Embed Images in a Canvas Discussion

There are two main ways students can embed images or gif files into a Canvas Discussion.

The first and easiest way is:

1. If you are in the discussion, you will select the Images button from the menu and then select, Upload Image.
2. You will then browse for the image or GIF on your device that you would like to add to the discussion. 
3. We recommend adding alt text or alternative text (a short text explanation of what is being depicted in the image) to the image or GIF before posting to the discussion so everyone can enjoy your contribution.

The second way is adding the image to your Canvas user files.

1. First, navigate to the Canvas Dashboard and then select Account in the left-hand menu. This account area has your profile picture or initials as an icon.
2. After selecting Account, a new menu will open with one line reading Files. Select Files.
3. Inside Files, you can create folders or just upload directly into your files area. Use the folder or upload buttons in the top right to do either.
4. After your images have been uploaded to your User Files area in Canvas, then you will navigate to the discussion you want to add the image to.
5. When you are at the discussion you want to contribute to, select the Images button and then select User Images. This is where you will find the image you uploaded in Step 3.
6. Select the Image you would like, then add some short describing text as alternative text to your image so everyone can understand what the image is, and then hit post.

Reminder: Usually copying and then pasting an image into this content editor does not work. Please rely on option one or two above.

Please see this helpful video created by Canvas on all the ways you can contribute to a Discussion.

00:07: How do I embed an image in a discussion reply as a student? 00:11: In Course Navigation, click the Discussions link. 00:15: Click the discussion title. 00:18: Create a new discussion entry by clicking the Reply text field. 00:22: To add an image from the toolbar, click the Image icon. 00:26: You can also upload an image from the image options menu. To view additional image options, click the Image Options arrow. Then select the Upload Image option. 00:36: You can also add an image using the menubar in the Rich Content Editor. The menubar displays the title of Rich Content Editor tools and may be preferable for those using keyboard navigation. To upload an image using the menubar, click the Insert menu. 00:52: Then, select the Image option. You can upload new images and embed images from your user files. 00:59: By default, the Image Upload Tool displays the Computer tab. Click or drag and drop an image file to the image uploader to upload a file from your computer. 01:09: The uploader displays the image file name and an image preview. To remove the image, click the Delete icon. 01:16: To embed an image using a URL, click the URL tab. 01:21: Enter the URL in the File URL field. 01:25: To add alt text to your image type an alternative text description or 01:29: text tags in the alt text field. 01:32: By default the alt text field displays the image file name. 01:36: Alt text is read by screen readers and it displays when an embedded image cannot 01:41: display. 01:43: If the image is decorative and does not require, alt text click the decorative 01:47: image checkbox. 01:50: By default the embed image display option is selected for embedded images. 01:55: To display the image file link select the display text link display option 01:59: the file link will replace the image in the rich content editor. 02:05: To embed your selected image, click the Submit button. 02:09: View your uploaded image in the Rich Content Editor. You can also add or modify alt text tags and manage the image display options. 02:18: Click the Reply button. 02:21: View your discussion reply. 02:24: This guide covered how to embed an image in a discussion reply as a student.

Additional Documentation

• Canvas Community Embed Images
• Canvas Info@Penn Discussions