New YouTube Integration in Studio Means No Ads
YouTube videos embedded directly in Canvas will begin displaying ads on September 22, 2025. To ensure a distraction-free experience for students, Instructure is introducing the YouTube Player for Education within Canvas Studio.
Beginning September 1, faculty who add YouTube videos to Studio will benefit from an ad-free playback experience, along with additional instructional tools such as engagement analytics, video quizzing, and media library management. To maintain control over how video content is delivered in your course, we recommend migrating any embedded YouTube videos into Studio prior to this change. A step-by-step guide is provided below, along with answers to frequently asked questions.
Benefits of Migrating
When videos are brought into Studio, they remain ad-free and free of distractions such as suggested content, channel information, or watch-later prompts. Captions carry over automatically, making videos more accessible. Instructors also gain the ability to see how students interact with videos through engagement analytics, embed quiz questions into content using the video quizzing tool, and manage media through their personal Studio library.
Step-by-Step Guide
If you have YouTube videos embedded in your Canvas courses, follow these directions to change them into YouTube videos embedded by Canvas Studio.
Locate the YouTube Video
In your Canvas course, find the embedded video you want to migrate. Click Watch on YouTube and copy the URL from your browser’s address bar.Remove the Embedded YouTube Video
Edit the Canvas page and remove the embedded video. This can be done directly in edit mode or by deleting the embed code in the HTML view.Open Canvas Studio
From the Rich Content Editor, click the Studio icon on the toolbar.Add the YouTube Video to Studio
In Studio, click “Create” in the top-right corner and select Add Media. Paste the YouTube URL and click Add Video. The video will now appear in your Studio library.Embed the Studio Video Back into Canvas
Select the video in your Studio library, then click Embed Media. You can also set a custom start time if you want the video to begin at a specific point.Save and Preview
Save your Canvas page and confirm that the video is displayed through Studio with no ads or external overlays.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will there be a migration tool to help with this change if I have a lot of videos?
Yes. A migration tool will launch September 1, 2025. It will allow faculty to locate and migrate embedded YouTube videos within a course into Studio. It will not initially support bulk migration, but it will provide a course-level dashboard to manage content.
When will I start seeing ads on YouTube videos in Canvas?
Starting September 22, 2025, any YouTube video embedded directly in Canvas may display ads. Videos embedded in Studio will not show ads because Studio will begin using the YouTube Player for Education on September 1, 2025.
Why is this change happening now?
YouTube has evolved its monetization model, and many creators, including educators, rely on ads for revenue. Instructure’s solution is to integrate the YouTube Player for Education into Studio, ensuring a distraction-free experience for students while still supporting creators.
Will captions be available in Studio?
Yes. Captions from YouTube will be carried into Studio, though they cannot be edited. For videos added on or after January 1, 2023, captions will display in Studio by September 1, 2025. For older videos, captions will appear by October 31, 2025.
Do existing YouTube videos in Studio need to be migrated again?
No. If a video has already been added to Studio, it will automatically benefit from the YouTube Player for Education. No extra steps are needed.
Will the Player work on any device or browser?
Yes. It is independent of specific platforms and will work across devices, browsers, and operating systems.
Can I embed unlisted YouTube videos?
Yes. However, captions will not carry over for unlisted videos, even if they later become public. To access captions, you will need to re-add the video into Studio after it becomes public.
Questions?
That’s all there is to know! If you have any further questions please do not hesitate to reach out to us at edtech@fscj.edu