nav[aria-label="Primary Navigation"] { padding: 0; & ul { list-style: none; width: 100%; display: flex; flex-direction: row; justify-content: start; align-items: start; gap: 30px; padding: 0; & li { margin: 0; } & ul li { list-style: none; } } }

How do I manage Course Navigation links?

As an instructor, you can control which links appear in Course Navigation. Canvas includes a set of default Course Navigation links that are shown by default and cannot be renamed. Depending on your course configuration, other links may be available and may be customizable.

Links to sections that do not have any content and that students cannot create content for are automatically hidden for students and display the Visibility icon to instructors. For example, if there are no learning outcomes set for the course, you see the Outcomes link with the Visibility icon, but students cannot see the link at all. Configured External Apps may create additional Course Navigation links.

Disabling a course navigation link creates the following redirects:

Hidden only (cannot be disabled but still accessible via direct URL): Discussions and Grades
Page disabled; redirected to Home page: Announcements, Assignments, Conferences, Collaborations, Files, Modules, Outcomes, Quizzes, Pages, People, Rubrics, and Syllabus
Page disabled; won't appear in navigation: Any LTI links, such as Attendance, Chat, Lucid, and SCORM

Reordering and hiding Course Navigation links for Announcements, Assignments, Discussions, and Files also affects the course tabs in the Dashboard course view for all users. Additionally, disabling the Files link hides the Files tab in the Content Selector in the Rich Content Editor for students.

The following course navigation links will still be visible to instructors even if they have been hidden or disabled: Home, Announcements, Assignments, Collaborations, Conferences, Discussions, Files, Grades, Modules, Outcomes, Pages, People, Quizzes, Rubrics, Settings, and Syllabus.

Notes:

Navigation links that cannot be disabled require the URL access to display related data in other Canvas areas. Access to hidden pages may be further restricted by changing specific student permissions in Canvas. Contact your Canvas admin for assistance.
If you disable the Course Navigation link for an external tool, the link no longer displays in your Course Navigation list.
If the course navigation link for the page is disabled and hidden from students, the Student View button does not display.
Before you can manage placement of some LTI app links, such as Lucid and New Analytics, an admin must place the LTI external app into Course Navigation for the account.

View the video transcript

00:05: How do I manage Course Navigation links?

00:08: In Course Navigation, click the Settings link.

00:12: Click the Navigation tab.

00:14: Navigation links that are visible to all users display in the top of the page.

00:18: The order they display in the list is the order in which they display in

00:22: Course Navigation.

00:24: Navigation links that are hidden from students display in the Drag items here to hide

00:28: them from students section.

00:30: To reorder navigation, links, click the navigation, link. You would like to move drag and drop the navigation link to the desired location. You can also use the keyboard to reorder and navigation link within its current section. Select the item and press space to begin moving it use the up or down, arrow keys to reposition, the item, then press space to drop it in place or press escape to cancel.

00:54: Only one item can be moved at a time and tab or shift tab will not change the selection while moving.

01:01: You can also use the Move option to reorder a navigation link within its current section

01:05: (either visible or hidden). Click the Options icon.

01:10: And then click the Move link.

01:12: In the Move Navigation Item sidebar, click the Place drop-down menu.

01:18: Select the placement of the navigation link

01:20: you are moving. You can move the link so it is located at the top of the list, before

01:24: a specific navigation link, after a specific navigation link, or

01:28: at the bottom of the list.

01:31: If you selected the Before or After option, click the second drop-down menu

01:37: Select the navigation link that should be before or after the link

01:41: you are moving, as indicated by the option selected in the previous menu.

01:46: If you want to move the navigation link to another location,

01:48: change the sidebar placement options as needed.

01:53: Click the Move button.

01:56: To hide a navigation link from students, click the link Options icon.

02:00: And then select the Disable option. The navigation link moves to the Drag

02:05: items here to hide them from students section. You can also drag and drop the

02:09: link to the Drag items here to hide them from students section.

02:13: To enable a link in the hidden section, click the Options icon.

