Using TidyUP to Cleanup Your Canvas Courses

If you teach the same course semester after semester, you may have a build-up of old files, folders, and content items (such as pages, assignments, quizzes, and discussions topics) that are no longer used. TidyUP is now available in your Canvas course to help you quickly identify and clean up the content in your course. Identifying and deleting extra files, folders, pages, or assignments that are no longer used makes your course easier to manage and more accessible for everyone.

Start page for TidyUP

TidyUP provides an easy way to do the following in any Canvas course:

  • Identify and delete all files that are not being used in your course
  • See what files are being used in your course and where they are being used
  • Find empty folders in the files section of your course and delete them
  • View a list of all your Canvas pages, assignments, quizzes or discussions with information about each page and the ability to delete multiple pages at once

Adding TidyUp to Your Canvas Course
TidyUp is an instructor-only feature, and will not be visible to students. Teachers can add TidyUp to a Canvas course by using these instructions:

  1. Locate TidyUp: In your Canvas course, go to Settings, then click on the Navigation tab. 
  2. Enable TidyUp: Find TidyUp in the list of navigation items, and either drag it to the active items at the top or click the three dots to the right and select Enable. 
  3. Save Changes: Scroll to the bottom of the page and click Save to apply the changes.
  4. Access TidyUp: Once enabled, TidyUp will be available in the course navigation menu (visible to instructors only). 

Using TidyUp:

  1. Scan Your Course:

    After enabling and accessing TidyUp, click the “Scan Course” button to begin the scanning process. 

  2. Review Results:

    TidyUp categorizes content into three sections: Files, Folders, and Canvas Content (pages, assignments, etc.). 

  3. Filter and Sort:

    Use filters and sorting options to narrow down the results and easily find specific items. 

  4. Delete Unused Content:

    Review the identified unused content and delete items that are no longer needed. 

Key Features, Benefits, and Caveats:

  • Identify Unused Files:

    TidyUp helps identify files that are not linked to any content in the course, allowing you to remove them. 

  • Find Empty Folders:

    It can also identify empty folders within your course files, helping you keep your file structure organized. 

  • Manage Canvas Content:

    TidyUp allows you to review and delete unused or outdated Canvas pages, assignments, quizzes, and other content. 

  • Time-Saving:

    By quickly identifying unused content, TidyUp saves instructors time and effort in managing their courses. 

  • Improved Organization:

    Keeping a clean and organized course helps students easily find the resources they need. 

  • Accessibility:

    TidyUp can improve the accessibility of your course very quickly by removing outdated or broken links and content. 

  • No Undo: Be cautious when deleting content as there is no undo option in TidyUp.
  • Backup Files: Before deleting any files, it’s recommended to download them as a backup. 
  • Question Banks: TidyUp does not scan Canvas question banks, so consider implementing workarounds to avoid accidental deletion of files used in question banks. 

TidyUp User Guide: https://cidilabs.instructure.com/courses/2854

TidyUP Training Series Videos

JCCC PLD Session will be given on TidyUP on Wednesday, August 20th, 2025 in LIB 307.