How do I set my Canvas notification preferences as an instructor?

Canvas includes a set of default notification preferences you can receive for your courses. 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.

Open Notifications

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

View Account Notification Settings

The Account Notification Settings page displays a banner reminding you that account-level notifications apply to all courses [1].

View the account-level notification types [2] and your listed contact methods [3].

Each notification has a default delivery frequency preference. To view the current notification delivery frequency for a notification type and contact method, hover over the notification icon [4].

View Notification Details

To view details for a notification, hover over the notification name.

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 the contact method [1].

To receive a notification right away, select the Notify immediately option [2]. These notifications may be delayed by up to 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, select the Daily summary option [3].

To receive a weekly notification, select the Weekly summary option [4]. The date and time of your weekly notifications are posted at the bottom of the notifications page.

If you do not want to receive a notification, select the Notifications off option [5].

Unsupported notification types display the Unsupported icon [6]. Unsupported notification types cannot be enabled.

Notes:

Each set notification preference will automatically apply to all of your courses. However, if you manage notification preferences for a single course, notifications for that course must continue to be managed in the course.
Twitter notification preferences do not support daily summary or weekly summary options.
Unregistered contact methods will appear in notification preferences but will not receive notifications until you confirm the registration.

View Privacy Notice

If you've set a notification preference for an email address that is outside your institution, you may see a privacy warning. You can close the warning by clicking the OK button. Once the warning has been displayed, it will not display again.

Set Push Notifications

If you have enabled push notifications in the Canvas Teacher app, you can manage your preferences in the Push Notification column. Please be aware that push notifications can only be sent to your mobile device right away or not at all. Daily and weekly notification options are not supported.

Additionally, setting preferences inside the app will override preferences set in the notifications page.

Note: Some categories include limited availability for push notifications. Full details about supported notifications for push notifications can be found in the Canvas Notifications PDF.