Use TidyUP to Delete Unused Course Material

TidyUp is a tool designed to identify unused images, files, and pages in Canvas courses. By removing unnecessary content, we can more easily make the remaining content more accessible. These instructions will help you set up TidyUP in your course. We recommend using TidyUP while using the Canvas Accessibilty Checker. Using these tools together will help you review your course content before removing materials you may have needed.

Once you set up TidyUP and scan your course, a report will show you all the files in your course and if they are being used.

Note: There are a few instances where the TidyUP tool does not accurately show if a file is in use:
  • New Quizzes: If you are using the New Quiz feature in Canvas and have files or images in your quiz, TidyUP will not show these files as in use. Double check any files that may be in a New Quiz before deleting them.
  • Discussions or Announcements where a File is Linked Using the "Attach File" Option: TidyUP is currently not able to identify files attached via the "Attach File" option as in use. Consider linking files directly in your discussion post or announcement instead of using this option.
  • Courses Where Students are Directed to Files Section: Some instructors direct students to the Files section of the course to read course material. Since these files are not embedded on a page, TidyUP will show them as unused. 

The filters in the upper right-hand corner allow you to change the report to show only unused files.

The TidyUP report for a course with a red arrow pointing to the filter option Unused Files under the Show dropdown.

There are a two ways you can use TidyUP to delete unused course files. The first is to select the boxes next to each file and then select the button “Delete Selected”. You can also select the box next to File Name which will select all unused files. 

The TidyUP Report for a course with a red arrow labeled one pointing to check boxes next to each files. A second arrow labeled two points to the Delete Selected button.

The second option is to select the trash can icon after reviewing each file. This option is better for deleting files one at a time.

The TidyUP report for a course with a red arrow pointing to a trash can next to each file on the right side.

After reviewing and deleting unused course files, you can also review Canvas Content that is unused. Toward the top of the TidyUP report, there is a tab labeled “Canvas Content”. This option shows you all of the pages, assignments, quizzes, announcements, and discussions in your course. It will also show you if that content is published, if it is in a module, and if it has content. Review this report and delete any unused course content.

A TidyUP report for a course with the Canvas Content tab selected to show unused course content.