Why won't everything load on my mac book pro?

[erin_barr]

My dashboard is just gray, flashing blocks and I can't get to my courses through there. I can get to my courses through the "courses" tab but when I try to go to different assignments, most of the them are blank. My discussions will load the discussion prompt but it won't let me see other people's responses or let me give a response. Everything loads fine on my phone, just not on my computer.

[Bobby2]

Hi  @erin_barr  Welcome to the Canvas Community.

This sounds frustrating for you. But I suspect it will be easy to remedy. 

Here are some troubleshooting steps you can try:

• Check your device compatibility: What are the basic computer specifications for Canvas?
• Check your browser compatibility: Which browsers does Canvas support? Note that Internet Explorer 11 is not a supported browser.
• Try a different browser. The latest version of Chrome works great in both Windows and MacOS.
• If none of these methods solve the problem, contact Canvas Support. General instructions are in How do I get help with Canvas as a student? but your school's support setup might vary somewhat, in which case ask your local IT Department for additional troubleshooting assistance.

Sing out if you need a hand. 

[erin_barr]

Thanks for your reply and help. My macbook is running on OS X Version 10.9.5. So how do I update my computer so it will work for Canvas? My classes started yesterday so I am in a hurry to get my computer working properly. I have never had this problem before when I have taken online courses and wasn't expecting this to be a problem. 

[James]

 @erin_barr ,

Here is a link to Apple's instructions on how to upgrade to the latest operating system: How to upgrade to macOS Catalina - Apple Support. Note that it's a huge download. My updates are often 2-3 GB, so you'll want to make sure you have a good, fast internet connection when you start it.

There's also a more generic page about keeping the software up to date: How to update the software on your Mac - Apple Support. That will update all of your software to the latest version supported by OS X Mavericks (10.9.5), but that still doesn't support the latest browsers.

[James · Accepted solution]

The flashing blocks on the dashboard has typically been a network connection issue with not everything getting through. However, Canvas pushed out a new release this weekend and sometimes there are issues with people getting parts of the new with parts of the old because of caching in the browser.

There has been an issue with Safari for Mac users who have not updated their operating system in a long time having problems. Those people with old operating systems are not able to get the latest version of Chrome and there were issues there as well.

I would recommend, in this order ...

1. Try it again before you do anything.
2. Clear the cache on your browser and force a page reload to make sure there are no stale pieces of Canvas still in the browser's cache.
3. See if there is an operating system update available for your Mac. This will upgrade Safari as well as the operating system.
4. Contact Canvas Support as Bobby mentioned

You can try a different browser, before checking for an operating system upgrade, but if #3 is an issue, that may not help until you upgrade.