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Moving OneDrive Links to Microsoft Education in Canvas before September 17

Posted September 10, 2026 in Educational Technology News, JMU Libraries News

Due to recent changes in Microsoft, there may be steps you need to take before September 17, 2026, if:

What’s changing? Microsoft just announced a backend change in Canvas – they are replacing the current OneDrive (Legacy) tool with a new integration called Microsoft Education. This changes the links to most embedded files in Canvas but does not impact “Share” links created in OneDrive that were pasted/used to hyperlink text in Canvas.

No content will be lost as part of this transition. Your files will remain saved in OneDrive, but we strongly encourage you to follow the steps below before September 17 to ensure all your links in Canvas continue to work.

Here’s everything you need to know:

What happens if I miss the September 17 deadline?

Collaborations that faculty do not migrate before September 17 will still be listed under the Collaborations tab, but the links will not work. These links can be fixed after September 17 by searching for the files in the faculty member’s personal OneDrive instead of following the instructions above.

New Quizzes/Surveys with embedded OneDrive links can still be reuploaded from OneDrive after September 17 to fix any broken links.

How to Use the OneDrive Migration Tool

You may choose to use the OneDrive Migration Tool for a few reasons:

Follow these steps to use the OneDrive Migration Tool:

  1. You must have the role of Instructor or Guest Instructor in the Canvas course to use the OneDrive Migration Tool.
  2. Navigate to your Canvas course site and click the Settings link in the Course Navigation.
  3. In the right-hand side course action section, select the OneDrive Migration Tool button.
  4. Select the Authorize button if prompted.
  5. Opening the OneDrive Migration Tool will automatically scan your course.
    • The OneDrive Migration Tool will scan the following sections of your Canvas courses for embedded OneDrive files and cloud assignments: Assignments, Pages, Syllabus, Announcements, Discussions, Outcomes, Modules, and Quizzes (except New Quizzes/Surveys).
    • The OneDrive Migration Tool will not scan Collaborations and New Quizzes/Surveys (within Quizzes section)
    • If you have a lot of links that need to be migrated, consider migrating individual sections rather than the entire course at once.
  6. Select the Migrate button to begin the migration.
    • When a pop-up appears, select Migrate.
  7. The migration process begins with a progress bar at the bottom of the page. After scanning, a completion message will appear with a summary of the items in Canvas that were migrated. You will be prompted to reload your window to be taken back to the OneDrive Migration Tool scan page in the event you need to migrate any other links.
    • Depending on how many OneDrive links need to be migrated, this step may take a few moments to complete.
  8. If the course has no links that need to be migrated, you will get an “All Set” message letting you know no further action is necessary. You can then repeat this process with any other Canvas courses you need to update.

If you use Collaborations in Canvas, you will need to migrate the files one at a time from OneDrive to Microsoft Education so they are still linked in Canvas.

Watch this video guide to relinking Collaborations or complete the following steps:

  1. Select Collaborations in the course navigation menu
  2. Select the Collaboration you want to migrate – this opens the old document
  3. Select Edit Document button in the top right
  4. File > Create a Copy > Download a Copy
  5. Navigate back to Canvas. Select the button that says Start a New Collaboration (at the top of the page, next to the “Current Collaborations” heading)
  6. A new section will appear at the bottom of the page called “Start a New Collaboration.” From the dropdown, select Microsoft Education.
  7. A new section will appear below. Select the Select Existing Document button.
  8. In the file picker that appears, select Upload in the upper right.
  9. Upload the document you downloaded earlier, then Select it.
  10. Confirm the document name and description and select people or groups who need access to the Collaboration.
  11. Select the Create button in the bottom right. When the file is finished, you should see it in alphabetical order under Current Collaborations.
  12. Open the new Collaboration to verify it launches through Microsoft 365.
  13. Repeat for each remaining collaboration, then remove the old ones.
  1. Find the file in your OneDrive account
    • Review the Recent files or use the search bar on the right to filter by keyword (e.g. file name, assignment name, course name, etc.)
  2. Re-add the file in Canvas:
    1. Select the Quizzes tab in Canvas
    2. In the list of Quizzes, find out if any of your quizzes are New Quizzes by looking at the rocket ship icon to the left of the Quiz name. If it’s green, it’s a classic quiz. If it’s a dark/filled-in rocket ship.
    3. Scroll to the bottom of the page and select the Build button.
    4. Reupload the file by selecting the Microsoft 365 icon in the Rich Text Editor.
    5. If you need help replacing your OneDrive file in New Quizzes, please contact LIDdesk@jmu.edu.

What if I need more time to move my Collaborations?

If you will be unable to move your Collaborations by September 17th, you can save a list of links to the cloud files for each course by bookmarking the SharePoint site for each course.

You can find the SharePoint site for each of your courses by clicking on any document within the Collaborations tab, then the “cloud” icon, as demonstrated in the video above. You can even create a dedicated Bookmarks Folder to keep all these lists in one place.

Reminder from IT Security

Please be mindful of the files and content you share with students through the Microsoft Education tool in Canvas. If sensitive data is ever shared inadvertently, provide a detailed notice to IT Security so they can respond appropriately.

Questions or Support

Contact JMU Libraries’ Learning Innovations & Design Desk for questions or support: