Why does Canvas display a login prompt when I view or edit a page?

Quick Links: | Environment | Solution | Root Cause |

Users accessing a Canvas course may encounter an unexpected login prompt. This issue primarily occurs in courses migrated from Blackboard. The login prompt appears due to embedded images from Blackboard that Canvas cannot access, causing unnecessary login requests.

Environment

This issue occurs in the Canvas Learning Management System (LMS) with courses that use content copied from Blackboard. The issue is triggered by embedded images in the course content that are hosted on Blackboard's servers.

Solution

Here's a straightforward method to address the issue:

If You Have the Image Locally:

1. Access the Canvas course and find the content containing the problematic embedded image.
2. Enter edit mode for this content.
3. Select Cancel on the login prompt until it disappears [1].
4. Locate the image causing the login prompt and delete it [2].
5. From the Rich Content Editor toolbar, select Upload Image [3] to upload the locally saved image.

6. With the new image in place, adjust its size or alignment as needed.

7. Save your changes and check to ensure the login prompt is resolved.

If You Do Not Have the Image:

1. Simply remove the problematic image from your course content to eliminate the login prompt.
2. Consider replacing it with a similar image that you have the right to use or leaving it out if the image is not critical to the course material.

By following these steps, you can ensure that all of the content in your Canvas course is directly uploaded to Canvas and can be accessed without any erroneous login prompts.

Root Cause

The underlying issue is that during the migration of courses from Blackboard to Canvas, embedded images are linked directly to Blackboard’s servers. Canvas, lacking direct access permissions to these Blackboard-hosted resources, triggers a login prompt for users. Since the server prompting the login does not recognize university credentials, attempts to log in are futile.

If your question wasn't addressed or you need further clarification, please don't hesitate to contact the Technology & Learning Program.