How to Use Your Personal Files Area

This article explains how to use your personal files are in Canvas.

User files include profile pictures, uploaded assignment submissions, and other files uploaded to your personal Canvas file storage area. By default, each user has 50 MB of storage space in Canvas. Administrators can change the quota for user files for the entire institution.

1. Select Account, Files

Files

View User Files

User files

All your user folders display in the left panel. View files in the right panel by clicking the name of a folder.

You can view your user quota and what percentage of that quota has been used.

Take Note: If you are enrolled in any courses as a student, files that have been submitted as assignments do not apply to the user quota and are stored in the unfiled folder.

View My Files

My files

The My Files folder creates folders based on default events in Canvas. Once you upload a file related to one of these areas, the folder and accompanying file will be created for you.

  • The Conversation attachments folder [1] stores files that you attach to Conversations messages.
  • If your institution enables you to upload a profile picture, the Profile pictures folder [2] stores photos that you upload as a profile picture.
  • The Unfiled folder [3] stores files that you attach to discussion topics or discussion replies.

My Files also includes any additional folders you create to organize your files, as well as any files not uploaded to a specific folder. If you have a student role in any courses, any files in the My Files folder that are not related to assignment submissions count toward your user quota.

View Assignment Submission Folders

submissions folder

If you have a student role in any courses, the Submissions folder contains copies of your assignment submissions; assignment are organized by course folder and displayed alphabetically. However, assignments submitted through an external tool are not copied to the Submissions folder.

Take Note: For online assignment submissions, if you submit a file that you've previously uploaded, you can delete the previously uploaded file after it has been submitted and free up extra storage in your user files.

Need something more?

Information on Course Files can be located at What are Files?, Using the Files Tool, How to Access and Manage Files in Canvas, and Sharing Files with Students.

If you need immediate assistance, please feel free to reach out to Learning Environments:

713-348-4357 | teaching@rice.edu | Learning Environments website