How to fix links that still point to the old course after a Canvas copy
Short answer: Canvas has no find-and-replace for links. You open each page, click Edit, and change the address, and Settings → Validate Links in Content finds only broken links. Or open Course++ in the new course and type: “Find every link in this course that points to course 1042, and rewrite it to the matching page or assignment in this course.”
The problem
Students keep telling you the link is “not found.”
Canvas updates most links during a copy, but not all. A link to another course, such as one from an earlier term, keeps that course’s number. It opens for you, because you teach there. Your students were never enrolled.
no search for themopen every page to look
The fix
Tell Course++ the old course number. It finds each link.
It reads your content, lists what points to course 1042, and rewrites each link to the same item here. It tells you about any it can’t match.
finds every oneunmatched links flagged
Prompts you can copy
Open your Canvas course, open Course++ beside it, and paste one of these. Change the names and numbers to match your course.
Find every link in this course that points to course 1042 and list them by page. Don’t change anything yet.
Start here. It only reads.Rewrite every link that points to course 1042 so it points to the matching page or assignment in this course. Tell me any link you can’t match.
After you have seen the list.On my Syllabus and Resources pages, change every link that uses the old course number 1042 to this course’s number, then confirm each one opens.
For links to pages, whose addresses use the page title, so only the number changes.Check the web links on my Syllabus and Resources pages and tell me which ones are dead.
For links outside Canvas.
How to fix copied course links in Canvas by hand
- Click Settings, then Validate Links in Content in the right-hand sidebar.
- Click Start Link Validation and read the list of problems.
- Open each page that has a link to the old course and click Edit.
- Click the link in the editor and change its address to the new course’s item.
- Click Save.
- Repeat for assignments, discussions, announcements and the syllabus.
Good to know
- Canvas may not flag these. The link validator reports links that fail, and a link to your old course still opens for you. Click through in Student View to see what students see.
- Page addresses survive a copy. A page’s address uses its title, so only the course number changes. Assignment and file addresses use new numbers, so each one needs its own match. Course++ can’t rename or move files.
- Dead web links are a different job. See fix broken links for links to sites outside Canvas.
Questions teachers ask
Why do students see “not found” on links in my copied Canvas course?
Canvas updates most links during a copy, but a link to another course, often one from an earlier term, keeps that course’s address. Students aren’t enrolled in that course, so Canvas tells them the page isn’t found.
Does Canvas have find and replace for links?
No. The link validator lists broken links, but a link to your old course opens fine for you, so it may not be flagged. You open pages and look.
Can Course++ fix links in assignments and the syllabus too?
Yes. It reads the course and rewrites links in content it can edit, such as pages, assignments, discussions and the syllabus. It tells you about any link it can’t match.
250 FREE credits to try it. No credit card.
Canvas steps checked against Instructure’s own Canvas guides in October 2026. Canvas changes its screens from time to time, and schools turn features on and off, so a button may be named a little differently in yours.