Reviewed and updated August 2026.
Most people arrive at this question in one of two moods: mildly curious, or slightly panicked about a file they wish they had not sent. Both deserve the same straight answer, plus the practical part about what to do next.
Why students and instructors see different things
The mismatch is by design rather than a bug. Your student view is built to show you the current state of your work — the submission that stands, the grade, any feedback. Older attempts are tidied out of the way because, for you, they are superseded.
The instructor view is built for marking, and marking sometimes requires history: which attempt arrived before the deadline, whether a resubmission followed feedback, whether the right file was ever actually sent. So the grading interface keeps every attempt available.
Once you know that, most of the confusion dissolves. Nothing is hidden from you maliciously, and nothing is deleted quietly either.
What SpeedGrader shows an instructor
SpeedGrader is the tool most instructors mark in. For an assignment with multiple attempts, it lists them individually with the date and time of each, so a marker can move between them and compare.
| Detail | Instructor sees | You see |
|---|---|---|
| Every attempt you submitted | Yes | Only your most recent, in most setups |
| The date and time of each attempt | Yes | For your latest attempt |
| The file you uploaded by mistake | Yes | Yes, until it is superseded on your view |
| Which attempt they choose to grade | Yes | You see the grade, not the choice |
| Comments on an earlier attempt | Yes | Yes, if they left them for you |
The timestamps matter more than students expect. They are what an instructor uses to decide whether work met a deadline, so a late resubmission after an on-time first attempt is visible as exactly that.
Does resubmitting overwrite the previous file?
Not for your instructor. From your side it can certainly look that way, because your view collapses to the newest attempt. But each submission is a separate, timestamped record, and resubmitting adds to the list rather than replacing it.
This is the single most common misconception about Canvas assignments, and it is worth internalising before you rely on a quick resubmission to quietly fix something.
Can you delete a submission?
No — students cannot remove a submission once it has been made. There is no delete control for it, and asking support to erase one is not a normal or generally granted request, because the submission record is part of the assignment’s integrity.
What you can do is add a correct attempt and communicate clearly about which one should be marked. That is a routine situation instructors deal with constantly.
If you submitted the wrong file
This is the reason most people search for this page, so here is the practical sequence.
Check whether resubmission is still open. If the assignment still accepts attempts, submit the correct file straight away. Speed matters more than a perfect explanation.
Tell your instructor which attempt to mark. One short message naming the file and the time of the correct attempt removes all ambiguity. Do not assume they will infer it — they may simply open the first one.
If resubmission is closed, ask for an extra attempt. Instructors can grant one. A brief, honest account works better than an elaborate one.
Do not try to disguise it. The earlier attempt is visible with its timestamp regardless, so an explanation always lands better than an apparent attempt to obscure something that is plainly on the record.
If your submission failed
A failed upload and a wrong upload need different responses. Confirm first whether anything actually arrived: the assignment page shows a submission confirmation, and if there is none, the file did not land.
The usual causes are mundane — a file type the assignment does not accept, a size limit, a connection that dropped mid-upload, or a browser extension interfering. Try a different browser and a standard file format before concluding the system is broken.
Message your instructor as soon as you notice, ideally before the deadline, and say when it happened. A contemporaneous message is itself useful evidence that you tried on time.
What this does and does not tell your instructor
Submission history is a record of files and times. It is not monitoring: it says nothing about what you did while writing, what else was open on your computer, or where the work came from.
Those are separate systems with separate limits, and they are far narrower than most students assume — see what Canvas can and cannot detect during a quiz, or whether teachers can see what you download. For plagiarism checking specifically, that is a text comparison run after submission — see what a Turnitin similarity score actually means.
How to message your instructor about it
People agonise over this message far more than it warrants. Instructors handle wrong files every single term; it is administrative, not dramatic. Short and specific beats apologetic and vague.
Include four things: the assignment name, which attempt is the correct one and when you submitted it, one sentence on what happened, and what you are asking for. That is enough for them to act without a follow-up exchange.
Something like: “For Assignment 3, please mark my second attempt, submitted at 14:20 — my first attempt was the wrong file. Apologies for the confusion.” No explanation of the circumstances is required unless you are also asking for an extension or an extra attempt, in which case one more sentence covers it.
Frequently asked questions
Can professors see previous submissions on Canvas?
Yes. Instructors can see every attempt you submitted, with a timestamp for each, through SpeedGrader. Students normally only see their own most recent submission, which is why the two experiences differ so much and why this question comes up constantly.
Can you delete a submission on Canvas?
Students cannot delete a submission themselves. Once a file is uploaded and submitted, it is part of the record for that assignment. The practical remedy is to submit the correct file as a new attempt and tell your instructor which one to mark.
Does resubmitting overwrite the previous file?
Not from the instructor’s side. Your view usually shows only the latest attempt, so it can look overwritten, but earlier attempts remain visible to the instructor as separate, timestamped submissions.
Will my professor know I submitted the wrong file?
They can see it if they look, since the earlier attempt is listed. The sensible move is to tell them rather than hope they do not check — a short, clear message naming the correct attempt is normal and unremarkable.
Can professors see submissions from past courses?
Access follows the course. An instructor sees submissions in courses they teach, not your work in other people’s courses. Concluded courses may become read-only or be removed from active view depending on how your institution manages terms.
Does Canvas show how many attempts I used?
Yes — the attempts are listed individually for the instructor, so the count is visible along with the timing of each one.
What if my submission failed to upload?
Check the assignment page for a submission confirmation and the file size and type against what the assignment allows. If it genuinely failed, submit again and message your instructor immediately with the time it happened, before the deadline passes if possible.
Can I ask for an extra attempt?
Instructors can allow additional attempts on an assignment. It is at their discretion, and a brief, honest explanation is far more effective than a long one.
Josh Hutcheson — Editor, PriorityLearn
Josh researches, writes, and updates the answers on PriorityLearn, checking each one against current tools, official sources, and real school policies — and flagging what varies by state or district. About PriorityLearn →