Technical Requirements

Review the list below for recommendations. For some courses there may be additional software requirements. Students should check with instructors for further details. 

• Canvas Requirements - Students should be able to use any modern desktop or laptop computer.
  • What are the basic computer specifications for Canvas? Links to an external site.
• Mobile Options - For mobile specifications please see Mobile Support options for faculty and students.
  • Mobile Support for Students
  • Mobile Support for Instructors
• Studio - Studio is video creation/storage system that is integrated with Canvas.
  • What are the computer specifications for Canvas Studio? Links to an external site.
• Browser support - Firefox Links to an external site. and Chrome Links to an external site. are recommended for use with Canvas; however, Canvas does support all modern web browsers. Be sure to keep your browser software up-to-date on personal home computers. Download a second browser in case there are ever technical issues with the default browser. Below are links to downloads of the supported browsers. 
  • Which browsers does Canvas support? Links to an external site.
• Accessibility within Canvas Links to an external site. - Canvas is designed to be accessible. Please review this link for details on accessibility features of Canvas.
  • Accessibility Guidelines
  • How to Make Your Course More Accessible
  • How to Make Your Course More Mobile Friendly

As of August 3, 2019, Internet Explorer 11 is no longer a supported browser. You WILL NOT be able to login to Canvas if you are using Internet Explorer! On Windows 10 Computers, please note Edge is the default browser and is a supported browser. 

Screen reader support has been discontinued for Internet Explorer 11 and Edge browsers. Windows users who rely on screen reader support should use Firefox as their supported browser. For full details about accessibility support, please see Accessibility within Canvas Links to an external site.. 

All browsers will block mixed content and Flash. Please view the Web Browser Troubleshooting Tips page for further details. 

Starting with the December 8, 2018 release Links to an external site. HTML 5 will be used for creating media comments in Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox browsers. This will replace the need for the Flash player. 

Web Browsers typically disable Flash by default. Make sure you have the latest version of Flash before attempting to enable this plug-in in your browser. Please review the tutorials below for steps on how to enable this plug-in in your browser. 

• How to enable Flash for Firefox Links to an external site.
• How to enable Flash for Chrome Links to an external site.
• How to enable Flash for Edge Links to an external site.

Your computer will come with a pre-loaded web browser. On Windows it will be Internet Explorer (Windows 7 or XP) or Microsoft Edge (Windows 10) and on a Mac computer it will be Safari. Please note these browsers are dependent on the operating system software updates that Microsoft and Apple do on a routine basis. It is extremely important to keep your computer updated when these software updates are released. As a general rule Canvas will support the latest two versions of any browser listed below. It is highly recommended that you download Firefox or Chrome and use one of these as your default browser rather than relying on the default browser that comes with your computer. 

	Firefox Links to an external site. - Recommended! Firefox is a free browser you can download. Users can set Firefox to update automatically if desired.
	Google Chrome Links to an external site. - Recommended! Chrome is a free browser you can download. Chrome is updated automatically once downloaded.
	Internet Explorer 11 Links to an external site. - Starting on August 3, 2019, Internet Explorer 11 will no longer be supported as a Canvas browser.  You must use a different browser!
	Microsoft Edge Links to an external site. -  If you have upgraded your computer to Windows 10, the default browser will be a new browser called Microsoft Edge Links to an external site.. Edge has a similar logo as Internet Explorer but it is an entirely different browser. This browser is supported by Canvas; however, for critical tasks such as submitting assignments or completing quizzes it is recommended to use Firefox or Chrome.
	Safari Links to an external site. - This is the default browser on all Apple computers. Please note this browser is only updated when you upgrade the operating system. Note if you are submitting TurnItIn assignments, please use a different browser.

   Java Links to an external site. – May be used if you plan to screen share in the Flash based version of the Conference tool.

Flash player Links to an external site. – Flash is used with the conference and media comment features. It is important to note that Flash is disabled by default in all browser software and you must enable it before using it. The conference and media features are currently in the process of transitioning from Flash to HTML 5. You may be given the choice to choose HTML 5 client instead of Flash.  
 Acrobat Reader Links to an external site. – keep up to date (may be used for some content in your course)