The Canvas test environment allows admins and instructors to test real data without affecting the production environment, such as adding users, testing course content, and/or troubleshooting issues. The test environment can also be configured with production-ready features, such as access to an institution's login authentication system.
Note: The test environment may not be available at your institution. If you cannot access the test environment, consider using the Canvas beta environment for testing purposes.
When are new features added to test?
The test environment inherits new and updated features added to the production environment on Monday after the production release. For details, please see What is the Canvas Release Schedule?
Note: Not all tools are available in the test environment. Currently, the following tools are not available in the test environment:
- New Quizzes
- Admin Analytics
- Smart Search
- Canvas Mobile
How do I access the test environment?
Canvas admins and instructors can access the test environment by adding test in their Canvas URL (e.g. yourinstitution.test.instructure.com). The test environment includes certain limitations as noted in the Canvas guide for each user role:
Note: The test environment may not be available at your institution. If you cannot access the test environment, consider using the Canvas beta environment for testing purposes.
What happens to my content in the test environment?
The test environment is updated every third Saturday of the month to align with the production release. Any content added to or modified in the test environment will be overwritten by content in the production environment on the same day as the production release. Test is not available for use when the environment is being refreshed.
Although the test environment is stable and can be used at any time, please note this environment is offered as a courtesy and does not maintain the same availability and uptime as provided for the Canvas production environment.
How do I find out about new features available in test?
If you want to keep up on the latest production features in Canvas, visit the Release Notes page in the Canvas Community.
