Description: We are experiencing an inconsistent issue with Canvas Discussion Forums where a Teacher/Admin cannot reply to comments in some discussions, while in others (within the same course) everything works as expected. Context * The issue occurs inside the same Course * User roles affected: Teacher / Admin * Problem: the “Reply” button on comments is not displayed Examples * ❌ Reply button NOT shown: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/ehdg3hp45wop1x785n9ez/ishare-1769678579-safari.PNG?rlkey=a43rwbx9v3cmlibiti5924j4u&dl=0 * ✅ Reply button shown correctly: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/0bf0j599gwdglsgq9qrhe/ishare-1769678608-safari.PNG?rlkey=mclkvrl9y58uw0iqgs2waborb&dl=0 Observations * Both Discussions belong to the same Course * Both have identical settings in Canvas UI * Database inspection seems shows identical values for both discussion records (no differences found at table level) * Seems no indication of corrupted or “dirty” data * Discussions were created in different periods:* Some created around September 2025 → replies work correctly * Some created around January 2026 → in some cases replies are not possible Additional Notes It appears that: * Some Discussions created in January 2026 allow replies * Others (also created in January 2026) do not * The behavior is inconsistent and not explainable via settings or database values At this point, discussions seem functionally inconsistent despite being configured identically. Question Why, in two Discussions within the same Course and with identical settings, is it not possible for a Teacher/Admin to reply to comments in one Discussion, while it works correctly in another? Any insight or guidance would be appreciated.

Teacher/Admin cannot reply to comments in some Discussion Forums (Reply button missing)

Description:

We are experiencing an inconsistent issue with Canvas Discussion Forums where a Teacher/Admin cannot reply to comments in some discussions, while in others (within the same course) everything works as expected.

Context

The issue occurs inside the same Course
User roles affected: Teacher / Admin
Problem: the “Reply” button on comments is not displayed

Examples

❌ Reply button NOT shown: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/ehdg3hp45wop1x785n9ez/ishare-1769678579-safari.PNG?rlkey=a43rwbx9v3cmlibiti5924j4u&dl=0
✅ Reply button shown correctly: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/0bf0j599gwdglsgq9qrhe/ishare-1769678608-safari.PNG?rlkey=mclkvrl9y58uw0iqgs2waborb&dl=0

Observations

Both Discussions belong to the same Course
Both have identical settings in Canvas UI
Database inspection seems shows identical values for both discussion records (no differences found at table level)
Seems no indication of corrupted or “dirty” data
Discussions were created in different periods:
- Some created around September 2025 → replies work correctly
- Some created around January 2026 → in some cases replies are not possible

Additional Notes

It appears that:

Some Discussions created in January 2026 allow replies
Others (also created in January 2026) do not
The behavior is inconsistent and not explainable via settings or database values

At this point, discussions seem functionally inconsistent despite being configured identically.

Question

Why, in two Discussions within the same Course and with identical settings, is it not possible for a Teacher/Admin to reply to comments in one Discussion, while it works correctly in another?

Any insight or guidance would be appreciated.

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Accepted answers

All comments

Jeff_F

Hello @lucabenny - may I suggest accessing the discussion settings and look to see if this is checked off: 'Disallow threaded replies'.

If it is, uncheck this option box and select Save. Please advise if that was the causation. I know you wrote the settings are the same, but this is the only thing I can think of that would cause this. Thanks, Jeff

lucabenny

I don't have that option, please check here: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/1wgorzkfsv3j5uhraz0qk/ishare-1769773120-safari.PNG?rlkey=frnvwf3ohphqiy96vt6wgkdkr&dl=0

Also, I'm not sure why, but in my last screenshot, I said the "Reply" button wasn't visible: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/ehdg3hp45wop1x785n9ez/ishare-1769678579-safari.PNG?rlkey=a43rwbx9v3cmlibiti5924j4u&dl=0

I just noticed that the button is visible in the same discussion: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/enes7e3pa2jk3xrj37bgt/ishare-1769773444-safari.PNG?rlkey=sjqk6v3yebn0z1h97zjfoz96k&dl=0

I didn't change or touch anything. The only thing new is a Student comment to it.

lucabenny

I have replied with the message below.

lucabenny

@Jeff_F please help if you have time. it's urgent.

