Set Up a ProctorU Exam in Canvas

Last updated on February 5, 2026

ProctorU provides remote proctoring services for online courses at MSU Denver. Once you create a quiz in Canvas, you can set it up through ProctorU. ProctorU can provide a live proctor to watch online as students take an exam, or it can record students and listen to them as they take the exam to identify possible behaviors associated with cheating.

There are some considerations if you are going to use ProctorU, however, as it can create a more stressful test taking environment, cause concerns about students’ privacy, and can create more technical difficulties. If you’re unfamiliar with what ProctorU is or want more information before setting it up, please see our Proctor Online Assessments spotlight.

This tutorial will cover how to set up a ProctorU exam in Canvas, including how to enable ProctorU in your course, create a ProctorU Exam in Canvas, and provide support for students.

Directions

Note: To access the index in the video and skip to the section you need, click to view in fullscreen, and click the window icon in the bottom right.

Enable ProctorU in Your Canvas Course

If you see ProctorU in the left-hand course navigation menu, you have already done this and can skip this section.

1. Open the Canvas Course you want to use ProctorU in.
2. Click Settings in the left-hand course navigation menu.
3. Click Navigation in the tabs across the top of the screen.
4. Scroll down to the second list of Inactive Items.
5. Find ProctorU.
6. Click the More Options (3 Dots) menu to the right of ProctorU.
7. Click Enable.
8. Scroll to the bottom of the page.
9. Click Save in the bottom left-hand corner.
   • You should now see ProctorU in the left-hand course navigation menu.

Create a Classic Quiz in Canvas

You can use ProctorU with any Classic-style Quiz in your course. ProctorU will not work with New Quizzes.

If you already have a Classic Quiz in your course that you want to use, skip to the next section.

1. Create a Classic Quiz in Canvas. You can use our Create and Edit Classic Quizzes tutorial for help with this.
2. Publish the Classic Quiz in the Quizzes page of Canvas.
   1. You can find the Quizzes page by clicking on Quizzes in the left-hand course navigation menu.
   2. We recommend not adding ProctorU Quizzes to modules.

