How to find and fix broken links in a Canvas course
Short answer: in Canvas, go to Settings → Validate Links in Content → Start Link Validation, then open each flagged item and fix the link yourself. Or open Course++ in your course and type: “Check this course for broken links and list them by page.”
The problem
A student emails: “the link on the Week 3 page doesn’t work.”
Canvas’s link checker finds the bad links, but it stops there. You open every flagged page, hunt for the link, replace it, save, and run the whole check again to see if it worked.
open each pagefind the linkre-run to confirm
The fix
Ask for the check. Then ask for the fix.
Course++ reads your pages, tests each web link, and checks links inside your course by reading the page or file they point to. Then tell it which fixes to make.
one requestlinks checked for you
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.
Check this course for broken links and list them by page, with what is wrong with each one.
A full check before the term starts. It only reads; nothing changes.On the Week 3 Reading page, replace the dead link to the cell cycle video with this link: [paste the new address here].
When you have the new address in hand.List every page that still links to my old Biology 2025 course, so I can see what needs updating.
After copying a course. It only reads.Remove the links on the Unit 2 review page that no longer work, and tell me which ones you removed.
When a resource is simply gone.
How to check links in Canvas by hand
- In Course Navigation, click Settings.
- In the sidebar on the right, click Validate Links in Content.
- Click Start Link Validation. A big course may take a few minutes.
- Read the list. Each item shows what is wrong with its link. Click the item’s name to open it.
- Edit the item, replace or remove the link, and click Save.
- Go back to the validator and click Restart Link Validation to confirm the list is clear.
Good to know
- “Unresponsive” is not always broken. Some sites block automated checkers but load fine for students. Click the link yourself before you replace it.
- Both checkers have limits. Canvas doesn’t test email (mailto) links. Course++ tests from outside your school, so a site that blocks checkers can show up as broken there too. Click before you replace.
- Links copied from another course are the usual cause. If you just copied a course, see how to fix links after a course copy.
Questions teachers ask
Does Canvas have a broken link checker?
Yes. In Settings, click Validate Links in Content, then Start Link Validation. It lists items with unresponsive links or links to deleted content, but you fix each one yourself.
How do I fix a broken link in Canvas?
Open the page or assignment the checker names, edit it, replace or remove the link, and save. Then run the validation again to confirm it is gone.
Can Course++ fix broken links for me?
It can check your web links and verify links inside your course, then replace or remove the ones you choose. Most edits to pages can be undone from its History.
What is Course++?
A browser extension for Chrome and Firefox that adds an AI assistant to Canvas. You type what you want, and it makes the change in the course you have open, using your own Canvas account, so it can only do what you can do.
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.