[Inbox] Add search feature for Inbox/Conversations

Finding a specific message in the Canvas Inbox is a difficult task due to the lack of a search feature. This is compounded for instructors of large courses, who may have thousands of students over the course of just a single academic year. 

 

This is not a new request, but all previous feature requests around this topic have been archived:

 

https://community.canvaslms.com/ideas/8587 

https://community.canvaslms.com/ideas/5105 

https://community.canvaslms.com/ideas/1359 

https://community.canvaslms.com/ideas/2828 

https://community.canvaslms.com/ideas/6106 

 

Because this issue has such a disproportionate impact on instructors of large courses -- who have a large number of inbox messages -- there may be some alignment between this ongoing need and the Instructure Priority: Teaching & Learning at Scale initiative.

Added to Theme

Add or improve search functionality Theme Status: Identified

23 Comments
dspiel
Community Participant

Seems like a no brainer.....

mbunn
Community Novice

This is a "no-brainer." Needed long ago.

helliott
Community Novice

Please, we really need to be able to keyword search the inbox messages. 

For example, students message me their username for an external app.  With a search feature I could see all the messages that mention that app and make my spreadsheet -- student real name & student nickname.  

With e-learning, I get soooooooooo many inbox messages.

SOS.    

 

klink
Community Explorer

agreed - being able to search by keyword is critical even when classes are small, but especially when classes are large and Canvas requires sending individual messages to every student rather than a single email to all students (that really clutters up the Inbox)

professorbhurst
Community Novice

Guys...you designed an email application without a search feature.  That is one of the KEY features of email!  This request is three years old...please get on it!

susan_oconnell
Community Participant

Agree - add a search feature!!

BTW, why can we not like or upvote responses anymore?? Or am I missing a new process? 😕

jpottle
Community Member

It is absurd that we have an inbox that cannot be searched.

HylandHHH
Community Member

It would be lovely if I could search my Inbox for threads/names/subjects, etc.

jpottle
Community Member

lmao it is 2021 and I can't search my Canvas messages in the most basic ways, c'mon

JillRho
Community Explorer

Totally agree....search functions are so ubiquitous nowadays for websites, documents, etc, that it is so so so sad that Canvas doesn't have one for course content or inbox "emails". It should really be a part of the default out-of-the-box system and not some sort of externally developed LTI-application (which when we checked costed way too much).