Simplifying Canvas Course Navigation for Students

Quick Links: | Prerequisites | Instructions | Instructor & Student Views | Navigation Recommendations | Troubleshooting |

A simplified Canvas course navigation menu helps students find important content more quickly and reduces unnecessary or duplicate pathways. This guide explains how to customize course navigation and choose which links to keep visible based on how students use your course.

Prerequisites

• Instructor-level access to the Canvas course.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. From the course navigation menu, select Settings.
2. Select the Navigation tab.
3. To hide a navigation item from students, either:
   • Drag it from the top section to the bottom section, or
   • Select the Options icon (three vertical dots) next to the item and choose Disable.
4. To reorder visible navigation items, drag them into the order you want students to see.
5. Select Save at the bottom of the page.

Instructor and Student Views

Instructor View

Many disabled Canvas links remain visible to instructors and are marked with a visibility icon, even though students cannot see them. This lets instructors continue using areas such as Files, Pages, and Quizzes without adding them to student navigation.

Some external tools may also disappear from the instructor navigation when disabled.

Student View

Students do not see disabled navigation items, even for core Canvas tools.

Choose Navigation Based on the Student Experience

Keep navigation focused on the places students actually need to go. There is no single navigation menu that works for every course; the goal is to reduce unnecessary or duplicate pathways. 

Before enabling a navigation link, ask:

• Do students need to access this area directly?
• Is the same content already easier to find through Modules?
• Does the link provide a useful alternative path, or does it create another place students have to search?
• Will students understand what they will find when they select it?

Recommended Course Navigation Settings

Use these recommendations as a starting point for deciding which course navigation links to keep visible, hide, or enable only when they support how students use your course.

Tool	Recommendation	Why
Home	Keep visible	Provides a consistent starting point.
Announcements	Keep visible	Gives students direct access to course updates.
Syllabus	Keep visible*	Easy access to policies and schedule. If Syllabus is the Home page, the navigation link can be hidden.
Modules	Keep visible	Recommended primary path through course content.
Grades	Keep visible	Lets students review scores and feedback.
Feedback on Teaching	Keep visible when applicable	Hide for paper SFOTs or outside the administration period.
Files	Usually hide	Students should access files in context rather than browse the file repository.
Pages	Usually hide	Modules provide a clearer instructional sequence.
Outcomes	Usually hide	Rarely needs direct student access.
Rubrics	Usually hide	Students can access rubrics from assignments.
Assignments	Consider	Useful as a complete list of graded work, but may duplicate Modules.
Collaborations	Consider	Keep visible when actively used.
Course Analytics	Consider	Useful to students and instructors; instructors can also access it from Home.
Discussions	Consider	Useful if students frequently revisit discussions outside Modules.
IgniteAI Search	Consider	Helpful when students benefit from searching across course content.
Lucid (Whiteboard)	Consider	Keep visible when students use it regularly.
People	Consider	Useful for groups or when students need participant information.
Quizzes	Consider	Often redundant when quizzes are accessed through Modules or Assignments.
Zoom	Consider	Keep visible when students regularly access meetings through Canvas.
Publisher / External Tools	Consider	Keep visible only when students need direct, regular access.

 

Instructor-Only Navigation Tools

Some navigation tools are available only to instructors and can remain enabled without adding clutter to the student navigation menu.

Instructor-only tool	Purpose
Accommodate HQ	Apply approved accommodations.
Ally Course Accessibility Report	Review accessibility issues.
TidyUP	Identify unused course content.
CSU GradePass	Transfer final grades to Faculty Center.

 

Troubleshooting

• Changes are not saving: Confirm that you selected Save at the bottom of the Navigation settings page.
• A tool is not listed: Some tools may not be available in course navigation or may be controlled at the account level. Review the guide to available Canvas integrations for more information.