What Can Canvas Detect During a Quiz? A Complete Guide

On its own, Canvas records when a quiz starts and ends, every answer you save, each time the quiz page loses and regains focus, and (in New Quizzes) your IP address and any attempt to continue the quiz in a second browser or device. It also keeps a record of which course pages and files you opened. Canvas does not record your screen, your webcam, the other tabs you visit or screenshots you take, and it has no built-in AI writing detector. Those capabilities come from add-ons your school may connect to Canvas: Turnitin for similarity and AI writing reports, and proctoring tools such as Respondus LockDown Browser, Honorlock and Proctorio. This guide walks through each signal, what the instructor actually sees, and where to read more.

Last verified: October 12, 2026 against the official documentation linked below.

The short answer, signal by signal

"What can Canvas detect?" is really a dozen smaller questions. The table below answers each one for a standard Canvas course, then for a course that adds a third-party tool. Every row links to a section further down, and most sections link to a dedicated article with the full detail.

The pattern is consistent: Canvas sees what happens inside the quiz page and the course. Anything outside the page (other apps, other devices, the room around you) is only visible when an add-on is in use, and those add-ons announce themselves: you install them, launch them or see them in the quiz instructions.

1. The quiz log and focus events

The quiz log is the core of what Canvas records. In Classic Quizzes, an instructor opens a student's results and clicks View Log. Instructure's quiz log guide lists the entries it can contain: the session start, questions viewed, questions answered, "Stopped viewing the Canvas quiz-taking page" and "Resumed". The open-source event trackers in the canvas-lms repository show how these are produced: the "Stopped viewing" entry comes from the browser window losing focus, and the session-start event also sends the browser's user agent (browser and operating system). Instructure says Classic logs are kept for six months and that Quiz Log Auditing is a course feature option, so the View Log link only appears when it is on.

New Quizzes keeps its log on the Moderate page. The Moderate page guide says the log shows when the student began and completed the attempt, each event with the time elapsed, and expandable details that can include "details about the student's computer or an answer they selected". Since an October 2024 release, it also records when a student leaves the quiz page and returns (Newcastle University summary of the release).

Two limits matter. First, a focus event records that the page lost focus and when, not where focus went: a notification, the address bar and a search engine all look the same. Second, Instructure states that quiz logs are "not intended to validate academic integrity"; the feature exists mainly to investigate technical problems. Instructors still read them, and a long gap between "Stopped viewing" and "Resumed" is easy to notice.

Full detail, including what each entry means and how Classic and New Quizzes differ: Canvas quiz log: what professors see and does Canvas track tab switching?

2. Multiple sessions: a second browser or device

New Quizzes has a setting called Detect Multiple Sessions. According to Instructure's New Quizzes settings guide, when it is on, a student who tries to continue an attempt in a different browser or on a different device gets a notification, and the multi-session activity is recorded in the log and on the Moderate page. Instructors need the "View multi-session information" permission to see those details, so what is visible depends on how your institution has set up roles.

This setting is about the same quiz attempt being open in two places. It does not see a phone you use for something else, and it does not see another website open on the same computer. Classic Quizzes has no equivalent built-in setting. If the quiz stops you with a multiple-session message because your browser crashed and you reopened it, tell your instructor straight away; the log will show the sequence of events, which helps them understand what happened.

3. IP address, the Access Report and Course Analytics

IP address. The New Quizzes log can show the client IP address, but the Moderate page guide notes that only admins and instructors with the View the Client IP address permission see it. Both quiz engines also have Filter IP Addresses, which limits a quiz to specific address ranges such as a testing centre or campus lab (Classic Quizzes options, New Quizzes settings). An IP address points to a network, not a person; a shared apartment, a campus Wi-Fi network or a VPN can all make different people look alike or the same person look different.

Access Report. From the People page, an instructor can open a student's Access Report. Instructure's Access Report guide says it lists the course content you viewed, how many times, how many times you participated and when you last viewed each item. That is how an instructor can see that you opened the lecture slides during the quiz window, or never opened the module at all.

Course Analytics. The student view of Course Analytics shows page views and participations by week. Instructure notes the data refreshes every 24 hours and warns that page view data should not be used to assess academic integrity, because some views (on mobile in particular) can be recorded at a different time from when they happened.

4. Copy and paste: what is and is not logged

This is one of the most searched questions and one of the most misunderstood. The honest answer has three parts.

