Smart Search in Canvas

Smart Search is a new search feature within Canvas that lets you quickly find content within your courses. Instead of scrolling through modules or menus, you can type a keyword or phrase and Canvas will surface relevant items such as assignments, discussions, pages, quizzes, and even files.

Note: this tool is currently “Under Development” by Canvas. We’re using it in its beta period.

Smart Search helps you search for:

Assignments, quizzes, discussions, and pages
Modules or headings within a course
Files that have been uploaded to Canvas

Smart Search searches within one course at a time. If you’re looking for this information for multiple courses you just need to go into each course and select Smart Search in each.

Smart Search Roll Out Information

Smart Search has been deployed in Canvas, as of mid October, and needs to be manually added by instructors to the courses they want to use it in. Here are the steps for Adding SmartSearch.

Note: Canvas will be updating the name of what was previously known as Smart Search to be Ignite AI Course Search at a later, TBD date.

How to Enable/Disable Smart Search in your Canvas Course

To Enable Smart Search (Instructor View)

Go to Course Settings: Navigate to your course in Canvas and click Settings in the course navigation menu.
Find Feature Options: Click the Feature Options tab at the top.
Enable Smart Search: Find "Smart Search" and click the red 'X' icon (disabled) to change it to a green checkmark (enabled).
Manage Navigation: Go to the Navigation tab in Settings.
Add to Menu: Drag "Search" from the bottom (disabled) section to the top (enabled) section.
Save: Click the Save button at the bottom.
Refresh: Refresh your browser to see the new "Search" link appear in the course menu.

To Disable Smart Search (Instructor View)

Go to Course Settings: Navigate to your course and click Settings.
Find Navigation: Click the Navigation tab.
Disable Link: Find "Search" and either drag it to the bottom section or click the three dots next to it and select Disable.
Save: Click Save.

How to Use Smart Search

Click the Search link in the course navigation.
Type natural language queries (e.g., "photosynthesis steps").
The first search indexes content (pages, announcements, assignments) and takes time; subsequent searches are fast.

Faculty FAQ

Q: How is Smart Search different from the regular course navigation?
A: Regular navigation requires you to manually open modules, files, or assignments to find what you’re looking for. Smart Search saves time by allowing you to jump directly to the item, no matter where it lives in your course.

Q: Does Smart Search show me results from all my courses or just one?
A: Smart Search only shows results from the course you are searching within. (One course at a time.)

Q: How does Smart Search benefit faculty?
A: Smart Search can:

Help you quickly locate content while editing or teaching
Save time during live class sessions (e.g., finding a file or quiz on the spot)
Reduce repetitive clicking and scrolling through modules
Make it easier to double-check due dates, instructions, or settings

Q: Will students also have Smart Search?
A: Yes, Smart Search is available to both students and instructors. Students can use it to quickly find assignments, announcements, or course materials from their enrolled Canvas Courses.

Q: Do I need to enable Smart Search in my course?
A: Yes, Smart Search is available in Canvas but must be added to the course by you with these Adding SmartSearch steps.

Q: Are there any limitations I should know about?
A: A few things to keep in mind:

Search results are based on exact or close keyword matches—if the wording differs, the item may not appear.
Only published and visible items will show for students (unpublished content remains visible only to instructors).
The tool does not search within the content of documents (e.g., inside a PDF or Word file), only the file names and Canvas items.