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Scan your course 

1. Access TidyUP from your Canvas course navigation.
2. Keep “All” selected and click Scan Course.
3. Identify the Files, Folders, and Canvas Content tabs at top of page.

Archive Your Unused Course Files 

1. First, use the filter on the top right and select “unused files” from the dropdown.  This will display all your unused files.
2. Under the Files tab, select all files.
3. Click the “Download Selected” button to create a ZIP archive folder
   1. If you have more than 100 unused files, download in batches of 100 at a time.
4. (Optional) Download the CSV report for your records at bottom of page.

Protect Files Attached to Quizzes

1. Note: Files like images in quiz questions will be marked “Unused” by TidyUp.
2. Add “QB” to question bank file names, or
3. Store reference files in a dedicated folder and mark it “Ignore in scans”, or
4. Place files on a hidden/unpublished page to prevent accidental deletion.

Remove Duplicate Files 

1. Use the search box to look for:
   1. Files that contain -1, -2, -3, etc., in the file name
   2. Files that contain the word “Copy” in the file name
   3. Files that contain (1), (2), (3), etc.
2. Confirm items are exact duplicates before deleting.

Delete Unused Files and Empty Folders

1. In the Files tab, using the “Show” dropdown option, filter by “Unused Files.”
2. Review files and folders carefully before deleting to make sure they are not in use.
3. Check for and remove empty folders using the “Delete Selected” button.

Create Consistent Naming Conventions 

1. In the Canvas Content tab, review the titles of your course's web-based content (e.g., Pages, Discussion Boards, Assignments, Announcements, etc.).
2. Standardize formatting (e.g., punctuation, spacing, numbering)
3. Rename files and pages as needed (please note links will remain intact).

Organize Files into Folders

1. Create logical folders (e.g., Images, Lectures, Assignments).
2. In the Files tab, select the desired files and use the “Move Selected” button to organize files per your logical folder structure.
3. In the Files tab, using the “Filter Type” dropdown option, select a file type to streamline organization.

Remove Unused Canvas Content

1. In the Canvas Content tab, filter for items with no content by toggling off the “Has Content” radio button.
2. Review content carefully before deleting.
3. If you delete Canvas content and want to reverse that action, you can try to recover it using the .

Run the Canvas Link Validator

1. Go to the Settings link in your course (located on the left navigation menu) and select “Validate Links in Content.”
2. “Start link validation” and review any broken links.
3. Fix issues before publishing your course.

You know your own course and content better than anyone else. Run TidyUP in your own course, this will  lower the risk of someone unfamiliar with the course accidentally deleting needed content or files. 

To learn more about how to run TidyUp in your course, watch our video, .

TidyUp detects file use through standard Canvas content: Pages, Discussions, Assignments, Announcements, and Modules. 

It may miss files referenced in question banks, discussion replies, SpeedGrader comments, or third-party tools (e.g., Hypothesis and Perusall). Protect and identify these files before removing anything:

• Name files clearly. Add a consistent prefix, such as "QB" for question bank files.
• Link files on an unpublished page. Embed non-standard files there so TidyUP recognizes them as "in use."
• Store files in a protected folder. Create a Protected Files folder, then use TidyUP's Ignore Folder feature so the folder is not scanned.

To learn more about how to flag or relocate your files watch our video, .

Before deleting files with TidyUp, download them as a ZIP archive. This precaution gives you a backup that can be restored to the course if something is removed accidentally.

To learn more about how to archive your files watch our video, .

• Before the first day of class: remove clutter and streamline the course for students.
• Before copying the course to a new semester: remove old or duplicate content so it does not carry forward.

After every semester clear out old and duplicate content with TidyUp before running UDOIT. This keeps you from spending time remediating content that will later be removed or not used.