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Course Storage Increase Requests

Due to the volume of course on the Canvas production system, the File storage limit for each course is limited to 2000 MB (2 GB) of space. In addition, everyone has 1000 MB (1 GB) of User File space. This is a total of 3 GB.

Some instructors may have more content (i.e. large files and videos) that will quickly use of this space. For those who need more storage space below you can find ways to maximize the space you have been allotted.

Tips for Maximizing your Storage Space

  • Canvas works the best when you make the most of the built-in pages. For word documents and other non-copyrighted files, consider copying and pasting the information into a Canvas Page. Text and hyperlinks will copy appropriately. This will also save you some storage space for more important files in your Canvas Files.
  • All Videos should be placed in Kaltura and then embedded into your Canvas course. Video files can take up a lot of space in your Files and will not have captions unless you are using a streaming platform like Kaltura. If you have downloads of videos you’ve recorded, it is highly recommended that you upload your videos to Kaltura and embed them into your Canvas course
  • Large documents, images, powerpoints with images and videos should be stored in your Google DriveEnjoy unlimited storage with your VCU apps account.

    To add these files to your course, a Google Drive icon appears in the Rich Content Editor. The icon displays everything in a user’s Google Drive account and allows users to display documents as links or embeds them directly. Students and teachers can view the icon anywhere they can access the Rich Content Editor, such as assignments, tests, discussions and pages. (If the icon is not displayed, click the ? icon for the More External Tools drop-down menu to see it.)

    Google Apps_Rich Content Editor

For additional information, see the Canvas Tip: Uploading Videos and Large Files blog post. Be sure to subscribe to the Learning Systems blog for timely updates.

Note: Files imported into a course count toward the course 2 GB storage quota. However, when courses or course items are copied into a course, the original course storage quota is inherited and the copy does not count against the new course storage quota.

Additional Resources

How Do I Use Files As An Instructor?