Overview

If a Canvas course is not appearing on your dashboard, there are several possible reasons. If you recently dropped a course but still see it in Canvas, the information below may also help.

Before troubleshooting, always check with your instructor first. Instructors control when courses are published and available to students.

Common Reasons a Course Does Not Appear

1. The Course Has Not Been Published

Students cannot access a Canvas course until the instructor publishes it. Some instructors may wait until the start of the semester or after the first few class meetings before publishing their courses.

Check course status:

1. In Canvas, select Courses from the left navigation menu.
2. Click All Courses.
3. Look for the course and check the Published status.

If the course is published, you can click the star icon to add it to your Dashboard. Click the star again to remove it from your Dashboard.

2. You Recently Added or Dropped the Course

Canvas enrollment updates occur overnight and are not immediate.

• Changes made before 9:00 PM usually appear the next morning.
• Changes made after 9:00 PM may take up to two mornings to appear.
• Dropped courses are also removed during these nightly updates.

If you enrolled late and need course materials immediately, contact your instructor.

3. The Course Has Not Started Yet

Courses typically do not appear before their official start date unless the instructor has chosen to make them available early.

Even courses that begin on the same day may appear at different times in Canvas based on instructor settings.

4. The Course Is Hidden From Your Dashboard

A course may exist in Canvas but not appear on your Dashboard.

To locate it:

1. Go to Courses > All Courses.
2. Find the course in the list.
3. Click the star icon to add it to your Dashboard.

To remove a course from your Dashboard, click the star again.

Still Missing?

Submit a help ticket if:

• You added the course more than 36 hours ago,
• Your instructor confirms the course is published, and
• The course does not appear in your All Courses list.

Missing Courses in the Canvas Mobile App

The Canvas Student app displays only favorited courses on the Dashboard by default. If no courses are favorited, it may appear that you have no courses.

Favorite Your Courses

1. Log in to Canvas using a web browser (not the mobile app).
2. Select Courses from the left navigation menu.
3. Click All Courses.
4. Click the star icon next to each course you want to favorite.
5. Refresh or reopen the Canvas Student app.

You may need to scroll to the Future Enrollments section to favorite courses for an upcoming semester.

Note: You can only favorite active, published courses. If the Published column says No, you must wait until the instructor publishes the course.

Clear the Canvas App Cache

If your courses still do not appear:

1. Close the Canvas Student app.
2. Open your device's Settings.
3. Navigate to Apps and select Canvas Student.
4. Clear the app cache (the option location may vary by device).
5. Reopen the app and sign in again if prompted.

If you continue to experience issues after completing these steps, submit a help ticket for assistance.