Set Up a ProctorU Exam in Canvas

1. Click ProctorU in the left-hand course navigation menu.
2. Click Add New in the top right-hand corner.
3. Click Exam.
   • Course Name – You cannot enter anything into this field. It appears blank, but it will pull the name of the course directly from Canvas.
4. Type the name of the exam in the text box next to Exam Title (eg. Final Exam).
5. Select which department you want to use for the exam using the drop-down menu.
   • Default: The default option is Record+. This is the lowest level option as it does not include a live proctor at all. Instead it records students while they are taking the exam. The recording is then reviewed afterward and flagged if any potential cheating behaviors are noticed.
   • Live+ Exams: This is the highest level option and provides a live proctor to monitor the test-takers in real time.
   • Review+ Exams: The is the intermediate option and includes a live proctor who begins the sessions and checks the students’ environment. The rest of the session is recorded and reviewed later.
6. Click Add User under Incident Users.
7. Type your last name in the drop-down menu that appears.
8. Click on your Full Name and Email when it appears.
9. Click Add Instructor under Instructors.
10. Type your last name in the drop-down menu that appears.
11. Click on your Full Name when it appears.
12. Click the drop-down menu next to Term, and select the correct term.
    • Current Term will be automatically selected for you
13. Enter the number of minutes the students will have to complete the exam next to Duration (minutes).
14. Paste the Exam URL into the textbook next to Exam URL. Follow the steps below to copy the URL.
    • Open Canvas in a New Tab
      • Do not close the tab with ProctorU.
    • Open the Canvas Course with the Exam in it (this must be the same course you are using for ProctorU)
    • Click Quizzes in the left-hand navigation menu.
    • Click the name of the Classic Quiz you are using ProctorU for.
    • Copy all of the URL from the Address bar at the top of your screen. (i.e. https://msudenver.instructure.com/courses/42592/quizzes/280345)
    • Click the tab with your ProctorU setup.
    • Paste the URL in the Exam URL box of ProctorU.
15. Click Add URL next to Whitelisted URLs if you have any websites that students are allowed to access during the exam.
    • Copy and paste the Whitelisted URL into the text box that appears.
    • Click the box next to Open on Exam Launch if you do not want the website to automatically open for students when they start the exam.
      • This box is automatically checked for you when you add a whitelisted URL.
16. Enter the Exam Password if you have a password set up in the Classic Quiz settings.
    • If you did not create a password when creating the Classic Quiz, you can skip this step.
    • Reenter the password next to Exam password confirmation if you do have an Exam password.
17. Skip the sections labeled Template and Terms of Service.
18. Select the boxes next to any Permitted Resources.
    • Students will be allowed to use any of the resources you selected while taking the exam.
    • If you do not want to permit any resources, click the box next to No resources allowed.
19. Select the boxes next to Chrome and Firefox next to Permitted Browsers.
    • Chrome and Firefox are the only browsers that support the Guardian Browser required for students to take an exam through ProctorU.
20. Enter any resources allowed that are not listed in the text box under Other resources.
    • Leave this blank if it doesn’t apply.
21. Enter the Expected Number of Test-Takers in the text box.
    • If your entire class is taking the exam through ProctorU, enter the number of students in the course. If only some are taking it, use your best estimate.
22. Enter any Additional Exam Notes for the Proctor administering the exam in the text box.
    • Do not delete anything already in the text box. 
    • Type any additional notes under “Guided Launch”.
23. Enter your MSU Email Address in the text box next to Notify on Schedule Emails if you want to be notified every time a student schedules their exam session.
24. Enter your Name, MSU Email, and Phone Number under Contact Info for Exam Issues.
    • If there is an issue with the exam or something goes wrong while a student is taking the exam, ProctorU will use this information to get in contact with you to help resolve the issue.
25. Enter any notes on when or how you would like to be contacted next to Notes and Times Available.
26. Skip Windows Name unless you will have more than one Time Frame students will be able to take the exam.
27. Enter the Date and Time that the exam will open for students using the drop-down menus next to First Appointment.
28. Enter the Date and Time for the last time a student can start the exam using the drop-down menu next to Last Appointment.
    • This is not when the exam will close, but rather the last appointment time.
    • For example: If the Due Date for your Exam is Jan. 15th at 11:59 PM, and students have 90 minutes to take the exam, the last appt. time would be Jan. 15th at 10:00 PM (allow for some buffer time in case it takes a while for the students to get started)
    • If you have more than one time frame students can take the exam, click Add Window.
29. Click Submit for review at the bottom right of the screen.

Note: ProctorU will email your MSU Denver email when the exam is reviewed and ready for students to start scheduling their sessions. This may take a couple days.

ProctorU Support for Students

The steps for students to schedule and take an exam through ProctorU can be challenging to understand. They will need to use either Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox, and download the Guardian Browser before beginning.

We recommend sharing the ProctorU Test Taker Support Page with your students before they schedule their exam sessions, as it contains many articles on how to use ProctorU, and a way for them to contact live support if needed. It may also be helpful for you to familiarize yourself with some of the articles in case students come to you with any questions.

Set up Accommodations within ProctorU

If you are setting up a ProctorU Exam for your entire class, most likely you will have some students with accommodations such as extra time. To ensure students’ receive their accommodations, you will need to both make sure the accommodations are set up within the Canvas Quiz as well as email ProctorU support with the specific accommodations needed. To do this, follow the steps below.

1. Add any additional time or attempts accommodations to the Classic Quiz in Canvas.
   1. To learn how to add accommodations, check out our tutorial, Add Additional Time or attempts for a Student in Classic Quizzes.
2. Contact ProctorU support by filling out their Submit a request form, or directly by emailing [email protected]. 
3. Send the following information about the student in need of accommodations:
   1. First and last name
   2. MSU Denver email address (You can find this in the People section of Canvas)
   3. Accommodation information (ie. extra time, bathroom breaks, permitted use of a screen reader, a person in the room for extra assistance, etc.)
   4. The name of the exam(s) that the accommodations will cover.
      1. If accommodations apply to multiple exams from the same instructor, only one email will be needed stating that the accommodations will cover all of your exams for that particular class.