External Tools in Canvas are third-party tools (not created by Canvas) and include YouTube, Quizzes, and Qwickly Attendance.


To use external links in Canvas, complete the following steps:


  1. Once a Unit has been created in your module in the Units area, click the + icon on the right side of the module tab to open up the Add Item panel.
  2. To add a link, select External URL from the list.
  3. Enter the URL of the link in the URL field and enter a name for the page in the Page name field.
  4. Optional: Select the Load in a new tab checkbox to load the URL in a new tab when it opens.
  5. Click Add item.

Note: You can opt to include links and YouTube videos using the Rich Text editor on Pages in a Unit instead, which may be easier.



As well as the use of files, pages, assignments, etc. Canvas also offers a number of external tools which can be used to provide additional functions.

To use external tools in Canvas, complete the following steps.

  1. Once a Unit has been created in your module in the Units area, click the + icon on the right side of the module tab to open up the Add Item panel.
  2. To add a tool, select External tool from the list.
  3. Click the external tool that you want to use from the displayed list.