Canvas Guides (English)Canvas GuidesCanvas Admin GuideGlobal NavigationHow do I use the Global Navigation Menu as an admin?

How do I use the Global Navigation Menu as an admin?

The Global Navigation Menu is located on the left side of every page in Canvas. Global Navigation links provide quick access to frequently used Canvas features. As an admin, your default links include the User Account, Admin, Dashboard, Courses, Groups, Calendar, Inbox, and the Help menu.

Depending on your institution account settings, other links may appear in the Global Navigation Menu.

View Account

View Account

To view your user information, click the Account link. A menu expands and displays links to access your profile, user settings, notification settings, personal files, and ePortfolios. You can also use the Account link to log out of Canvas.

View Admin

View Admin

If you are a Canvas admin, you can access your institution's Canvas accounts and sub-accounts in the Admin link [1]. A menu expands and displays a list of your accounts. To view an account, click the name of the account [2]. To view all your managed accounts, click the All Accounts link [3].

View Dashboard

View Dashboard

The Dashboard is a user's landing page after logging in to Canvas. The Dashboard settings can be changed to display course cards or a list of recent activity, including notifications for all current Canvas courses.

View Courses

View Courses

To view your courses, click the Courses link [1]. A menu expands and displays any courses where you are enrolled [2].

This menu also displays any courses marked as favorites. If no courses are selected as favorites, the course list will display all current courses. If a course includes term dates, the name of the term will appear as part of the course listing.

If you have been added to any courses, view a course by clicking the name of the course. If your institution has enabled the Public Course Index, you can view all available courses by clicking the All Courses link [3].

View Groups

View Groups

If you are enrolled in any groups, view your groups in the Groups link [1]. A menu expands and displays all groups where you are enrolled. Most commonly, any groups where you are a member exists as an account group.

To view a group, click the name of the group [2]. To view all your groups, click the All Groups link [3].

Note: Groups cannot be customized in the drop-down menu.

View Calendar

View Calendar

To view your Calendar, click the Calendar link. You can create events for your personal calendar and also view events for courses where you are added as a user, if any.

View Inbox

View Inbox

To view your Conversations Inbox, click the Inbox link. Conversations is the Canvas messaging system where you can communicate with other users in your account. The number of new messages are shown as part of the Inbox icon.

View History

View History

To view your recent Canvas course page view history, click the History link. Recent History displays up to three weeks of your Canvas course page view history.

View Commons

View Commons

If your institution is participating in Canvas Commons, you can access Commons with the Commons link.

View Help

View Help

To get help with Canvas, click the Help link [1]. The Help menu appears [2]. Select the help option that is relevant to your needs. You can customize the Help menu for your institution.

Note: Depending on your user role and institution settings, the Help menu may display different options.

Collapse Global Navigation Menu

Collapse Global Navigation Menu

To expand or collapse the Global Navigation menu, click the arrow icon.

The Global Navigation Menu automatically collapses for tablet screens.