How To Reset What-If Scores On Canvas: A Complete Student Guide

Resetting hypothetical What-If scores in the Canvas Learning Management System (LMS) returns your gradebook to your instructor's official calculated standing. To revert scores instantly, click the modified grade box on your web dashboard to clear the custom number, or click the dedicated "Revert to Actual Score" button located directly above your grades summary table. This non-destructive process restores true raw scores and weighted assignment calculations without altering official academic records.

System Requirements & Pre-Procedure Diagnostics

Before altering or resetting grade configurations inside Canvas LMS, verify that your browser or mobile application interface meets the basic technical conditions required to render dynamic DOM elements correctly. What-If grades are client-side calculations executed purely within your web browser local storage memory or active user session, meaning your instructor never sees your custom entries and your official academic record remains untouched.

System Compatibility & Environment Checklist

• Essential Platform & Browser Tools: Desktop web browser (Google Chrome v110+, Mozilla Firefox v110+, Apple Safari v16+, or Microsoft Edge v110+) with JavaScript and HTML5 LocalStorage enabled; or the official Canvas Student Mobile App (iOS version 7.0+ or Android version 7.0+).
• Mandatory Student Prerequisites: An active institutional single sign-on (SSO) login credential, an enrolled and published course shell, and instructor permission allowing students to view the course "Grades" tab in the left-hand navigation sidebar.
• Execution Benchmarks:
  
  
  • Estimated Duration: 15 to 60 seconds.
  • Financial Cost: 0.00 USD (native platform feature).
  • Data Integrity Index: 100% safe (reverts local UI calculations without modifying the PostgreSQL backend database managed by Canvas instructors).

Restoring Official Canvas Grades: Step-by-Step Workflow

Follow these detailed operational steps to remove altered grades and restore actual instructor-assigned marks across desktop web browsers and mobile application interfaces.

Step 1: Navigate to the Target Course Grades Page

Log into your institutional Canvas portal (e.g., canvas.university.edu) using your standard student authentication credentials. From the global dashboard, select the specific course card requiring gradebook restoration.

Once inside the course shell, locate the secondary course navigation menu on the left side of the screen. Click on the Grades link. If the Grades link is missing or grayed out, your instructor has disabled student grade view for this specific course shell, and you must request an official status update directly from your instructor.

Step 2: Identify Modified What-If Score Elements

Canvas visually differentiates hypothetical test scores from officially graded or ungraded items. Scan your assignment list for the following indicators:

1. Blue text or bold score entries: Modified scores appear with distinct visual formatting depending on your institution's custom CSS theme.
2. Hypothetical Score Icons: A small blue arrow or calculation icon typically appears adjacent to a score cell that has been overridden by user input.
3. Modified Total Percentage: The bottom summary row displaying "Total" will show an asterisk (*) or altered percentage value reflecting your hypothetical inputs rather than real scores.

Pro-Tip: What-If scores apply only to your current browser tab or local session. They do not alter your official transcript, nor do they notify your instructor, teaching assistants, or academic advisors.

Step 3: Clear Individual Assignment What-If Inputs

If you only want to clear a single hypothetical score rather than wiping your entire gradebook calculation, target the specific assignment row.

1. Click directly on the numerical score field of the modified assignment.
2. Press the Backspace or Delete key on your keyboard to completely empty the text input box.
3. Press Enter or Return on your keyboard, or click anywhere outside the active text box.
4. Verify that the cell displays either a dash (-), the original unsubmitted state icon, or the real instructor-entered point value.

Warning: Leaving a blank space character inside the score input box instead of entirely clearing the text can lead to browser parsing errors where Canvas treats the entry as a zero score rather than an unsubmitted item. Always ensure the box is completely empty before pressing Enter.

Step 4: Execute a Complete Gradebook Reset via Web Interface

When multiple assignments have been altered with What-If estimates, manually clearing each cell individually is inefficient. Use the global master reset toggle provided in the Canvas web UI.

1. Scroll to the upper-right corner of the Grades table, directly above the column headers (Name, Due, Status, Score, Out of).
2. Locate the button labeled Revert to Actual Score.
3. Click the button once.
4. Observe the page layout update automatically. Every assignment cell will instantaneously clear its stored user values, and the right-hand sidebar (or bottom total row) will recalibrate to show your actual percentage based strictly on graded assignments.

Step 5: Reset Scores inside the Canvas Student Mobile App

The mobile application workflow handles local state data slightly differently than desktop browsers due to native mobile caching mechanisms.

1. Open the Canvas Student App on your iOS or Android device.
2. Select your course from the Dashboard list.
3. Tap the Grades tab from the course navigation menu.
4. Locate the assignment showing a modified score.
5. Tap the assignment title to open its detailed submission view.
6. Tap the modified score box, tap the Clear or Reset option on the pop-up modal, and save the changes.
7. Alternatively, pull down on the main Grades list screen to trigger a force-refresh, which purges temporary local mobile application memory and fetches actual scores from the Canvas REST API.

