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This document includes some of the most frequently asked questions about YouTube Player for Education.
For more information about configuring YouTube filters, visit the Studio YouTube Allowlist resource document.
General FAQs
When will I see ads in my YouTube videos?
Any existing or new YouTube videos added to Canvas may display ads, starting October 31st, 2025 (note: originally September 22nd).
For any YouTube videos added to Canvas Studio, you will not see ads because as of September 1, 2025, Canvas Studio will have implemented the YouTube Player for Education for all education accounts.
Why is this change happening now?
Over the recent years, video content has become a staple in learning environments and monetization of that content has become increasingly important to those creators, many of which are educators themselves. As a result, Google/YouTube has evolved its model and approach to this. Embedding the player in Canvas Studio is our best solution to offer a distraction-free experience under this evolved Google model. We recognize that those not using Canvas Studio will likely experience some ads while displaying YouTube-based content. Again, this is to ensure creators can monetize their education content.
Why is the YouTube Player for Education only available for Canvas Studio?
Canvas partners with over 1,000 edtech solutions and is integrated with over 70 video and collaboration tools. Canvas Studio is our central hub for all content providers, and any content-serving technology, like the YouTube Player for Education, sits within Canvas Studio.
How will the video viewing experience change for YouTube videos not in Canvas Studio?
For any YouTube videos not in Canvas Studio, ads may be displayed starting October 31st, 2025 (note: originally September 22nd). If the YouTube Content Overlay feature option is enabled, a message overlay will appear on YouTube videos in Canvas to alert viewers that ads may be displayed. This message will be shown before playing the video on the browser. On the Canvas mobile apps, the message will be displayed at the top of the page.
How can an institution disable the message overlay on YouTube videos in Canvas?
Admin can leave the “YouTube Content Overlay” feature option disabled in their account settings, as noted in the September 24 Canvas Deploy Notes.
If I don’t have Canvas Studio, how can I ensure ads are appropriate for my learners?
Instructure does not control the ads that YouTube shows. To safeguard users against being served unsuitable ads while using YouTube within your Canvas instance, the owner of your institution’s domain can tag your institution’s URL for child-directed treatment.
How do I know if I have Canvas Studio?
Refer to our guide on how to access Canvas Studio.
If I choose to adopt Canvas Studio, how will you support me in migrating all my content?
If you choose to adopt Canvas Studio, you can refer to our guide on how to migrate YouTube videos from Canvas to Studio. Additionally, we are working on a migration tool to help you move your YouTube content in Canvas over to Canvas Studio. If you are interested in being part of the Early Adopter Program which will start August 15, 2025, you can complete the EAP registration form.
What value does the YouTube Player for Education bring to Canvas Studio?
The Player for Education benefits institutions by providing a secure, distraction-free educational YouTube experience. The new integration introduces unique capabilities designed specifically for educational settings. Viewers remain anonymous to YouTube through a "signed-out" viewing state. This integration also enables academic institutions that currently restrict access to the standard YouTube platform to incorporate YouTube content into their educational resources with greater control. Additionally, YouTube videos remain ad and overlay free for a distraction-free learning environment. With captions automatically carrying over from YouTube to Canvas Studio, videos will remain accessible.
Is Studio’s YouTube Player for Education available to only edu accounts?
Yes, the Player for Education is reserved for academic use only. Any customer utilizing Studio for education (i.e. K12 or Higher Education accounts) will be eligible for the Player for Education. For Business and Government customers, YouTube videos added to Studio will display using the traditional YouTube player, not Player for Education.
Why should I consider purchasing Canvas Studio?
In addition to the privacy benefits of the Player for Education, Canvas Studio offers districts a robust set of tools for creating and delivering interactive and accessible digital learning experiences. Canvas Studio turns one-way, passive video into inclusive, participatory engagement. Recent enhancements to Canvas Studio include:
- The ability to natively screen capture and record with Studio Capture (for Chrome and Edge).
- Enhanced admin capabilities for better control and expanded analytics.
- Simplified video content management with a new and modern Library layout.
- A hidden keyboard shortcut that opens a full list of media player shortcuts, boosting accessibility for all.
- Adaptive streaming to ensure reliable access to content, regardless of bandwidth, and to prevent unauthorized viewing.
- Improvements to the caption editor, making it easy to make videos accessible.
- Archive and restore functionality.
What value does having content without ads offer me?
Content without ads helps maintain a distraction-free learning environment. YouTube videos embedded through Studio remain ad- and overlay-free. No pre-rolls, no mid-rolls, no pop-ups. Just your content, uninterrupted.
Will captions from YouTube videos be available in Canvas Studio?
Yes, captions from YouTube will be automatically carried over into Canvas Studio. But please note that they cannot be edited. All YouTube content added on or after January 1, 2023, will have captions carried over into Canvas Studio by September 1, 2025. Content added before January 1, 2023, will display captions by October 31, 2025.
