To prepare a PDF for Canvas LMS upload, check that the assignment offers File Upload and accepts PDF, put every page of your work into one readable PDF, and keep it under any size limit your course gives. Then submit it from the assignment page and make sure Canvas shows it as submitted.
For scanned work, PDF is the format we'd pick. Florida State University's Canvas support team says PDF files display best within the Canvas SpeedGrader, the view instructors grade in.
Convert an Image to PDFCheck What the Canvas Assignment Accepts
Instructors set the submission type for each assignment, so open that exact assignment instead of going by what worked last time. If there's no File Upload option, no PDF will make one appear, so ask the instructor how to hand the work in.
When File Upload is on, read the allowed file types, the due date and the number of attempts. And don't just rename notes.docx to notes.pdf: that doesn't convert anything, and the grader gets a file that won't open.
How to Prepare a PDF for Canvas LMS Upload
- Collect every page the assignment asks for, including work on the back of a sheet.
- For photos of paper, merge them into one PDF with JPG to PDF, or use Image to PDF for a single JPG, PNG or BMP.
- For a Word document, export it as PDF in Word or use Word to PDF.
- Open the PDF and check the page count, the order and that no page is sideways.
- Zoom into equations, citations, labels and small table entries to make sure you can read them.
- Compare the file size with any limit in the assignment, and only shrink the file if it's over.
- Give the final copy a clear name, then upload it to the assignment.
Turn Handwritten Work Into One PDF
Yale's student guide to PDFs of handwritten assignments advises dark ink on light paper, a flat surface with high contrast, and holding the phone directly above the page. Take one photo per page, and take any blurred one again.
In JPG to PDF, add the photos, drag them into page order and leave "Merge all images in one PDF file" ticked. In our test run, the same 35.6 KB test photo uploaded twice became one two-page PDF of 72.6 KB.
JPG to PDF only takes JPG files. For PNG or BMP photos, or a mix of types, use Merge Images to PDF, where each page takes its image's own size.
A PDF made from photos holds pictures of your pages, with no text Canvas or the grader can search or select. That's normal for scanned work. It does mean typed answers belong in a document you export to PDF, and a photo of the screen is the wrong way to hand them in.
Export Typed Work to PDF Before You Upload
A PDF exported from your document keeps its text, so the grader can search and select it, and the layout looks the same on any device. A photo of the same page can't do either.
Word to PDF converts .doc and .docx files on our server. In our test run, a 25.7 KB test document became a one-page PDF of 18.2 KB.
Assignment wants a single file, but you've got a typed part and scanned pages? Convert each part to PDF first. Then join them in order with Merge PDF, which runs in your browser, and check the page order before you upload.
Make a Large PDF Fit the Upload Limit
Schools and instructors can set their own upload limits, so read the number on the assignment or ask. If you're over, make a copy and run it through Compress PDF.
In our test on a 12-page PDF of app screenshots, the Recommended level turned 3.2 MB into 391.4 KB. Open the compressed copy and zoom into the densest page before you submit it.
Submit the PDF and Confirm It Arrived
The Yale guide lists the steps. Click Submit Assignment, open the File Upload tab, click Upload File and choose your PDF, then click Submit Assignment again.
If the assignment allows several files, the "+ Add Another File" link adds more. Putting a file in your personal Canvas Files area doesn't hand it in, so always finish through the assignment itself.
Reopen the assignment afterwards and check that your file name shows up as submitted. If you need to fix something and another attempt is allowed, submit the corrected PDF the same way.
When Canvas rejects the file
Write down the exact error first. A wrong file type, a size limit, a closed assignment and an expired login all need different fixes, and converting the file again only helps with the first one.
For photographed worksheets in Google Classroom, see our guide to converting a worksheet photo to PDF for Google Classroom. To join screenshots of online work, see combining screenshots into one PDF.
Frequently Asked Questions about preparing a PDF for Canvas LMS upload
Does every Canvas assignment accept PDF files?
No. The instructor chooses the submission types and can limit the file types, so check the assignment page first.
How do I put several photographed pages into one PDF for Canvas?
Use JPG to PDF with "Merge all images in one PDF file" ticked, or Merge Images to PDF for PNG and BMP photos. Image to PDF converts one image at a time.
How can I tell that Canvas received my PDF?
Reopen the assignment and check that your file is listed as submitted. A file in your personal Canvas Files area has not been handed in.
My PDF is too large for Canvas. What can I do?
Compress a copy with Compress PDF and check that every page is still readable. If it's still too big, ask the instructor whether you can upload several files.
Does making a PDF check my answers?
No. Converting only changes the file format. It doesn't proofread, grade or add searchable text.