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Proctorio on Canvas: what it records, blocks and flags

Written by the Canvas Quiz Solver team. Last verified: 2026-09-25

Short answer

Proctorio records only what your instructor turns on, and it can block tabs, copy and paste, and other extensions.

  • It runs as a Chrome extension, Secure Exam Proctor, that is active only during a Proctorio exam.
  • The instructor picks the settings: video, audio, screen and web traffic recording, desk scans, tab and clipboard blocks.
  • It flags behavior with green, yellow and red levels, and people at your school decide what a flag means.
  • It can disable other extensions for the exam, so Canvas Quiz Solver is not for Proctorio exams.

Our pickFor Canvas quizzes without Proctorio, Canvas Quiz Solver shows the answer right below each question, inside the quiz page. No second tab, no copy and paste into ChatGPT.

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What the Proctorio extension is

Proctorio is an online proctoring service that schools add to Canvas. Its help center says the Secure Exam Proctor extension "is required for all test-takers and exam administrators using a desktop or laptop device". It runs only in Chromium-based browsers: Chrome, Edge, Brave and Opera.

Its Chrome Web Store listing shows Proctorio Inc. as the developer and 8,000,000 users (checked 2026-09-25). You do not switch it on yourself: the shield icon turns green when "You are in an active exam attempt and being monitored." Proctorio's FAQ says it "only runs during an exam and during exam review".

For advanced security settings, Proctorio adds the Secure Companion App for Windows and Mac. It can ask you to close programs, and closing it during the exam "will end the proctoring session".

What the extension's permissions are for

Permission What Proctorio says it is used for
Read and change all your data on all websites To launch the exam, and to record open tabs or sites visited during the exam when the instructor turns that on.
Modify data you copy and paste To clear the clipboard when the exam begins, if copy and paste are prohibited.
Capture content of your screen To record your screen, if screen recording is on. You grant permission before each attempt.
Manage your apps, extensions, and themes To "view and temporarily disable additional browser extensions during an exam", if extensions are prohibited.

The exam settings an instructor can turn on

Proctorio's FAQ says it "has no default settings", so each exam gets the settings its instructor picks. The Proctorio homepage lists the options under "Flexible by design". Grouped by what they do:

Group Settings named by Proctorio
Recording Record Video, Record Audio, Record Web Traffic, Record Desk, Record Desk Scan at the Start, Record Desk Periodically. The privacy policy adds Record Screen and Record Room.
Browser lockdown Block New Tabs, Close Existing Tabs, Disable Clipboard, Disable Extensions, Disable Printing, Disable Right Click, Block Downloads, Force Full Screen, Prevent Incognito, Clear Cache, In-Quiz Links Only
Device checks Multiple Monitors, Advanced Program Detected, Advanced VM Detected, Advanced Hardware Detected
Identity Verify ID, Verify Signature, Verify Audio, Verify Video, Verify Desk
Exam rules Live Proctor, Mobile Access, Allow Breaks, Allow Reentry, Allow Reentry With Agent, Reentry Blocked
Tools Standard, Scientific and Graphing Calculator, Use Whiteboard, Allow Screen Readers

You see the list before you start: the Before You Begin page shows "all recording and lockdown settings enabled by the exam administrator", says Proctorio's pre-check guide.

Does Proctorio record you?

Only if the instructor turns recording on. Proctorio's FAQ says it "only records during an exam and if the video/audio/screen recording settings are enabled by the exam administrator". Recording starts after the pre-checks and the exam agreement, and it stops when you submit or close the exam.

The pre-checks can include a webcam, microphone and screen test, a webcam photo, an ID card photo, the Exam Agreement and a desk scan, depending on the exam settings. What Proctorio says it does and does not collect:

  • Web history: no. The extension "can only record and report the sites you visited during an active exam attempt".
  • Keystrokes: no keystroke fingerprinting, but it tracks "keystroke anomalies to determine whether a test-taker is consistently interacting with the exam".
  • Clipboard: the privacy policy says it does not read the clipboard; it "replaces the clipboard text with Proctorio's own content".
  • Files: Proctorio says it will never access personal files on your computer.

Only approved representatives at your school see the recordings. With live proctoring, a Proctorio proctor also watches during the exam and flags what the instructor asked for.

How Proctorio flags you: suspicion levels and review

Students call them suspicion levels. Proctorio's privacy policy calls them indication levels, and it says the school decides "which settings are enabled for flagging of irregular testing behaviors, and the indication levels (green, yellow, red) assigned to certain activities".

