How to Import a Document into Canvas (QTI 1.2)

Updated September 23, 2026 · 5 min read

You have an exam document — maybe a Word file, maybe a PDF someone emailed you — and you need it inside Canvas as a quiz. The format should not matter at this step. What matters is that the questions, options, answer keys, and points end up in Canvas intact. A document-to-QTI converter takes the file you already have and produces the package Canvas actually imports, without asking you to reformat anything first.

One entry point, regardless of source format

Instead of deciding "is this a Word job or a PDF job," you upload the document as it sits on your drive. The converter handles the format differences for you: a .docx is read from its native text and structure, while a PDF — including a scanned, image-only one — is processed with OCR to recover the text first. Either way the output is the same Canvas-ready QTI package.

The format is an input detail, not a project: you should not have to convert a PDF into Word, or a Word file into a spreadsheet, just to move questions into Canvas. Upload the source and let the converter normalize it.

From an uploaded document to a Canvas quiz

Upload the document

Drop in the exam file you have — Word or PDF. No pre-conversion required.

Questions are structured

The parser finds question boundaries, reads options, and resolves the answer key to a 1-based index, capturing points per question.

Export QTI 1.2

The structured questions compile into a Canvas-importable .zip (QTI 1.2).

Import into Canvas

In a course, open Quizzes → the three-dot "More options" menu → Import, and choose the downloaded package.

How a loose document becomes structured questions

A document has no "question" field the way a database does, so the converter infers structure from layout:

Boundaries. Numbered items and spacing mark where one question ends and the next begins.
Options. Lettered or bulleted lines under a stem are treated as answer choices.
Answer key. The marked answer becomes a 1-based index over the option lines — first option is 1, and multiple correct answers are grouped. This is the step most likely to cause silent import errors if done by hand, so the converter resolves it consistently.
Points. A per-question score travels with the item into the QTI package.

Using document2canvas

For a format-agnostic workflow, document2canvas is the single upload point. You provide the exam document in whatever form you have, the questions are structured automatically, and it returns a QTI 1.2 package ready for Canvas — scanned PDFs included.

Open the tool at examparser.com/en/document2canvas and upload your document; the QTI package downloads when processing finishes.

Before you import: a few checks

Upload the source, not a re-typed copy. The original document parses better than a version you rebuilt by hand.
Scan at 300 DPI or higher. For image-only PDFs, resolution and a straight page make OCR far more accurate.
Verify the answer index. After structuring, confirm the correct option maps to the right 1-based number, especially for multiple-correct questions.
Use the right import menu. In Canvas the import lives under the three-dot "More options" menu on the Quizzes page.

Frequently asked questions

What document formats can I upload?

Document2canvas accepts common exam document formats such as Word (.docx) and PDF. You do not need to pre-convert the file into a specific format; upload what you already have and the tool reads it from the source.

What is QTI 1.2 and why does Canvas need it?

QTI (Question and Test Interoperability) 1.2 is the XML standard Canvas uses to import quizzes. It packages each item's stem, options, answer key, and points so Canvas can rebuild it into the quiz bank. Canvas cannot read a raw document, so a QTI export is the bridge.

How does it turn a loose document into structured questions?

The parser detects question boundaries from numbering and spacing, treats listed or lettered lines as options, and resolves the marked answer to a 1-based index over those options. Single and multiple correct answers are distinguished from how the answer is indicated, and points are captured per question.

What if my PDF is a scanned (image-only) document?

A scanned PDF has no selectable text, so the tool runs OCR first to recover the question stems, options, and answers as text. Once recovered, the same structuring and QTI export apply. Scanning at 300 DPI or higher gives the cleanest result.

Does the exported QTI work with New Quizzes?

The QTI 1.2 export targets Classic Quizzes. After importing, Canvas provides a built-in migration to convert Classic Quizzes into New Quizzes if your institution uses New Quizzes.

Move your document into Canvas

Upload the exam document you already have — no reformatting — and download a Canvas-ready QTI package.

Try document2canvas →