Change a Canvas Course Banner
Banner images are a way to create visual appeal in a Canvas course. Broadway, Health Professions, and SPS Canvas courses come with a banner image on the home page, which the instructor can change. This guide explains how to replace an existing banner image with a new image:
- Open your Canvas course and click Edit to make changes to the home page.
- Delete the previous banner image, leaving your cursor where you want the new image.
- Click Insert > Images > Upload Image and select the new banner image.
- Click the image to select Image Options, mark the image as decorative, or type any text shown on the image as alt text, then select 100% for the size, and click Done.
- Click Save to apply your changes to the home page.
Need more detail?
Delve into the in-depth walkthrough below, complete with images and various notes for every step.
Step 1: Open Your Canvas Course and Edit Home
Your Canvas course opens on the Home page, and you need to click the Edit button to make changes to the content displayed.
Step 2: Delete the Previous Banner Image
Once you're in editing mode, click the previous banner you want to replace. There will be a faint blue border indicating you have clicked on the image. Then use either the delete or the backspace key to remove it. Leave your cursor in the same spot after you have deleted the old image, as this will allow you to upload the new one to the same spot.
Step 3: Upload the New Banner Image
There are two ways to upload the new image. Either click Insert > Image > Upload Image or click the image icon in the rich content editor toolbar. Then locate the correct image on the image upload pop-up and click Select. You can enter alternative text or mark the image as decorative now or wait until the next step. However, you aren't able to adjust the display size during the upload.
Step 4: Edit the Image Options
For your banner image to resize no matter what device your students are using, you need to set the file to 100%. To open these settings, click on the image and look for the Image Option button to appear. Then, on the slide out tray of settings, change the dimension type from pixel to percentage and enter 100. This makes the banner image take up the entire width of the page. Also, if you didn't address alt text in the previous step, be sure to add alternative text for any words in the image. If there are no words in the image, mark the image as decorative.
Step 5: Save to Apply the Changes
Scroll down and save your changes before leaving the page.
Change a Canvas Banner Video Guide
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Canvas Banner FAQ
Does the banner image size matter?
Yes, banner images sized too narrow can appear large in Canvas and take up a greater amount of space than you want. 768 x 96 pixels is a standard banner size for Canvas. Further, you can change the image options in Canvas to 100% so that the image is responsive regardless of your student's device window.
Can I make a banner image with PowerPoint?
Yes. A slide design size of 8 inches by 1 inch works great in Canvas. A template document is attached to this guide for your use.
Can I use the Replace option in Canvas Files to update images?
Yes. When you upload a file to Canvas Files with the same name and file extension, Canvas will prompt you to Replace the previous version. This feature then updates the file anywhere it is being used throughout the entire course. This makes changing versions simple and thorough. However, if the name or file extension has changed, Replace will not work.