The same policy lists what the flags can cover: facial and gaze detection "to monitor if the test-taker leaves the session", head movement to see "how frequently the test-taker looks away", sound detection "to monitor if other voices are in the room", question response time, dropped internet connections, and other irregular activity. With video on, facial detection can flag "the number of individuals present", and gaze detection can flag that you were "looking at something other than the device". The school can turn face and gaze detection off and still record.

Some flags compare you with your class, "such as whether a test-taker spent an unusually long time answering a question relative to other users". After the exam, the reviewer gets "a summary report of these flagged activities, as well as the raw data".

A flag is not a verdict. About Proctorio says it "does not make determinations about misconduct or outcomes"; the reviewer at your school decides. The FAQ says a glance at the clock is "not likely to be flagged".

Eyes: the FAQ says "Proctorio does not track eye movements", but facial detection can check that you do not look away for an extended period, and the privacy policy's gaze detection asks "Is the person looking away from the camera or the exam screen?"

Can Proctorio detect phones?

Not as a device. None of the Proctorio pages we checked describe a feature that connects to or reads a phone you keep beside you. What they describe is the webcam:

  • The desk scan guide tells you to "remove any prohibited items, such as notes or cell phones" before the scan, and scans can repeat at random during the exam.
  • Gaze detection can flag that you looked at "something other than the device" you take the exam on.
  • Head movement can be flagged, and your time on each question can be compared with the class.

So a phone on camera, or eyes that keep going below the screen, can become a flag for a reviewer to watch on video. (The Proctorio Mobile App is different: it runs the whole exam on a phone, when the instructor allows it.)

How Proctorio connects to Canvas

Proctorio plugs into Canvas as an LTI tool. Instructure's developer documentation says Canvas "supports loading external resources inline using the IMS LTI standard", and that these tools "can be deployed on a course or account level". Instructure's Edu App Center lists Proctorio under the name Secure Exam Proctor.

On its integration page, Proctorio says it "supports Classic and New Quizzes" in Canvas, and its help center names LTI 1.1 and 1.3. You do not make a Proctorio account: it uses your school's sign-in, and you start the exam from Canvas as usual.

Proctorio's exam start errors page describes the setup in Canvas terms:

  • The "Secure Exam Proctor" LTI tool "must be added to a course to deliver or take Proctorio exams".
  • The text "(Remotely Proctored)" or "(Secure Browser)" should appear at the end of the exam title.
  • Proctorio "automatically secures the exam with a password that is entered by the Proctorio extension". Students are never asked to type it.

Canvas keeps its own quiz log beside all this. Instructure's quiz log guide says "Stopped viewing the Canvas quiz-taking page" appears when a student "closes the browser tab, opens a new browser tab, or navigates to a different program". See what professors can see on Canvas during a quiz.

How to tell if a Canvas quiz uses Proctorio

You find out before the questions load. These signs come from Proctorio's own help pages:

  • The quiz title ends with "(Remotely Proctored)" or "(Secure Browser)".
  • The course has a "Secure Exam Proctor" link, the LTI tool a course needs for Proctorio exams.
  • Starting the quiz asks you to add the Secure Exam Proctor extension, or shows the error "Add the Proctorio Extension".
  • A pre-check opens with the Before You Begin page, which lists the recording and lockdown settings, then camera, microphone and screen checks.
  • The shield icon in your toolbar turns green once the attempt starts.

If none of that happens, the quiz is not a Proctorio exam. Many Canvas quizzes run with no proctor at all, and then the only record is Canvas's own quiz log, which Instructure calls "a course opt-in feature".

A quiz with no proctor has no webcam, no screen recording and no extension blocker, only the Canvas quiz log, and that log can record when you leave the page. Canvas Quiz Solver puts the answer right below the question, inside the Canvas quiz page. You do not open a second tab, you do not copy the question into ChatGPT, and you do not switch windows, so there is no page switch for the quiz log to record. The Canvas quiz page cannot list the Chrome extensions you have installed. It works on Classic Quizzes and New Quizzes, and you can start free.

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Proctorio cheating: what gets recorded and flagged

This page gives no steps to get around Proctorio, and we do not sell a tool for that. Here is what Proctorio says it can see when students try the usual things. Every row depends on the settings your instructor turned on.

