canvas through your school's account. If the other teacher is at a different school or uses a different Canvas instance, this method will not work; you would need to contact your Canvas administrator about cross-institutional sharing options.

Key Takeaways

  • Export your course from the Settings menu, then send the downloaded file to the other teacher by email or shared drive.
  • The other teacher imports the file into a new or existing course in their own Canvas account using the Import Content option.
  • Exported courses include assignments, discussions, and files, but not student grades, enrollment, or submission data.
  • You can export a course as many times as you need, and the other teacher can import it into multiple sections or semesters.

How to export your Canvas course

Log into Canvas and open the course you want to share. Click the Settings gear icon in the left navigation menu, near the bottom. Scroll down to the section labeled Danger Zone (shown in red text). Click the button labeled Export this Course.

Canvas will begin packaging your course into a file. Depending on the size of your course, this can take a few seconds to a few minutes. You will see a progress bar. Once the export is complete, a read will start automatically, or you will see a link to read the file. The file will be named something like course_export_[date].imscc. Save it to a location you can find easily, such as your Downloads folder or a shared drive your school uses.

Do not close the Settings page until the read finishes. If the read fails, return to Settings and click Export this Course again.

Send the exported file to the other teacher

Once you have the exported file, send it to the other teacher using email, Google Drive, OneDrive, Dropbox, or whatever file-sharing method your school uses. Include a brief note explaining what the course contains and whether you have made any recent changes they should know about.

The file is safe to share—it contains no student data, grades, or personal information. It is straightforward a blueprint of your course structure and content.

How the other teacher imports the course

The receiving teacher logs into Canvas and either opens an existing course or creates a new one. If they are importing into an existing course, they should be aware that the import will add content to that course, not replace it. If they want a clean copy with no existing content, they should create a new course first.

Once in the course, the teacher clicks Settings in the left menu. Scroll down and look for the Import Content button (not Export). Click it. Canvas will ask what type of file is being imported. Select Canvas Course Export or Common Cartridge, depending on what format your export file is in. (Most Canvas exports are Common Cartridge format, which ends in .imscc.)

Click Choose File, then navigate to and select the exported course file. Click Import. Canvas will show a progress bar as it imports the content. This usually takes 2 to 5 minutes. Once complete, the other teacher will see all the assignments, discussions, files, and other materials from your course appear in their course.

What gets imported and what does not

Your course structure, assignment descriptions, due dates, and point values all import. Discussion boards, announcements, files, pages, and modules import as well. Rubrics, grade weights, and grading policies transfer too.

Student grades, student enrollment, and student submissions do not import. The other teacher will see your assignments and their settings, but the gradebook will be empty. This is by design—each teacher manages their own student roster and grades. If the other teacher is teaching the same course to a different section or in a different semester, they will need to add their own students and will start with a blank gradebook.

Links to external tools (like Zoom, Turnitin, or LTI integrations) may or may not import depending on how your school has configured Canvas. If a tool does not import, the teacher will see a note in that assignment or module explaining what is missing.

Updating the course after sharing

If you make changes to your course after exporting it, those changes are not automatically sent to the other teacher. You will need to export the course again and send them the new file. They can then import it into their course again—Canvas will add the new content without duplicating what was already there, though you should check to make sure.

If both teachers plan to use the same course structure but customize content for their own sections, it is often easier to export once at the beginning of the term, then have each teacher make their own edits from that point forward. That way you avoid confusion about which version is current.

Troubleshooting common problems

If the export fails or gets stuck, clear your browser cache and try again. If the file is very large (over 500 MB), the export may time out. In that case, contact your Canvas administrator—they may be able to export the course on the backend.

If the other teacher imports the file but some content is missing, check that they selected the correct file format during import. Canvas sometimes offers multiple import options, and choosing the wrong one can skip certain content types. If content is still missing after re-importing, the issue may be with an external tool or a file type Canvas does not support in imports.

If the other teacher is at a different school or Canvas instance, the import option may not appear in their Settings menu. This means your institutions do not have a direct connection. Contact your Canvas administrator to ask about cross-institutional course sharing—some schools have set this up, but it requires administrator approval.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I share a course with another teacher without exporting and importing?

Not directly within Canvas itself. Some schools set up shared course shells or co-teaching arrangements through their Canvas administrator, but the standard method is export and import. If you and the other teacher are co-teaching the same section (same students, same roster), ask your administrator whether they can set up co-instructor access instead—that is faster and keeps everything in one course.

Will the other teacher's changes come back to my course?

No. Once the other teacher imports your course, it becomes their own independent copy. Changes they make do not affect your original course, and changes you make to your course do not appear in theirs. You are working with separate courses.

Can I share a course with a teacher at a different school?

Only if both schools use the same Canvas instance and your administrator has enabled cross-institutional sharing. Most schools use separate Canvas instances, so you cannot import a course across institutions. Check with your Canvas administrator to see what options are available.

What if I want to share just one assignment or module, not the whole course?

Canvas does not have a way to export individual assignments. You must export the entire course. The other teacher can delete any content they do not need after importing, or you can ask your Canvas administrator whether they can copy specific items for you.

How long does the import take?

Most imports finish in 2 to 5 minutes. Very large courses with hundreds of files or assignments may take 10 to 15 minutes. Canvas will show a progress bar, and you can close the page once the import starts—it will continue in the background.