By default, all new Canvas courses are unpublished. While a course is unpublished, the assigned teacher can access and edit the course, but students cannot access or participate in the course.
To publish a course for student access: Open your course and view the Course Home Page. In the Sidebar, click the Publish toggle. See the “How do I publish a course?” guide for more information.
Note: Once you have published your course, students will have participation rights in a course during the official course start and end dates. If you publish a course before the official course start date, students will have view-access to the course until the start date. Faculty members can view and override the course start and end dates, as needed, in the Course Settings > Course Details area. See the “How do I change the start and end dates for a course?” guide for more information.