What students try What Proctorio can do
Open a new tab to search Block New Tabs and Close Existing Tabs; Record Web Traffic logs the sites you visit during the exam.
Copy a question out, paste an answer in Disable Clipboard; the extension clears or replaces the clipboard.
Use another Chrome extension Disable Extensions turns other extensions off for the exam.
Read from a second monitor The pre-check detects extra displays and asks you to disconnect them.
Look at a phone or notes Desk scans, gaze and head movement flags, webcam video.
Get help from someone in the room Facial detection can flag more than one person; sound detection can flag other voices.
Run an AI overlay app With advanced security settings, the Secure Companion App can require programs to close. Proctorio's blog says it blocks tools like Cluely "by preventing unauthorized apps from launching during exams".
Use a VPN or virtual machine VPN and proxy connections are blocked; virtual machines can be reported to the instructor.

The Cluely claim is from Proctorio's blog post of May 28, 2025. A person at your school reviews the flags and decides, and at the Exam Agreement step you accept your school's academic integrity policy.

For how the other proctors compare, see LockDown Browser, Honorlock, Proctorio and Respondus Monitor side by side. For what Canvas alone can catch, read can Canvas detect cheating.

Canvas Quiz Solver and Proctorio

Proctorio can turn other extensions off during a proctored exam: that is the Disable Extensions setting, and it is what the "Manage your apps, extensions, and themes" permission is for. So Canvas Quiz Solver is not for Proctorio exams.

Canvas Quiz Solver is built for regular Canvas quizzes, where no proctor runs. It is a Chrome extension that puts the answer right below the question, inside the Canvas quiz page. You do not open a second tab, you do not copy the question into ChatGPT, and you do not switch windows, so there is no page switch for the quiz log to record. A web page cannot list the Chrome extensions you have installed (Chrome runs extension code in an isolated world). Read more in does Canvas detect Chrome extensions.

It works on Classic Quizzes and New Quizzes. You can start free, then it costs $9.99 a month. AI answers can be wrong, so check them against your course material. Set it up before the quiz: the one-time consent page and the checkout open in a new tab.

It does not run inside LockDown Browser, and Honorlock can turn Chrome extensions off during a proctored exam.

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Sources we checked

Common questions

Can Proctorio detect cheating?

It records and flags; it does not decide. Depending on the settings, it can record video, audio, screen and web traffic, block tabs and the clipboard, and flag looking away or other voices. A reviewer at your school decides.

What is the Proctorio extension?

Secure Exam Proctor, a Chrome extension by Proctorio Inc. that every test-taker on a laptop or desktop installs. It works in Chrome, Edge, Brave and Opera and is active only during a Proctorio exam.

Does Proctorio record you?

Only if the instructor turns on video, audio or screen recording. Recording starts after the pre-checks and stops when you submit or close the exam. The Before You Begin page lists every recording setting.

Can Proctorio detect phones during an exam?

Its pages describe no feature that reads a phone directly. They describe desk scans that ask you to remove cell phones, gaze detection that can flag looking away from your device, and webcam video.

Can Proctorio detect eye movements?

Its FAQ says it does not track eye movements, but facial and gaze detection can flag looking away from the camera or the exam screen. The school can turn both off.

Can Proctorio see other tabs?

It can close open tabs and block new ones. With Record Web Traffic on, it records the sites you visit during the exam. Proctorio says it has no access to your browser history.

Does Proctorio disable Chrome extensions?

It can. When the instructor prohibits extensions, Proctorio temporarily disables other extensions for the exam, except approved assistive technology. So Canvas Quiz Solver is not for Proctorio exams.

Do teachers actually check Proctorio?

The reviewer gets a summary report of flagged activity with the raw data and recordings, and Proctorio leaves every decision to the school. How often it is opened depends on the teacher.

How do I know if my Canvas quiz uses Proctorio?

The title ends with "(Remotely Proctored)" or "(Secure Browser)", and starting the quiz asks for the Proctorio extension and a pre-check. Without these, it is not a Proctorio quiz. On Canvas quizzes with no proctor, Canvas Quiz Solver shows the answer below each question.

Related guides: How to cheat on Canvas without leaving the page · Does Canvas detect Chrome extensions? · What professors can see on Canvas during a quiz · Everything Canvas can and cannot see during a quiz · What the Canvas quiz log shows a professor · All Canvas guides · Does LockDown Browser record you? · Honorlock: what it records and blocks

Answers inside Canvas, without leaving the page

On Canvas quizzes without a proctor, Canvas Quiz Solver puts the answer right below the question you are on. No second tab, no window switch. You can start free.

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