Canvas - How to Remove Unused or Duplicate Files with TidyUp

What Does TidyUp Do?

This tool’s features focus on streamlining the content stored in your Canvas course. TidyUp also provides another way to browse and analyze the content in your course. TidyUp:

• Identifies unused files and content: It scans your Canvas course and flags files that are not linked or used anywhere, so you can safely delete them if they’re cluttering your course.
• Cleans up duplicates: It finds duplicate files and lets you decide which version to keep.
• Simplifies file management: TidyUP shows an overview of which items are in use and which are not, which can be easier to browse than the Files tool. 

Combine TidyUp and UDOIT

Like the UDOIT Digital Accessibility Tool in Canvas, TidyUp is developed by Cidilabs, so you can use these tools together to manage the accessibility of your Canvas courses. Use TidyUp to remove content you don’t need in your course; this will streamline the amount of content you have to process and fix using UDOIT.

When should I use TidyUp?

While you can use TidyUp in any Canvas course, considering using it before students participate, or in a sandbox course you can modify safely.

TidyUp makes it easy to delete course content; if you’re not careful, this can result in deletion of content students need, or content you intend to use later. These deletions are permanent. Once you delete content with TidyUp, you can’t undelete it.

Consider using the course Export tool to make a backup copy of your course before using TidyUP.

How do I use TidyUp?

To use TidyUp, you’ll need to open a Canvas course, add the TidyUp link to your course Navigation menu, and then click the link.

Step One: Enable TidyUp

TidyUp may be disabled by default. If it’s not listed in your course Navigation menu, enable it:

1. Open your Canvas course.
2. Click the Settings link in your course Navigation menu.
3. Click the Navigation tab.
4. Scroll down the page until you see “TidyUp” listed.
5. Click and drag the TidyUp into the top list, or, click the three-vertical-dots button to the right of “TidyUp” and then click Enable in the pop-up menu.
6. Scroll down the page and click Save.

TidyUp will now be listed in your course Navigation menu.

Step Two: Open TidyUp and Scan Your Course

Now that you’ve enabled TidyUp in your course, you can open the tool and scan your course:

1. Click TidyUp in the Navigation menu.
2. On the TidyUp welcome page, click the Scan button.

TidyUp will scan the content in your course so you can start analyzing it. The scan can take several minutes to complete, depending on the amount of content in your course and the size of your course files.

Step Three: Clean Up Your Course Content

Once TidyUp finishes scanning, the TidyUp “Home” page will display all your content sorted into three main tabs:

• Files
• Folders
• Canvas Content

Files and Folders

The Files and Folders tabs lists items shown in the Files tool in Canvas courses. Course files include any content uploaded to a course, like PDFs, Microsoft Word documents, and some media files.

The Files tab lists the files stored in your course, where they’re used, when they were last updated, and their size. You can use the “File Type” and “Show” dropdown menus to filter the list by specific file types or whether or not the files are used. You can also move, download, or delete selected files, and publish or hide files using the Actions buttons.

The Folders tab shows empty folders by default. You can use the “Show” All and Empty buttons to change whether folders that include files are listed.

Canvas Content

The Canvas Content tab lists items you create and modify using the Rich Content Editor, like the Assignments, Announcements, Discussions, Pages, and Quizzes tools. You can filter by content type and whether the listed items are used in your course modules or published.

Need Help?

Please email the UW-Superior Canvas Team.