Is there an unsubmit button on Canvas?
No. Instructure’s student guide to submitting an online assignment goes from Start Assignment to the submission types to Submit Assignment, and then to New Attempt for a resubmission. None of its steps take a submission back. On files it is direct: “once the file has been uploaded as a submission, you cannot delete the file. Submitted files are stored in the Submissions folder.”
Every submission type stays on the record. Whether you uploaded a file, typed a text entry, entered a URL or recorded media, the same guide says “your instructor can see all of your submissions.” A wrong file at least won’t use up your storage: attachments on a graded submission are “copied to your user files but are not counted against your user quota.”
Can your teacher delete a submission on Canvas?
No. Instructure’s SpeedGrader guide for instructors says: “Instructors cannot delete assignment submissions. If you need to delete an inappropriate assignment submission, contact your administrator.” Deleting a submission is a job for your school’s Canvas administrator, and Instructure frames it around inappropriate submissions. A wrong file is normally fixed with a new attempt. Your instructor controls the two settings that decide whether you get one: the number of allowed attempts and the availability dates.
What should you do if you submitted the wrong assignment on Canvas?
Turn in the right one with a new attempt if Canvas offers it, and tell your instructor which attempt to grade. What happens to the first attempt is in what happens when you resubmit on Canvas. The steps, from Instructure’s student guides:
- In Course Navigation, click Assignments, then the assignment’s name.
- Look for New Attempt in the sidebar. The student guide says “you may resubmit another version of your assignment using the New Attempt button.”
- Click New Attempt, choose the submission type, add the right file or text, and click Submit Assignment.
- Leave a note. Instructure’s comments guide says you can “leave your own comment in the Add a Comment area.” Say which attempt is the right one.
- If New Attempt is missing or disabled, message your instructor, ideally before the due date, and explain what happened.
What Canvas lets you do depends on how the assignment is set up:
| Situation | What Instructure says | What you can do |
|---|---|---|
| Attempts left, assignment open | The New Attempt button displays | Submit the right version and add a comment naming it |
| All attempts used | “the New Attempt button displays as disabled” | Ask your instructor, who sets the number of attempts |
| Until date passed | Until is “the date and time when students can no longer submit the assignment” | Ask your instructor, who sets the availability dates |
| External tool assignment | Resubmitting “may not be available for external tool assignments” | Follow the tool’s own steps or ask your instructor |
This page covers assignments. Quizzes have their own attempts: our guide to Canvas quiz answers after you submit covers which attempt Canvas keeps, and the Canvas quiz time limit guide covers auto-submission.
Will your teacher still see the first submission?
Yes. A new attempt replaces the old one only on your side. Instructure’s student guide says “You can view the details of your most recent submission in the Sidebar, but your instructor can see all of your submissions,” and “When you resubmit an assignment, you can only access and view your most recent submission. However, instructors can view all of your submissions.”
In SpeedGrader, Instructure tells instructors they “will see each individual submission and the date and time that it was submitted.” It adds: “By default, the date of the most recent assignment will always be shown first.” Your corrected attempt opens first, and the wrong one is one click away in the Submission to view menu. A short comment saves your instructor from guessing which one you meant.
Does a new attempt after the due date count as late?
It can. Instructure’s late-policy guide says “A submission is labeled late when it has been submitted past the due date,” and SpeedGrader shows each attempt with its own time: “If the assignment was submitted after the due date, you will see a late label.” Fixing a wrong file after the deadline can put a late label on work you first turned in on time. If your course has a late policy, “The late policy will be applied to a submission when it is graded.” Past the due date, ask your instructor before you resubmit.
Will your instructor be told about your comment or new attempt?
That depends on their own notification settings. Instructure’s Canvas Notifications document lists the defaults:
- Submission comments default to a daily summary. The notification includes “the text of the submission comment, the creator of the comment, the course, and assignment name.”
- All Submissions, the instructor notification for “Assignment (except quizzes) submission/resubmission,” is off by default.
- Late Grading, for “Late assignment submission,” defaults to daily.
Instructure notes that notification settings “only apply to you,” so your instructor may have changed any of these. A Canvas Inbox conversation message defaults to “Notify immediately,” which makes a direct message the faster way to flag an urgent fix.
Where Silent Student fits
We make Silent Student, a desktop app for Mac and Windows from El Dorado Ignition LLC that works Canvas quizzes, essays, discussion posts and file uploads in due-date order. Essays, discussions and uploads are drafted and held until you approve them, so no written work reaches Canvas before you have checked it. Plans are $11.99, $24.99 or $49.99 a month, with no free plan.
More: Silent Student on Canvas.
Questions people ask
How do you unsubmit on Canvas?
You can’t. Canvas has no unsubmit option for students. If New Attempt shows on the assignment, you can turn in a new version; if not, ask your instructor.
Can you delete a submission on Canvas?
No. Instructure says a submitted file cannot be deleted, and instructors cannot delete submissions either. Deleting an inappropriate submission takes a Canvas administrator.
How do you cancel a submission on Canvas?
There is no cancel step once you click Submit Assignment. After that, the only change you can make is a new attempt, if your instructor allows one.
I submitted the wrong assignment on Canvas. What do I do?
Click New Attempt if it is available, submit the right file, and add a comment saying which attempt to grade. If New Attempt is disabled or the assignment has closed, message your instructor.
Can my teacher see a submission I replaced?
Yes. Instructure says your instructor can see all of your submissions in SpeedGrader, each with the date and time it was submitted.
Does resubmitting delete my first submission on Canvas?
No. After you resubmit, you can only view your most recent submission, but instructors can still view all of them.
Sources
All fetched and checked October 20, 2026.
- How do I submit an online assignment? (Instructure, student guide)
- Can a student resubmit Canvas assignments? (Instructure, instructor guide)
- How do I view the details of a submission for a student in SpeedGrader? (Instructure, instructor guide)
- How do I view assignment comments from my instructor? (Instructure, student guide)
- What is the difference between assignment due dates and availability dates? (Instructure, instructor guide)
- How do I apply a Late Submission policy in the Gradebook? (Instructure, instructor guide)
- Canvas Notifications (Instructure, resource document)
How this guide was made. We read each Instructure guide listed above on October 20, 2026 and quote them directly. We wrote the guide with AI assistance and checked each quote against its source.
Related guides: What happens when you resubmit on Canvas? · How do you unsubmit in Google Classroom? · How does the Canvas late penalty work? · What happens when a Canvas quiz time limit runs out? · How do What-If grades work in Canvas? · Why is my Canvas total grade hidden? · Canvas quiz answers after you submit · All guides · Canvas · Canvas grade calculator
Written by the company that makes Silent Student. Silent Student is not affiliated with or endorsed by Instructure. Canvas and Instructure are trademarks of Instructure, Inc.