Best Practices for Embedding Panopto Videos in Canvas

Overview

Embedding Panopto videos directly in Canvas ensures your students can easily access course content without leaving the learning environment. Following these best practices helps maintain proper permissions, accessibility, and video playback quality while minimizing access errors.

1. Verify Folder and Permissions Before Embedding

Each Canvas course has a dedicated Panopto folder automatically created upon first use.

Check these before embedding:

  • Click on the Panopto Video menu item in Canvas.
  • Confirm the folder name matches your Canvas course (e.g., Molecular & Cellular Neurosci (FA25)).
  • Confirm that the desired videos are in the Panopto course folder
  • The Creator role is automatically assigned to instructors in Share settings.
  • The Viewer role is automatically assigned to students.

If you record directly in Panopto, make sure you save or move the video into the correct Canvas-linked folder before embedding.

2. Use the Panopto Integration Tool (LTI)

Always use the Panopto Video button within the Canvas Rich Content Editor rather than copying and pasting a URL.

Steps:

  1. In any Canvas page, discussion, assignment, or quiz, click Edit.
  2. Select the Panopto Video icon (green circle with a triangle) from the toolbar.
  3. Choose Upload, Record, or Choose from your Panopto library.
  4. Select the desired video or folder and click Insert.

✅ Why it matters: Embedding via LTI ensures that Canvas and Panopto sync permissions automatically—students enrolled in the Canvas course will have Viewer access.

3. Avoid Linking from ‘My Folder’ or Old Courses

Videos stored in My Folder or a previous term’s course folder may cause access issues for current students.

Best Practice:

  • Move or copy the video into the current course’s Panopto folder.
  • Re-embed the video using the Panopto integration tool.
  • Use Course Copy V2 for bulk copy of course videos

⚠️ Copy a Canvas course from a prior term, using the Panopto Course Copy V2 feature for bulk copy.

4. Use Descriptive Titles and Captions

When embedding, rename your video with a clear title that matches the lecture or topic.

Accessibility Tip: Always enable automatic captions in Panopto. This improves searchability and accessibility compliance.

5. ‼️  Test Your Embeds as a Student

Before publishing:

  • Use Student View in Canvas to confirm playback.
  • Check that the video loads without requiring a login or extra permissions.
  • Verify captions display correctly.

6. Troubleshooting Common Issues

Issue  Likely Cause  Quick Fix
Video shows “Access Denied or You do not have Access to this” Video not in course folder Move video to course folder and re-embed
Video missing after course copy Old Panopto folder link Re-link course and refresh Panopto LTI tool
Video not loading Browser cache or link issue Clear cache or reinsert via LTI
Video Archived   Unarchive Video to make it available in 48 hours
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