What is an .imscc file?
An .imscc file is a whole online course packed into one file, in the IMS Common Cartridge format. Canvas writes one when a teacher exports a course; Moodle, Schoology, Brightspace and others read and write them too.
The format
IMS Common Cartridge is a standard of 1EdTech (formerly IMS Global) for moving course content between learning platforms. The file is a ZIP. At its top sits imsmanifest.xml, the contents list: it names every resource in the course and, for Canvas exports, the module tree. Canvas exports in version 1.1 or 1.3 of the standard and adds its own files for what the standard has no place for.
| In the ZIP | What it holds |
|---|---|
imsmanifest.xml | The list of everything, with titles and the module order |
course_settings/ | Canvas's own files: modules, assignment groups, rubrics, the syllabus, course settings |
wiki_content/ | One HTML file per page |
web_resources/ | Your uploaded files, in their folders |
| Folders with long random names | One per assignment or quiz: the description, the settings, the questions |
non_cc_assessments/ | The full quiz files (QTI) with every question type, and the question banks |
What an export never holds
Student data: no submissions, grades, quiz attempts, discussion replies or enrolments. A course export is the course as you built it, not the class you taught with it.
How to open one
| Where | How | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Cubby (this site) | Choose the file; it is read in the browser, nothing uploaded | Reading the course, quiz answers, printing, saving files |
| Canvas, including Canvas Lite | Settings, Import Course Content, Common Cartridge 1.x Package | Teaching the course again in Canvas |
| Moodle | Course administration, Restore or Import, IMS Common Cartridge | Moving to Moodle |
| Google Classroom | Google's open source Classroom converter | Turning content into Classroom materials |
| Any file manager | Rename the file to .zip and open it | Getting at single files; the course structure stays in XML |
.imscc, QTI .zip and other files that look alike
- QTI .zip: what Canvas gives when you export only quizzes. It holds the questions and answers, not the pages. Cubby opens it as well.
- .mbz: a Moodle backup, Moodle's own format, not a Common Cartridge.
- .imscc saved as a web page: if a download link had expired, some browsers save the sign-in page under the file's name. Such a file is a few kilobytes and opens as HTML; download the export again.
Have an .imscc file? Open it here to see the whole course, with quiz answers.
Open your .imscc fileCubby Pro, $8 paid once: the whole course in one file to print as a PDF, every quiz as a Word file with an answer key, and all the course files in one ZIP. Get Pro on Gumroad or see what is free.
Questions
What program opens .imscc files?
A learning platform that imports Common Cartridges (Canvas, Moodle, Schoology, Brightspace), or Cubby in any browser if you only want to read and print the course.
Can I just unzip an .imscc file?
Yes, it is a ZIP. You will see the pages as HTML files and your uploaded files, but not the module order or the quiz answers in a readable form.
Is an .imscc file safe to open?
It is a ZIP of text and your files. Cubby opens it without running anything inside it: scripts and embedded frames in pages are removed before they are shown.
Sources
- 1EdTech: Common Cartridge. The standard
- instructure/canvas-lms: the course exporter (lib/cc). File and folder names Canvas uses
- Moodle docs: IMS Common Cartridge import and export
- googleworkspace/classroomrosetta: IMSCC to Google Classroom converter
Last checked: October 28, 2026.