How do I set my Canvas notification preferences?

Canvas includes a set of default notification preferences you can receive for your courses. Notifications are sent to Canvas contact methods as specified in your account. However, you can change the default settings by setting your own notification preferences. These preferences only apply to you; they are not used to control how course updates are sent to other users. To learn more about each notification, default settings, and notification triggers, view the Canvas Notifications PDF.

Notifications are sent as one of four delivery types: send right away, daily summary, weekly summary, or don't send. If you change a setting, the change is made immediately to your account.

Notification settings apply to all of your courses; you cannot change settings for individual courses.

You can reply directly to email notifications outside of Canvas and have the reply appear in Conversations. However, please be aware that attachments added as part of an external reply are not included with the message shown in the Canvas Inbox.

Note: The Canvas by Instructure app supports setting notification preferences. However, setting preferences inside the app will override preferences in the browser version of Canvas, and daily and weekly preferences are not supported. Learn about setting preferences in the Canvas app for Android devices and iOS devices.

Open Notifications

In Global Navigation, click the Account link [1], then click the Notifications link [2].

Set Notification Preferences

Each notification is set to a default preference. To change a notification for a contact method, locate the notification and click the icon for your preferred delivery type.

To receive a notification right away, click the check mark icon [1]. These notifications are delayed by one hour in case an instructor makes additional changes, which prevents you from being spammed by multiple notifications in a short amount of time.

To receive a daily notification, click the clock icon [2].

Update Your Notification Preferences from Instructure

Learn more about updating your Notification Preferences in Canvas.