How do I add a link to an external web page in the Course Navigation Menu?

You can use a Redirect Tool to add a link to a web page in the Course Navigation Menu. This can be helpful for providing quick access to frequently-used materials that are publicly available on the web, or to a shared OneDrive folder where students can upload files to make them available to the entire class.

Warning: We do not recommend creating Redirect Tool links for pages, assignments, discussions, or other content in Canvas. Redirect Tool links cannot be automatically updated during the process of importing content from one course site to another, so you will need to manually edit each Redirect Tool's link in a course where it has been imported.

For creating links to pages within Canvas, it is recommended to use Modules and/or other Pages. You can create a module (opens new window) where the pages will be linked. Then, add a new page to the module (opens new window) and use the Rich Content Editor to link to content in the course (opens new window). Alternatively, you can link to additional pages from the Home page of your course. Links created in this way will automatically update when importing the pages from one course site to another.

Go to Settings.

Screenshot of link in menu.

Select Settings from the Course Navigation Menu.

Select Apps.

Screenshot showing the tab's location.

Select the Apps tab near the top of the screen.

Select Redirect Tool.

Screenshot of Apps list with the Redirect Tool highlighted.

From the list of apps available to install, select the Redirect Tool tile. It displays an icon of a large blue arrow curved to the right.

Tip: If you hover your mouse over the tile or use the Tab key on your keyboard to navigate to it, it will display the text Redirect Tool, along with a brief description of the tool.

Select + Add App.

Screenshot of button.

Select the + Add App button.

Enter the Name and URL.

Screenshot described below.

The Name of the Redirect Tool link will be prefilled with Redirect Tool, and the URL Redirect field will be prefilled with https://.

  1. Replace the Name with the text of the link that will appear in the Course Navigation Menu.
  2. Replace the URL Redirect with the link to the web page.

In the example pictured above, the Name is Class Sharing Folder and in the URL Redirect field, a share link for a UVA OneDrive folder has been pasted in.

Screenshot highlighting the checkboxes mentioned below.
  1. By default, the checkbox Force open in new tab (For External Links Only) will be selected. Leave this box checked to ensure that there will be no issues with browser security settings blocking access to the link.
  2. Select Show in Course Navigation.

Select Add App.

Screenshot highlighting the Add App button.

Reload the page.

Screenshot of Chrome's Reload button.

For the link to appear in the Course Navigation Menu, you will need to reload the page in your web browser. Use your browser's Reload or Refresh option to do so.

Screenshot of example link in menu.

Scroll to the bottom of the Course Navigation Menu to view and test the Redirect Tool link. If students will need to access the link frequently, it is recommended to move it up in the menu by following the steps in How do I manage Course Navigation links? (opens new window).