How to Download Videos from Canvas in 2027

Can you download a video from Canvas?

Sometimes. Canvas itself has no single download command for every video: what you can do depends on which player hosts the recording, which settings the uploader or your institution chose, and whether you are authorized to save it. Start with the options the player already gives you. Only if there are none, and only for recordings you are allowed to keep for your own study, consider a downloader.

Identify the video player

Canvas pages embed video from several services. Play the video and look at the controls and the logo around it:

• Canvas Studio — the Studio-branded player, with media added through the Studio tray or the Studio page of your course.
• Kaltura — usually reached from Media Gallery, My Media or an embedded Kaltura player.
• Panopto — a Panopto player or a Panopto recordings list inside the course.
• Direct embedded media — a plain browser player for an uploaded file or an address ending in .mp4.

Choose the right method

See which configurations have been checked on the tested compatibility and limitations page. If you want to evaluate the tool itself, read about the Canvas video downloader.

Download a Canvas Studio video

1. Open the course page that contains the Studio video and start it.
2. Open the player or media options and look for a Download command.
3. If it is there, save the file. This needs nothing installed.

Studio lets the uploader decide whether viewers may download. If the command is missing, it was turned off for that recording; see when there is no download button.

Download a Kaltura video in Canvas

1. Open the video from Media Gallery or the embedded player.
2. Look for a download or share command in the player’s menu, or a Download tab under the video in Media Gallery.
3. If you are offered several qualities, choose one and save.

Kaltura usually streams over HLS, so there is typically no file to save from the page unless the owner enabled downloads.

Download a Panopto video in Canvas

1. Open the Panopto recording.
2. Look in the player settings or the recording’s menu for Download.
3. Save the file if the option is present.

Panopto downloads are off unless the owner turns them on. A Panopto session may have several streams, for example a camera and a screen capture; check that the file you saved is the one with the lecture’s sound. More in downloading Panopto videos from Canvas.

Download an embedded video

If the page plays a plain MP4, the browser can usually save it:

1. Press F12 to open Developer Tools and choose the Network tab.
2. Reload the page, then press play.
3. Filter for mp4 and find a large request.
4. Open it in a new tab and save it with Ctrl+S (Cmd+S on Mac).

If you only see .m3u8 entries, the video is a stream, not a file — read the next section. If the address contains a token, it can expire, so save promptly.

Understand MP4 and HLS

MP4 is a file format; HLS is a way of delivering video. An MP4 is one file, so opening its address and saving it works. An HLS stream is a playlist of many short segments that the player stitches together as you watch. To keep an HLS lecture the segments have to be fetched and joined into one file, which is what a downloader does. Streams that are encrypted with digital rights management (DRM) cannot be saved this way.

When there is no download button

1. Ask the uploader or instructor whether downloads can be turned on, or whether they can share the file.
2. Ask your institution’s accessibility or support office if you need the recording for an access reason.
3. If you are authorized to view the lecture and saving it for personal study is allowed, a downloader may work for supported streams.

A missing button is not a permission to bypass a restriction. Protected or restricted sources are not supported, and nothing here helps you reach a recording you are not enrolled to view.

Verify the saved file

• Open it in a media player and confirm it plays from start to end.
• Check the duration against the lecture in Canvas.
• Check that you can hear the sound.
• Note where it was saved (usually your Downloads folder).

Something wrong? Try to troubleshoot a failed download.

Questions and troubleshooting

Related: supported players and formats, fixing a Canvas video that will not play.