Jeff_F

@lucabenny — I find it odd that the setting I shared is not present for you under the discussion topic option settings. Could one of the following be the causation here?

=========

1. The discussion is closed due to availability dates

If the Until date has passed, Canvas disables student and instructor replies.
Even if the page is visible, the Reply button disappears completely.

Ask the instructor to check:
Edit → Available From / Until
If Until < today, replies are blocked.

2. The discussion is set as a graded discussion and the assignment is locked

If it’s a graded discussion and:

The Due or Until date has passed, or
The module has requirements blocking access,

the Reply button can disappear.

3. The instructor is viewing a section‑restricted discussion

If the discussion is limited to specific course sections, and the instructor is not assigned to that section (yes, this happens at some institutions), Canvas will hide the Reply button.

They should check:
Edit → Post to: [All Sections]
If the course uses cross‑listing or section‑limited discussions, this is a top culprit.

4. The discussion is part of a group set but the instructor is not in a group

If the discussion is a Group Discussion, Canvas places the instructor in a “preview” state if they’re not assigned to a group.

This causes:

No Reply button
Messages like “This is a group discussion”

Ask the instructor to check whether the discussion is a group discussion and, if so, whether they can switch groups using the group dropdown at the top right.

5. The course is using New Discussions/Interface and the instructor is looking at the collapsed toolbar

In New Discussions, the Reply button only appears when selecting the post.
If the instructor is expecting the old UI, it may look like the Reply button is “gone” but it’s actually hidden behind:

The three‑dot menu
The “Quote reply” option
A collapsed thread requiring expansion

Our internal survey results show widespread confusion with collapsed threads and extra clicks.
While not the same issue, it means usability problems are common.

6. Their role doesn’t have “Post to Discussions” permission

If the instructor was imported incorrectly or their institution uses custom roles, they may not have the right Discussion permissions.

They should ensure their role has:

Discussions → Create
Discussions → Post
Discussions → Moderate

This is very common at institutions with heavily customized Canvas permissions.

7. The instructor is inside SpeedGrader or the “Preview as Student” mode

Reply buttons do not appear in:

SpeedGrader
Student View
Grades → Clicking discussion title
Some internal LTI views

Ensure they are viewing the discussion from:
Course → Discussions → [Discussion Title]

lucabenny

Maybe I have found the issue but I need some technical support with it.

I've tested this "If Until < today, replies are blocked" and I would like to say I can reply also if the date is passed.

The thing I've missed is, we have developed a custom external webapp using Canvas APIs.
We are using Canvas self-hosted version and we build around that a custom webapp for Student only.
Inside this webapp, Students can watch videos (modules) do Quizzes and join Discussions Forums.

I have tested like this:

I tried to create a new teacher account
I entered an old discussion (January 9), where there was a comment from a student posted on January 30
I couldn't comment on the student's response until I switched from the Cavans Area to the custom webapp with the same teacher account
I was able to respond to the student

Proof: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/au6lrw4pi72x67z9n22r5/ishare-1770130588-safari.PNG?rlkey=kgsl5o3eklaeibppg62adymtv&dl=0
Proof 2: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/7116gy1fumrlpojz65hrg/ishare-1770130647-safari.PNG?rlkey=51bgt73io4n9f1o87xf6or06k&dl=0

This no make sense at all. Is something correlated with the cache?

lucabenny

@Jeff_F I have replied. Please help because the problem is urgent and the teachers are unable to respond. We are an active school.

lucabenny

@Jeff_F

We found the issue.
Be default the system create a Discussion Forum with the param "discussion_type" set to "side_comment".
I have put "threaded" and now the reply is working!

Proof: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/mvdz7cvrcfk7oq9pc8s4s/ishare-1770374353-safari.PNG?rlkey=27ehczp2r93q1gb1suir1xbz1&dl=0

Where can I set this option by default when I create a Discussion Forum?

Chris

Hello @lucabenny,

That option would be shown in the How do I create a discussion as an instructor? - Instructure Community guide as #1 under the "Set Additional Options" section (leave the setting unchecked to create threaded discussions). This is for the current version of Canvas/discussions, but since you're running open source Canvas, it's hard to know if your screens are going to be exactly the same as you could be running a much older version of Canvas and discussions received a signficant overhaul a couple years ago.

-Chris

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