Deleting files from copied course

[sbolman1]

I copied the everything from a course that I am currently teaching into a course that I will teach next semester.  I am trying to delete some of the file folders that I don't need for the upcoming course but there is no delete icon or option for the folders.  I can delete files within the folders but not the folders themselves.  On the existing help page, it shows a series of icons that includes a trash bin but those do not appear on my screen.  How do I access this function?

[gnoack · Accepted solution]

Hi @sbolman1 

You first have to click on the folder in the window so it's highlighted blue, then the toolbar will show with the delete button.  If it doesn't I'd try a different browser.  It did work for me just now testing in Chrome. 

[gnoack · Accepted solution]

Hi @sbolman1 

You first have to click on the folder in the window so it's highlighted blue, then the toolbar will show with the delete button.  If it doesn't I'd try a different browser.  It did work for me just now testing in Chrome. 

[sbolman1]

Thanks for the suggestion.  Unfortunately it doesn't work on either Firefox or Safari, which are the two browsers that I have.  I'm not really interested in adding a third browser just to be able to use Canvas.

[vanvleck · Accepted solution]

When you have the file you want to delete:

1) to the far right side (next to the publish/unpublish icon) is a "3 dot stack" LEFT click;

2) new menu = "Download, Rename, Move, Delete, Share to Commons"

3) choose "Delete" (or other appropriate).

I just cleaned up my new Canvas course copied over from last term. Hope that helps.

[sbolman1]

Thanks for the suggestion, though I'm trying to delete folders, not files.  As I mention in the post, I have no problem deleting files.

[Roscojim]

I have the same problem. I can't delete folders because I don't get the Toolbar.

[Chris_Hofer]

Hi @Roscojim ...

See my reply to you below...which you can reply to if you like...thanks!

[Roscojim]

I want to delete folders, not files. The instructions given don't work because I don't get the Toolbar.

[Chris_Hofer]

Hello @Roscojim ...

To be sure, are you an instructor or are you a student?  If you are an instructor, are you following the steps outlined in this Guide?

How do I delete a file or folder as an instructor?

As you can see under the heading "Delete Folder", there are really two different ways to delete a folder...one of which is to highlight the folder and then click the trashcan icon.  The other is to highlight the folder and then click the three-dot kebab icon to the far right of the folder name to select the "Delete" option.  As an instructor, you should be able to do this in your course "Files" as well as in your own user files ("Account" >> "Files" screen).

If you are not able to delete one or more folders in this way, you might want to reach out to your school's Canvas administrator(s) to see what might be going on.  It does look like there are some permissions related to adding/editing/deleting course files...so maybe, for some reason, they have things set so that you cannot delete files (which seems odd to me, but there may be good reasons for it).  I navigated to Northeast Community College's website, and I found a help page that might be relevant for you to contact local support at your school: Employees | My Account | Northeast Community College, Nebraska.  There is a "NEED ASSISTANCE?" box on the right side of the page that has some helpful information for you.

Anyway...I hope this will be of some help as you do some additional investigation on your end.  Sing out if you have any questions.  Thanks!

[Roscojim]

Hi, and thanks for your post. Yes, I'm an instructor, but I had to take an additional step. I need to click on the main folder, and then I can click the three dots by the folder I want to remove, and then click Remove. If I first click on the folder to remove, I don't get the option to remove it. I have to click on the higher level folder. To me, that's harder than it should be. I should be able to click on a folder and remove it.

Thanks for your help - you pointed me in the right direction 🙂

Jim

[Chris_Hofer]

Good morning, @sbolman1 ...

Happy New Year!  Both @vanvleck and @gnoack have given you great information here!  I also wanted to share the written Guide with you as well: How do I delete a file or folder as an instructor?.

I hope this extra bit of information will be of help to you!