02:17: And then select the Enable option. You can also drag and

02:21: drop the link out of the hidden section.

02:24: If enabled at your institution, you can add custom links by clicking the Add a Link

02:29: button.

02:31: Click the Save button.

02:33: View the Course Navigation Menu. Navigation links display in

02:37: the same order that you have designated in Course Settings.

02:41: Any Course Navigation link that is hidden from students displays the Visibility icon.

02:46: A link may be hidden to students because the feature area has no content.

02:52: Or because the link is disabled.

02:54: Links that are manually disabled by a course instructor display at the bottom

02:58: of the Course Navigation Menu above the Settings link. If you disable

03:02: or hide a Course Navigation link to an external tool,

03:05: its link does not display in Course Navigation and is hidden to

03:09: all course users, including instructors.

03:13: This guide covered how to manage Course Navigation Links.

Open Settings

Course Navigation with the Settings link highlighted

In Course Navigation, click the Settings link.

Open Navigation

Course Settings page with the Navigation tab highlighted

Click the Navigation tab.

Navigation tab with the visible links list and hidden links section highlighted

Navigation links that are visible to all users display in the top of the page [1]. The order they display in the list is the order in which they display in Course Navigation.

Navigation links that are hidden from students display in the Drag items here to hide them from students section [2].

Navigation tab with a navigation link selected for dragging highlighted

To reorder navigation links, click the navigation link you would like to move. Drag and drop the navigation link to the desired location.

Navigation tab with a navigation link selected for keyboard reordering highlighted

To reorder navigation links using the keyboard, select the navigation link you would like to move.

Press Space to begin moving the link, use the Up or Down arrow keys to reposition it, and press Space again to place it in the desired location or press Esc to cancel. Only one link can be moved at a time.

Navigation tab with the Options icon and Move link highlighted

You can also use the Move option to reorder a navigation link within its current section (visible or hidden). Click the Options icon [1] and click the Move link [2].

Move Navigation Item sidebar with the Place menu and placement option highlighted

In the Move Navigation Item sidebar, click the Place drop-down menu [1]. Select the placement of the navigation link you are moving [2]. You can move the link so it is located at the top of the list, before a specific navigation link, after a specific navigation link, or at the bottom of the list.

Note: The Move option only moves an navigation link within its current section (visible or hidden).

Place Before or After

Move Navigation Item sidebar with the second drop-down menu and selected link highlighted

If you selected the Before or After option, click the second drop-down menu [1]. Select the navigation link that should be before or after the link you are moving, as indicated by the option selected in the previous menu [2].

If you want to move the navigation link to another location, change the sidebar placement options as needed.

Move Navigation Item sidebar with the Move button highlighted

Click the Move button.

Hide Navigation Links

Navigation tab with the Options icon, Disable option, and hidden links section highlighted

To hide a navigation link from students, click the link Options icon [1] and select the Disable option [2]. The navigation link moves to the Drag items here to hide them from students section [3].

You can also drag and drop the link to the Drag items here to hide them from students section.

Navigation tab with a hidden link, Options icon, and Enable option highlighted

To enable a link in the hidden section [1], click the Options icon [2] and select the Enable option [3].

You can also drag and drop the link out of the hidden section.

Add Custom Link

Navigation tab with the Add a Link button highlighted.

If enabled at your institution, you can add custom links by clicking the Add a Link button.

Save Navigation

Navigation tab with the Save button highlighted

Click the Save button.

Course Navigation Menu with the Visibility icon, no-content link, disabled link, and menu order highlighted

View the Course Navigation Menu. Navigation links display in the same order that you have designated in Course Settings.

Any Course Navigation link that is hidden from students displays the Visibility icon [1]. A link may be hidden to students because the feature area has no content [2] or because the link is disabled [3]. Links that are manually disabled by a course instructor display at the bottom of the Course Navigation Menu above the Settings link [4].

If you disable or hide a Course Navigation link to an external tool, its link does not display in Course Navigation and is hidden to all course users, including instructors.

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