• The documented logs do not list clipboard events. Neither Instructure's Classic quiz log guide nor the Moderate page guide mentions copy or paste entries, and the Classic event trackers in the canvas-lms source cover session start, questions viewed, focus changes and flags, not the clipboard.
• A web page technically can see a paste. MDN's documentation of the paste event explains that a page's paste handler can read the pasted content. So "Canvas does not log it today" describes the current documented logs, not a technical impossibility. Copying text out of the page to another app also moves focus, which is logged.
• Pasted text still lands in your answer. An essay answer that matches a website word for word, or reads very differently from your other work, is visible to anyone who grades it, with or without a log entry.

With add-ons the picture changes completely. Respondus says LockDown Browser prevents "copying and pasting anything to or from an assessment" (Respondus), and proctoring tools that record your desktop show anything copied on screen.

5. Screenshots

Canvas has no feature that detects screenshots. Screenshots are taken by your operating system or a separate app, and browsers do not give web pages a standard "screenshot taken" event. None of the log entries Instructure documents relate to screen capture.

That does not mean screenshots of a graded quiz are unrestricted. Many courses treat quiz content as material you may not copy or share, and that rule exists in the syllabus whether or not software notices it. Proctoring tools address this directly: Respondus states that in LockDown Browser "printing and screen capture functions are disabled", and tools that record your desktop show anything that happens on screen. If you want to keep a record of a technical error during a quiz, the safer path is to describe it to your instructor right away, with the time it happened, rather than capturing questions.

6. Split screen and second monitors

Because the quiz log is driven by focus, the question is always "did keyboard focus leave the quiz window?". Clicking or typing in the other half of a split screen, or in a window on a second monitor, moves focus and is logged exactly like a tab switch. Content that is merely visible elsewhere on screen is not recorded by Canvas, because Canvas does not track visibility, eye movement or screen layout.

This is precisely the gap proctoring tools are built to close: full-screen requirements, desktop recording, webcam review and room scans. If a quiz uses one of them, assume a second display is either not allowed or will be visible in the recording, and follow the instructions given for that exam. Details in does Canvas track tab switching or split screen?

7. Similarity checking: Turnitin and other Plagiarism Review tools

Canvas itself does not compare your writing with the internet or with other students' papers. That job belongs to an integration. Turnitin's Canvas Plagiarism Framework FAQ explains the most common setup: on a Canvas assignment with Online Submission and Text Entry or File Uploads, the instructor turns Turnitin on in the Plagiarism Review box. The instructor then opens the Similarity Report from SpeedGrader, and chooses whether students can see their own report immediately, after grading, after the due date or never.

Two consequences for quizzes. First, this workflow is described for assignments, not quiz questions, so a short-answer or essay question inside a quiz is normally reviewed by the person grading it rather than by a similarity checker. Second, some courses deliberately move long written answers into Turnitin-enabled assignments for that reason. If your course uses another provider (Copyleaks, PlagiarismCheck and others integrate the same way), the principle is the same.

8. AI writing detection

Canvas has no built-in AI writing detector. Instructure's documentation for quiz logs, the Moderate page, the Access Report and Course Analytics contains nothing of the kind. Where AI detection exists in a Canvas course, it usually comes from Turnitin's AI writing report, attached to the same Turnitin-enabled assignments as the similarity report.

Turnitin's own guide to the AI Writing Report is unusually frank about its limits. It says the model "may not always be accurate", that it "should not be used as the sole basis for adverse actions against a student", and that it only analyses long-form prose: a file needs at least 300 words of prose text, in English, Spanish, Japanese or Arabic, as a .docx, .pdf, .txt or .rtf. Scores between 1% and 19% are shown only as an asterisk because false positives are more frequent in that range. Short quiz answers simply fall outside what the report can analyse.

The full picture, including Turnitin's published false positive figures and what instructors do instead, is in can Canvas detect ChatGPT?

9. Browser extensions

Canvas has no documented feature that lists the extensions you have installed, and Chrome does not hand that list to websites. A web page can, however, notice changes an extension makes to the page itself, and proctoring extensions such as Proctorio can read and disable other extensions: the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga's Proctorio guidance recommends the Disable Extensions option on every Proctorio quiz. See does Canvas detect Chrome extensions? and can professors see your Chrome extensions?

10. Proctoring add-ons: where most "detection" really happens

When a student is told "Canvas will know", the tool doing the knowing is usually a proctoring product connected to Canvas. These are not hidden: you install them, start them before the quiz, and usually see a system check or consent screen first.