Will existing YouTube videos in Canvas Studio require any migration to move to the Player for Education?
No, if a YouTube video has been added to Canvas Studio, there is no additional migration required.
Will this change impact my Canvas Studio storage?
No, YouTube videos embedded in Canvas Studio function as links to YouTube. They aren’t hosted by us, therefore they won’t affect your storage.
What domain does the new YouTube Player for Education use?
The Player for Education streams content from the youtubeeducation.com domain. If needed, make sure this domain is whitelisted so videos can play without issues.
Will the Player for Education work on any device, platform, or browser?
The Player for Education is independent to those, so students can enjoy its benefits on any device, platform and browser they use.
Can I embed unlisted YouTube videos with the new Player For Education?
Yes, from Oct 1st. Although the video must be started to play in order to see captions and select them from the player.
Will the change go into effect in advance of October 31st, so institutions can see the impact when YouTube videos may play ads?
The overlay will be available in both Beta and Prod environments as of September 24th. By default, it will be disabled, allowing Administrators to see how it will appear prior to October 31st.
How does this impact YouTube content added to Studio, when used with public share links or in public Canvas courses?
Publicly shared YouTube content will not leverage the Player for Education. It will display the regular YouTube player experience, with captions and potentially distractions/overlays coming from YouTube only. This means that captions uploaded to the content in Studio will NOT be available when viewed through the public link.
I cannot select a different audio for a YouTube video that has dual audio tracks. Why?
This is a confirmed limitation from YouTube. We'll revisit the topic if they eventually implement support for it.
Migration Tool FAQs
What will the migration tool do?
The migration tool will help you locate and migrate YouTube videos embedded in Canvas to Canvas Studio, ensuring a distraction-free experience and captions support.
When will the migration tool be available?
The migration tool will be available September 1, 2025, the same time as when the YouTube Player for Education will be implemented within Canvas Studio.
Who will be the primary audience for this tool?
The tool will be primarily designed for educators and will be available in every course. An account-level migration process is not a primary focus.
Where will I be able to find the migration tool in Canvas?
The tool will be accessible through Course Navigation. Please note that the tool does NOT work in Beta environments, only in Production.
How will I be able to enable the migration tool?
Starting September 1, the feature can be enabled under the course level Feature Options ('YouTube Migration Tool'). Once activated, the migration tool will appear in the courses if Studio is detected.
Will the migration tool support bulk migration?
Initially, no. Bulk migration might be added after monitoring initial usage.
How will the migration tool interface work?
The migration tool interface will provide a centralized dashboard where educators can locate and migrate all embedded YouTube content in a given course.
How does the migration tool work for blueprint courses?
Enable the migration tool in the blueprint course and migrate the necessary YouTube videos. The associated courses will be also migrated automatically upon syncing, no need to follow up on them one by one.
Where will migrated videos be stored?
Migrated videos will appear only in the course collection. They will not be added to your personal Studio library unless re-embedded manually.
When will captions from YouTube be added for my migrated videos?
Depending on the global usage of the migration tool, captions may appear immediately or may require a few days to become available.
Will the migration tool migrate videos to the personal library as well?
No, this will not currently be supported through the migration tool within a course, but you can add YouTube content to your personal Studio library manually if needed.
Will the migration tool retain “start at” timestamps?
No. The migration tool will not support this, but you can manually embed videos with timestamps if necessary.
Will the migration tool work for the most common ways YouTube videos can be added to native Canvas LMS content? I.e. (1) linked, (2) embedded, and (3) the YouTube LTI?
The migration tool will work with the embedded content (when the actual embed code from YouTube is pasted) and for videos added through the YouTube LTI. Direct links (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=...) open YouTube in a new tab, not playing it in Canvas, so those are not converted.
The migration tool does not show up after enabling the course level feature option. What should I do?
This may happen when an Administrator who is not enrolled in the courses enables the tool. While we are working on the fix, a workaround to access the tool from the browser is by adding /youtube_migration to the end of the URL. For example: [canvas domain].com/courses/[course number]/youtube_migration.
What are the reasons for YouTube videos to fail to migrate?
We have identified 3 reasons why a video might fail to migrate:
- The video has been set to Private since it was embedded. Learn about the difference of Private and Unlisted YouTube content here.
- The video has become Unavailable. Most frequently, this means that the video has been deleted since it was embedded.
- The video is embedded as part of a YouTube playlist. This is currently detected and we do not support any way to migrate it however, we are keeping our eyes out for any feedback on this.
Last update: 2025-09-23
This resource can also be accessed from the How do I migrate embedded YouTube videos in Canvas to Studio content for distraction-free viewing? guide.
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