Note: This feature is planned for release on 9/24/26.
Overview
After copying a course, you may realize that a Harmonize item needs updated instructions, milestones, grading requirements, or other settings. Instead of making the same changes manually in every copied course, you can make changes in the original and then overwrite the settings in one or more copies of that item.
Overwriting instructions and settings is currently possible only in Harmonize Discussions. Support for additional Harmonize items is coming.
Note: The Harmonize interface may refer to a Harmonize item (a Discussion, Social Reading activity, Page, etc.) as a resource.
Interactive Demo
Use the interactive tutorial below to learn about Overwriting Instructions and Settings in Copied Harmonize Items. If you need or prefer step-by-step textual instructions, proceed to How to Overwrite Settings in the Destination Course.
Some tips for using the tutorial:
- Turn the volume up! Alternatively, you can mute the demo to view captions.
- Get ready to interact! When the tutorial pauses and flashes a purple dot, click it to move forward.
- Move at your own pace. When you hover in the upper lefthand corner, you will find "Back" and "Next" buttons that will allow you to jump through the steps more quickly.
How to Overwrite Settings in the Destination Course
Step 1: Edit the source item and initiate the overwrite process
- Open the Harmonize item in the source course and select Edit.
- If Harmonize recognizes copies of the item in destination courses, the option to overwrite their settings appears below the Publish button.
- The overwrite option is off by default. Check the box if you want to overwrite settings for the item in any (or all) destination courses.
- After clicking Publish, you can select copies of the item in destination courses and overwrite their settings.
Step 2: Select the copies whose settings will be overwritten
- After publishing the source item, Harmonize displays eligible destination courses containing a copy of the item.
- By default, Harmonize shows copies with no student activity that either have a future due date or no due date.
- Use the filters to include copies with student activity or past due dates or to remove copies with no due date.
Step 3: Preview a copied item, if needed
- When available, select the item name to open the copied item in a new tab and review its current state.
Note: A preview link may not be available if the copied item has never been opened in the destination course. This does not prevent Harmonize from overwriting its settings.
Step 4: Overwrite settings and instructions
After reviewing the list:
- Select the destination courses you want to update.
- Select Overwrite Settings.
- Confirm that you want to overwrite the supported settings in those courses.
Harmonize attempts to update each selected item and then displays the results.
Warning: Overwriting settings replaces the supported settings in each selected copy with the current settings from the source item. Review the selected courses carefully before confirming.
Which Settings Can I Overwrite?
What Gets Overwritten
Harmonize applies the source item’s current settings to each selected copy. Depending on the item, this may include:
- Instructions
- Milestones
- Grading and completion requirements
- Rubrics
- Visibility settings
- Group settings
- Available AI settings
- Other options configured inside Harmonize
What Does Not Get Overwritten
- Final due date. The due date will need to be updated manually in the destination course.
- Title. The title will need to be updated manually in the destination course.
- Student work. Overwriting settings does not delete or replace student participation, including posts, replies, submissions, or grades.
The Rules of Overwriting: Ancestors and Descendants
Harmonize tracks where copied items came from.
- An ancestor course contains an earlier version of the Harmonize item.
- A descendant course contains a copy of that item, either directly or through one or more later course copies.
Settings and instructions can move only from an ancestor course to a descendant course. They cannot move backward to an ancestor course or sideways to another course copied from the same source.
Scenario 1: A Copy of a Copy
Imagine the following situation: Course 1 gets copied to Course 2, and then Course 2 gets copied to Course 3.
In this example:
- Course 1 is an ancestor of Course 2 and Course 3.
- Course 2 is an ancestor of Course 3.
- Course 3 is a descendant of both Course 1 and Course 2.
You can:
- Use Course 1 to overwrite item settings in Course 2 or Course 3.
- Use Course 2 to overwrite item settings in Course 3.
You cannot:
- Use Course 2 to overwrite item settings in Course 1.
- Use Course 3 to overwrite item settings in Course 1 or Course 2.
General Rule:
Settings can move forward through the course-copy chain, but not backward.
Scenario 2: Two Copies
Imagine the following situation: Course 1 gets copied to Course 2 and also gets copied to Course 3.
In this example:
- Course 1 is an ancestor of Course 2 and Course 3.
- Course 2 and Course 3 are not ancestors or descendants of each other. They are merely "siblings."
You can:
- Use Course 1 to overwrite item settings in Course 2 or Course 3.
You cannot:
- Use Course 2 to overwrite item settings in Course 1 or Course 3.
- Use Course 3 to overwrite item settings in Course 1 or Course 2.
General Rule:
Settings can be overwritten only in descendant courses, not in other courses that happen to share the same ancestor.
When Settings Can’t Be Overwritten
Sometimes, Harmonize cannot overwrite an item because settings in the source course are incompatible with settings or existing activity in the destination course. If this happens, we will identify the incompatible settings in the Reason column:
If you still want to overwrite, you have a few options:
- Change the destination course settings. Remove or turn off the incompatible setting in the destination course, and then return to the source course and try the overwrite again. After overwriting, revert specific destination settings as needed.
- Change the source course settings. Adjust the source item so its settings are compatible with the destination, overwrite the destination item, and then change the source settings back if needed.
- Update the destination manually. If you do not want to change either course just to use the overwrite feature, you can make the desired changes directly in the destination course instead.
In general, an overwrite can only be completed when the source settings can safely be applied to the destination item. If Harmonize prevents an overwrite, review the settings in both courses and look for differences that may need to be resolved first.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. I accidentally overwrote instructions or settings that I needed. Can I fix it?
-
Probably. As long as your previous version was published, it will be saved in the item's Topic Version History, and you will be able to restore it.
- Note: Topic Version History only goes back to when this feature was released: September 2026.
Q. Will changes be applied to destination courses automatically?
- No. You must select the destination courses and confirm the overwrite each time.
Q. Can I update a copy of a copy? Or a copy of a copy of a copy?
- Yes. You can overwrite settings anywhere Harmonize recognizes a copy. To learn more, go to The Rules of Overwriting.
Q. Will this change the final due date in the destination course?
- No. The final due date is controlled by the LMS. Harmonize milestones may still be updated relative to that date.
Q. Will student posts or submissions be deleted?
- No. Student work is not deleted or replaced.
Q. Why can’t I select a particular destination course?
- You may not have permission. Instructors must be enrolled as instructors in both courses. Administrators can access all eligible copies.
- The destination course may not contain an eligible copy of the item. To learn more, go to The Rules of Overwriting.
Q. Why can’t I preview a copied item?
- It may not have been opened yet. A preview link may not be available until the existing copy has been launched in the destination course. You can still overwrite its settings.
Q. What should I do if an update fails?
- Review the reason shown. Correct the destination item manually or adjust the source settings as needed. For details, go to When Settings Can't Be Overwritten.
Q. Does this replace Canvas Blueprint syncing?
- No. It supplements Blueprint and other course-copy workflows but does not update courses automatically.