Step 6: Hard-Reset Browser Cache for Persistent Data Errors

Occasionally, stale browser cookies or corrupt session cache entries cause modified scores to stick even after clicking the reset button. If a modified score refuses to clear:

1. Open your browser Developer Tools by pressing F12 or Ctrl + Shift + I (Cmd + Option + I on macOS).
2. Navigate to the Application or Storage tab.
3. Expand the Local Storage and Session Storage sub-menus on the left menu pane.
4. Right-click your institution's Canvas URL domain and click Clear.
5. Perform a hard refresh by holding Shift while clicking your browser's Reload button (or press Ctrl + F5 / Cmd + Shift + R). This completely purges client-side grade storage states.

Technical Comparison of Gradebook Reset Methods

The following matrix contrasts the operational parameters, data scope, and recovery methods for resetting What-If scores across different technical environments within Canvas LMS.

Troubleshooting Canvas What-If Scoring Anomalies

While the What-If feature is designed for seamless client-side experimentation, technical glitches, permission constraints, and calculation anomalies can arise. Review these common failure modes and their actionable fixes.

Failure Scenario 1: Modified What-If Score Persists After Page Refresh

• Root Cause: Your browser's session storage or persistent cookie cache has locked the modified value into local client memory, failing to pull fresh JSON data from the Canvas API endpoint during standard page loads.
• Actionable Fix: Perform a force-refresh using Ctrl + F5 (Windows) or Cmd + Shift + R (macOS). If the issue persists, clear your browser history, specifically selecting "Cookies and Site Data" for your institution's Canvas domain name, then log back into the portal.

Failure Scenario 2: Total Calculated Score Does Not Match Official Weighting

• Root Cause: The course utilizes weighted Assignment Groups (e.g., Exams 40%, Homework 30%, Quizzes 30%), and one or more hidden or ungraded What-If scores remain buried inside a collapsed assignment group folder.
• Actionable Fix: Expand all assignment group headers on the Grades page by clicking the toggle arrows. Scan every single assignment row to ensure no lingering gray-boxed inputs exist. Alternatively, uncheck the box labeled Calculate based only on graded assignments at the top right, evaluate the raw total, and re-check the box.

Failure Scenario 3: "Revert to Actual Score" Button Is Missing Entirely

• Root Cause: No What-If scores are currently active within your active session DOM, or your instructor has enforced a custom Canvas CSS layout override that hides systemic utility buttons.
• Actionable Fix: If no What-If scores are entered, the button natively hides itself because the view is already displaying actual scores. If you suspect an active score is hidden under custom CSS, click into any assignment score cell, type a random number, press Enter, and check if the Revert to Actual Score button reappears above the table header.

Failure Scenario 4: Ungraded Assignments Factor as Zeroes After Resetting

• Root Cause: The setting Calculate based only on graded assignments was accidentally unchecked while navigating the interface. When unchecked, Canvas calculates unsubmitted/ungraded assignments as 0 points instead of excluding them from the total score calculation.
• Actionable Fix: Navigate to the right-hand sidebar on the Grades page (or the top configuration options block on narrower screens). Locate the checkbox labeled Calculate based only on graded assignments and ensure it is checked. Your overall percentage will instantly recalculate to exclude unsubmitted assignments.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can my teacher or professor see the What-If scores I enter in Canvas?

No, instructors, teaching assistants, and system administrators cannot see the What-If scores you enter. What-If calculations run entirely client-side inside your local web browser or app memory without writing data back to the institutional Canvas server.

Why does my overall total grade stay altered after I close the browser tab?

Canvas saves What-If entries in your browser's LocalStorage so you do not lose your hypothetical scenarios if you accidentally close the tab. To eliminate these persistent values, you must manually click the Revert to Actual Score button or clear your browser site data.

Will resetting my What-If scores delete my submitted assignments or files?

No, resetting What-If scores only clears hypothetical numerical grade estimates from your view. It has zero impact on submitted file uploads, text entry submissions, quiz attempts, or actual grades assigned by your instructor.

How do weighted assignment groups handle What-If score resets?

When you click Revert to Actual Score, Canvas instantly recalculates the percentage weights of each Assignment Group based solely on actual points earned versus points possible. The system removes the hypothetical values from the specific weighted category bucket and recalculates your aggregate grade according to the course syllabus rules.

Can I use What-If scores if my teacher uses a standards-based or unweighted gradebook?

Yes, What-If scores function on any standard Canvas gradebook layout where point values are assigned. However, if an instructor uses a non-traditional grading scheme (such as Complete/Incomplete outcomes or rubric-only feedback without numerical scoring), the option to input hypothetical scores may be restricted or unavailable.

Optimize Your Academic Tracking Strategy

Understanding how to manipulate and clear Canvas What-If scores empowers you to run precise grade projections without corrupting your baseline academic data. Master these platform utilities to maintain full clarity over your academic standing throughout the semester.