How to upload a SCORM package to Canvas LMS
This guide walks a Canvas admin or instructor through uploading a SCORM package today, with the menu paths from Instructure's current documentation. For most Canvas courses, upload the SCORM 2004 4th Edition build: Canvas supports it, and it reports completion and pass/fail separately with a larger resume-data allowance. Keep the SCORM 1.2 build as a fallback for very old self-hosted Canvas instances or environments with tight resume-data limits. Every Intle generation gives you both downloads from the same content.
Which SCORM version to use
Canvas documents support for SCORM 1.2 and SCORM 2004 (2nd, 3rd and 4th Edition), but that does not guarantee an Intle package will import or report correctly in a particular Canvas configuration. Test SCORM 2004 4th Edition first where you need separate completion and success status, objective data or more suspend-data headroom; keep SCORM 1.2 for deployments that require it. Canvas's player generally passes a single score to the Gradebook rather than exposing in-package analytics, so verify the exact score, completion and resume behaviour before rollout.
Uploading a SCORM package to Canvas LMS
- 1
Enable the SCORM tool in your course
Go to Settings > Navigation tab. Move the "SCORM" item from the lower (hidden) list into the enabled list — drag it up, or use its options menu and choose Enable — then click Save. SCORM is an institution-enabled LTI and is off by default in course navigation; if "SCORM" does not appear at all, ask your Canvas admin to enable the SCORM tool for your account.
- 2
Open the SCORM tool
Click the "SCORM" link in the course navigation menu to open the SCORM upload area.
- 3
Upload the .zip package
Click the "Upload" button and select your exported Intle SCORM .zip. Do not unzip or open the file first — opening it can corrupt the package. Packages must be 500MB or smaller; Canvas rejects anything larger.
- 4
Choose the import type
From the "Choose import type…" menu, select "Import as graded assignment", "Import as ungraded assignment", or "Import as a page", then click "Go". This choice is permanent — to switch between graded and ungraded you must delete the item and re-upload.
- 5
Publish the item and place it in a module
Imported SCORM items are hidden from students until published. Open Assignments (or Pages), publish the new item, and add it to a Module so learners can reach it.
- 6
Configure the graded assignment
For a graded import, open the assignment and click Edit. Set "Points" and the "Display Grade" type. Under Submission Type, confirm "External Tool" is selected. Optionally tick "Load This Tool In A New Tab" for display. Save.
- 7
Preview and test before release
Preview the item with Student View to confirm it launches and displays. Because SCORM runs as an external tool and the Test Student behaves differently from a real learner, the most reliable way to confirm grade pass-back and resume behaviour is a genuine test enrolment: complete the package, then exit mid-way and relaunch to check the score reaches the Gradebook and progress is restored before you release the item to students.
Settings that affect SCORM behaviour
- Grade recorded: the Canvas SCORM player records only the student's most recent attempt — there is no built-in option to keep the first or highest score. Plan assessment rules around this.
- No response-level reporting: Canvas provides no reports or analytics on activity inside a SCORM package, and no way to see a learner's answers to individual questions. Grade SCORM items directly in the Gradebook and build any detailed feedback into the content itself.
- Re-entry can zero a score: if a learner re-opens a module they have already completed and exits without answering, Canvas resets the score to 0. Warn learners, or limit attempts using the assignment's Available From / Until dates.
- Graded vs ungraded is locked at import — decide before you upload, because changing it means deleting and re-uploading the package.
- "Load This Tool In A New Tab" is optional: Intle packages run inside the Canvas frame and never call window.open, so the default in-frame launch is fine. Use a new tab only if a strict content-security setup needs it.
Troubleshooting
The "SCORM" link does not appear in course navigation
The SCORM LTI is enabled per institution and is off by default in course navigation. First check Settings > Navigation and move "SCORM" into the enabled list; if it is absent there entirely, ask your Canvas administrator to enable the SCORM tool for your account.
Upload fails or the package is reported as corrupt
Confirm the .zip was never opened or re-zipped after download — opening or re-zipping can move the manifest and break the package. Re-download the untouched Intle zip. If it is near or above the 500MB ceiling, upload the smaller SCORM 1.2 build instead.
Content launches blank or will not play
Legacy Flash-based SCORM stopped working after Adobe ended Flash support at the end of 2020 — re-export as HTML5 (Intle packages are already HTML5). If an embedded video is blank, a network or content-security policy may be blocking third-party frames; test the package on your delivery network first. Some browsers (e.g. Firefox) have also had SCORM display quirks, so try an alternative browser if content will not load.
Score is missing from the Gradebook or stuck at 0
Check the item was imported as a graded assignment — an ungraded import cannot pass a grade and cannot be converted (delete and re-upload as graded). A 0 can also mean a learner re-entered a completed module and exited without answering, which resets the score to their most recent attempt. Verify the flow with a real test enrolment rather than Student View, since external tools behave differently for the Test Student.
Frequently asked questions
Does Canvas support SCORM 2004 4th Edition?
Yes. Canvas supports SCORM 1.2 and SCORM 2004 (2nd, 3rd and 4th Edition). For most courses, upload Intle's SCORM 2004 4th Edition build for richer completion and pass/fail reporting; keep the SCORM 1.2 build for older or locked-down Canvas instances. Both come with every Intle generation.
Where do SCORM grades show up in Canvas?
In the Gradebook, and only when you import as a graded assignment. Canvas records a single score and keeps the most recent attempt; it provides no reports or analytics on activity inside the package and no way to see a learner's answers to individual questions.
Can I change a SCORM item from ungraded to graded later?
No. The graded-versus-ungraded choice is fixed at import. To change it, delete the SCORM item and re-upload the package with the other import type.
Do learners need to change pop-up blocker settings?
Intle packages do not call window.open, so they are designed for in-frame launch. Canvas settings, browser policy and institutional content-security rules can still vary; test the sample in the learner environment. The compatibility page distinguishes dated package-level evidence from pending Canvas validation.
intle packages target SCORM 2004 4th Edition and SCORM 1.2. Package-structure and local resume evidence was recorded against the dated build shown on the compatibility page; it does not verify a later release or a named LMS. For the current per-platform validation status — including Canvas LMS — see the LMS compatibility evidence page.
Generate a package to test in Canvas LMS
Describe what you want to teach, download both standards-targeted SCORM versions, then validate the one your Canvas LMS configuration accepts. Free to start, no card required.
Generate a package free