Honorlock's test-taker privacy statement says it can log "the websites you attempt to visit through Chrome while you are taking the exam" and, when your school enables it, record your webcam and desktop. Respondus describes LockDown Browser as "a custom browser that locks down the testing environment". For a side-by-side, see Honorlock vs Proctorio vs Respondus; for phones specifically, see can Honorlock detect phones?

Proctoring raises fair questions about privacy: who can watch recordings, how long they are kept, and what happens when the software flags something. In general, automated flags are reviewed by a person (your instructor or the vendor's staff, depending on the service) before anything happens, and retention periods are set in the vendor's privacy terms and your institution's contract. The dedicated articles above cover each vendor's published policy.

What instructors see vs what they do not see

Beyond software: what instructors actually rely on

Most of what an instructor concludes about an attempt does not come from a single log entry. It comes from patterns that are visible to anyone grading the quiz:

• Quiz design. Question banks, shuffled answers, one question at a time, time limits and access codes mean students rarely see identical quizzes. Our guide to Canvas quiz settings explains each one.
• Statistics. Item analysis and per-student response data make outliers stand out: an attempt that took a fraction of the median time, or identical unusual wrong answers across students.
• Consistency with your other work. A written answer that does not match your usual writing, or a score far from your other assessments, prompts questions.
• Conversation. Instructure recommends that instructors with concerns work with their institution's academic integrity office, and many begin with a simple conversation with the student.

What to do if something goes wrong

• Technical problems. If the quiz freezes, submits early or shows a multiple-session warning, email your instructor immediately with the time and what you saw. The log usually confirms your account, and instructors can reopen or extend an attempt from the Moderate page.
• A question about a log entry. If you are asked about focus events, explain what happened honestly. Instructors know that notifications, password managers and accidental clicks also move focus.
• Accommodations. Screen readers, extra time or other approved tools are handled through your disability services office and set per quiz (New Quizzes shows accommodations on the Moderate page). Ask before the quiz, not after.
• Rules about tools. Whether a resource or AI tool is allowed is set by your syllabus and your institution's academic integrity policy, not by what software can or cannot notice. If the rules are unclear, ask your instructor in writing.

Sources

• Instructure: How do I view a quiz log for a student? (Classic Quizzes)
• Instructure: How do I use the Moderate page in New Quizzes?
• Instructure: How do I manage settings for a quiz in New Quizzes?
• Instructure: What options can I set in a quiz? (Classic Quizzes)
• Instructure: How do I view the course access report for an individual user?
• Instructure: How do I view Course Analytics for a student in a course?
• canvas-lms source code: quiz log event trackers (GitHub)
• Newcastle University: Canvas October 2024 updates (New Quizzes attempt log)
• MDN: Element paste event
• Turnitin: Canvas Plagiarism Framework FAQ for instructors
• Turnitin: Using the AI Writing Report
• Respondus: LockDown Browser
• Honorlock: Test taker privacy statement
• University of Tennessee at Chattanooga: Proctorio best practices

FAQ

Can Canvas tell if you switch tabs during a quiz?

Yes, as a focus event. Classic Quizzes logs "Stopped viewing the Canvas quiz-taking page" and "Resumed" with timestamps, and New Quizzes has logged leaving and returning since October 2024. The log does not say which tab or site you opened.

Can Canvas detect copy and paste?

The documented Canvas quiz logs do not include copy or paste entries. A web page can technically observe a paste, copying out of the page usually moves focus (which is logged), and LockDown Browser blocks copy and paste entirely.

Can Canvas detect screenshots?

No. Canvas has no screenshot detection, and browsers do not give pages a screenshot event. LockDown Browser disables screen capture, and proctoring tools that record your desktop show what happens on screen. Course rules on sharing quiz content still apply.

Can teachers see your IP address on Canvas?

In New Quizzes, users with the "View the Client IP address" permission can see it in the attempt log. Both quiz engines can also restrict a quiz to certain IP ranges.

Does Canvas check for AI writing?

Not by itself. If your school has enabled Turnitin's AI writing detection, it runs on Turnitin-enabled assignments with at least 300 words of prose, and Turnitin says the score should not be the sole basis for action against a student.

Can Canvas see my webcam?

Not on its own. Webcam recording only happens when a proctoring tool such as Respondus Monitor, Honorlock or Proctorio is used for that quiz, and you are told and asked to set it up before you start.