Canvas sites for credit-bearing courses, except those at Penn Carey Law, can be accessed in the main Penn Canvas environment. Users will need their PennKey and PennKey password to log in and the ability to verify themselves with Two-Step Verification.
In most cases, your Canvas account is automatically created when you are enrolled in a Canvas course site for the first time. If this is your first time registering for a course, you may not yet have a Canvas user account and may receive an error.
- If you receive an error message that your Canvas account does not exist, email Canvas Support.
- If you need assistance with your PennKey or Two-Step Verification (Duo), contact the PennKey support team.
- For additional in-person Tech Support, contact the Tech Center. Hours: Mon-Fri 8am-6pm EST.
- Visit the Van Pelt Library room G-102
- Email techcenter@upenn.edu.
- For additional in-person Tech Support, contact the Tech Center. Hours: Mon-Fri 8am-6pm EST.
Canvas Web Browser Version
We recommend using a desktop or laptop computer (PC or Mac) with an up-to-date browser for the best Canvas user experience. Please consult Canvas’s current computer requirements.
After successfully logging into Canvas, you will first encounter the Canvas Dashboard. Courses appear on the Canvas Dashboard as course cards. Click on a course card to access the course site and materials.
On the left side of the Canvas Dashboard is the Global Navigation Menu, which provides access to available features that may include user account settings, courses, groups, Canvas Calendar, a messaging system called Inbox, and Help.
To access past courses after the term has ended, click on Courses, then All Courses, then Past Enrollments in your global navigation. To see when a term begins or ends, see Canvas Terms.
Locating your courses
If you have registered for a class and you do not see the course in Canvas, there are a couple of possible reasons:
- Your instructor has not published the course site yet. Canvas sites are made active the day a term begins or earlier at the instructor’s discretion.
- Your instructor is teaching on campus and does not intend to create a Canvas site for the course.
We recommend emailing your instructor to see if they intend to use Canvas for the upcoming term.
Canvas Mobile App
Accessing Canvas on a mobile device is possible with the Canvas app. The app can be downloaded from the Google Play Store (Android) or App Store (iOS). However, not all features are available in the app. For example, it’s best to take quizzes and exams on a desktop or laptop with a strong internet connection.
Recommended Practices
Up-to-date versions of Chrome, Edge, Firefox, or Safari are the recommended browsers for using Canvas. Certain Canvas features may not display correctly in other browsers or older versions.
If you experience an issue while using Canvas, we recommend that you:
- Clear your browser’s cache.
- Download a secondary browser so you have another way to access a page if your preferred browser has an error.
- Try accessing the page via your browser’s Incognito or Private window capability. This is an easy way to check if the browser has issues with saved cookies. If you can access the page via an incognito window, we recommend clearing your browser cookies.
Additional Resources
Getting Help
Please contact your Local Support Provider or submit a request to canvas@pobox.upenn.edu.