How do I view annotation feedback comments from my instructor directly in my assignment submission?

Your instructor may choose to include comments directly in an assignment submission using inline comments, or annotations. If an assignment's submission details page includes a View Feedback button, you can view these annotated comments through a preview tool called Canvas DocViewer. You can also use Canvas DocViewer to reply to any comments or make your own annotations.

Some browsers may not initially render comments correctly when viewing feedback. If your browser includes a built-in PDF viewer, select the option to view the PDF in the system viewer. You can also download PDF files with comments to view on your computer. The settings required to view or print the annotations in the PDF vary based on the software installed on your computer.

Notes:

  • If the assignment attachment displays a Preview button instead of the View Feedback button, your file is not DocViewer compatible and will not include any annotated comments.
  • If the assignment you are accessing displays differently, Assignment Enhancements may not be enabled in your course or your instructor may not have used a supported assignment type. Learn how to view assignment feedback from your instructor using Assignment Enhancements.
  • If you submitted a group assignment but are not a member of a group, instructor comments may not display in the Submission Details page. You can view comments from your Grades page or the Submission Comments folder of the Inbox.

00:00:How do I view annotation feedback comments from my instructor directly in my assignments submission? 00:06:In Course Navigation, click the Grades link. 00:10:Click the title of an assignment. 00:13:Click the View Feedback link. The View Feedback link displays an indicator if annotated comments have been added to a supported assignment. 00:22:View the annotated comments from your instructor. 00:25:To reply to a comment, click on the comment and click the Reply button. 00:30:When an annotated comment includes multiple content lines, the content box displays an ellipses link. 00:37:To expand a comment, click the ellipses link. To view stacked replies, click the comment to expand all replies. 00:45:To view comments in an expanded view, click the Full Screen icon. You can also use DocViewer to make your own annotations on your assignment. 00:54:To download a PDF of the submission and annotations, click the Download icon. 01:00:This guide covered how to view annotation feedback comments from the instructor directly in a assignment submission.

Open Grades

Open Grades

In Course Navigation, click the Grades link.

View Assignment Details

View Assignment Details

Click the title of an assignment.

View Feedback

View Feedback

Click the View Feedback link. The View Feedback link displays an indicator if annotated comments have been added to a supported assignment.

Notes:

View Annotated Comments

View Annotated Comments

View the annotated comments from your instructor [1].

To reply to a comment, click on the comment and click the Reply button [2].

When an annotated comment includes multiple content lines, the content box displays an ellipses link. To expand a comment, click the ellipses link [3].

To view stacked replies, click the comment to expand all replies [4].

To view comments in an expanded view, click the Full Screen icon [5].

You can also use DocViewer to make your annotations on your assignment.

Download File

Download File

To download a PDF of the submission and annotations, click the Download icon.

Note: If you download the PDF files to view the annotations on your computer, Adobe Acrobat Reader is a common tool used for this purpose.