Reset your Canvas course content and settings

On this page:

Overview
Delete all course content
Reapply default template

Overview

From time to time, you may want to delete all of the content in a Canvas course site and restore the default settings for the site. For example, if you import course content from another site or apply a course template, you may decide that you don't want to use the imported content and settings. The actions described below will delete all content from your course site, but leave the course roster intact. Completely resetting your course is a two-step process. First, you'll delete the existing course content, and then you'll reapply the default template for the course. You can opt to do either step without the other, but if you decide to do both, you should carry them out in the order specified below.

Delete all course content

Important:

This step deletes all existing content from your course. It also changes the settings to use the defaults established by Instructure, which are different from the default course settings used at Indiana University. Take steps to preserve any content you want to keep (for example, copy and paste the content to a Word doc, import the course into an empty shell, etc.) before proceeding.

To delete all course content from your Canvas course:

Navigate to the course with the content you wish to delete.
From the course navigation menu, select Settings.
In the "Settings" sidebar at the right, select Delete All Course Content. You will be prompted to confirm. To proceed, choose Reset Course Content.
A completely new course shell with a new ID (the number following "https://iu.instructure.com/courses/...") will be generated. All users previously enrolled in the course will remain enrolled.

Reapply default template

After deleting all course content, you can restore the course's original settings and template content by reapplying the default template.

Important:

Reapply the default template before you start creating or importing course content. If you apply it afterward:

You may overwrite your course syllabus or other content in your course with content in the default template. If you already created content in your course site, you may want to consider making a copy of your course before applying the template.
If you made customizations to the settings or navigation of the course, you may need to reset them.

Caution: If you ordered any course materials through the IU eTexts initiative (a stand-alone eText, publisher courseware, or a digital learning tool), and those materials have been deployed to your Canvas site, applying the default template will remove them. You may re-enable the stand-alone eText link for Engage on your own. You must request a re-enable of the courseware or digital learning tools link. There is no guarantee how fast this can be done.

For help with course navigation, see How do I manage Course Navigation links?

To reapply the default template:

Navigate to the course with the content you wish to delete.
From the course navigation menu, select Settings.
In the "Settings" sidebar at the right, select Reapply Default Template.
Read the information in the pop-up window and choose Submit to proceed.
A template will be imported into your course that will reset your course settings. It may take several seconds for the course settings to update. Reload the page in your browser to see the updated navigation and settings.