Inbox, Conversations & Messaging
Messaging in Canvas
Canvas includes a messaging feature designed to give you flexibility in how you send and receive messages. All your conversation messages are stored in your Inbox, which you can access by clicking on the Inbox link in your Global Navigation menu.
Global vs. Course-Specific Messages
The Inbox is global, meaning you can access messages from all your courses in one place. However, you can easily switch to course-specific views using the filtering options:
- To filter by course: Select the course name from the dropdown menu in the Inbox. This allows you to focus on messages related to a particular course.
- To return to a global view: Clear the filter to view all messages across your courses.
This flexibility allows you to stay organized, ensuring you can focus on course-specific communication when needed or manage all messages from one central location.
Accessing Your Inbox
- Use the Global Navigation menu to open the Inbox.
- Filter messages by course, type, or status to organize your conversations effectively.
Sending Messages
- Privacy: If you’re sending the same message to more than one student, check the box to send an individual message to each recipient. This way, users won’t see who else received the message.
- Filtering: Use the filtering options to organize your messages by course or type, making it easier to manage your communications.
Managing Conversations
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Archiving Messages: Archiving messages helps keep your Inbox organized. Archive conversations you want to save for reference but don’t need to access frequently. Archived messages remain searchable if you need them later.
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Deleting Conversations: Deleting removes conversations you no longer need, helping to keep your Inbox clean and manageable. Use this option for messages that are no longer relevant or required.
Quick Activity
Think about how you plan to organize your Canvas Inbox. Which messages would you filter by course, archive, or delete? Consider setting up a routine to keep your messages manageable and accessible.
Learning Resources
Explore the Guides links below. Each link will open in a new tab. You can return to Canvas by clicking on the Canvas tab in your browser.
Watch
Read
- How do I use the Inbox as an instructor? Links to an external site.
- How do I send a message to a user in a course in the Inbox as an instructor? Links to an external site.
- How do I send a message to all course users in the Inbox as an instructor? Links to an external site.
- How do I filter conversations as an instructor? Links to an external site.
- How do I find my unread messages in the Inbox as an instructor? Links to an external site.
- How do I reply to a message in the Inbox as an instructor? Links to an external site.
- How do I delete a conversation as an instructor? Links to an external site.
- How do I archive a conversation as an instructor? Links to an external site.
After exploring the Guides links, return to Canvas and click the "Next" button at the bottom right of the page to move to the next section of the module.