Panopto is a video recording tool that can be used to manage videos in a course, to record lectures or lab demos, to live stream events and for video sharing. For detailed video tutorials and help documentation, please visit the official Panopto Support Homepage.
For a one-on-one training appointment on using Panopto please contact Josh Butcher (jbutcher@email.arizona.edu).
1. Install: Access and Installation of Panopto
Learn how to access, download, and install Panopto.
There are two different ways you can access and use Panopto on the UA campus. You can use it in relation to a D2L course where only those enrolled in that course will have access to your videos or you can use it with your NetID and have broader sharing capabilities.
Access Panopto via D2L
- Login to D2L by going to https://d2l.arizona.edu and entering in your UA NetID and password.
- Access the course you plan to use with Panopto by clicking on the course under My Courses.
- Click the UA Tools drop down menu on your course navigation bar and select Panopto.
Access Panopto via your NetID Login
- Go to https://arizona.hosted.panopto.com.
- Make sure UA NetID is chosen in the "Sign in using" drop down menu.
- Click Sign in.
Download and Install the Panopto Recorder
After logging in to Panopto either via the D2L or NetID method you will be within the Panopto web interface. Do the following to download and install the Panopto Recorder on your desktop. The Panopto Recorder is needed to create video content.
- Click on the Download Panopto link in the upper right underneath your account name.
- Click the Download Panopto button. If you are on a Windows machine it will download a Windows executable (.exe) file. If you are on a Macintosh it will download an installation package (.pkg) file.
- Locate the Panopto Recorder .exe (for Windows) or .pkg (for Mac) file and double-click the file to run the application. The installer will self-extract and begin the installation.
- For the Windows installation, select a Destination Folder to install the recorder; a Storage location where you would like your recordings to be saved; and the URL (without http) of your Panopto Web Server. In our case the web server is arizona.hosted.panopto.com. Click Next.
- Click Install and the installation will begin.
- Once the Panopto Recorder is installed you will see an icon on your desktop or it will appear in the programs list (for Windows) or will appear in the Applications folder (for Mac).
- You must have the Panopto Recorder installed on your computer to be able to create videos.
2. Create: Create Video Session
Learn how to create and record a new video session.
To create content in Panopto your account will need Creator access. If you get an alert that your account does not have creator access contact one of the UA Panopto Administrators by emailing acad-tech-support@list.arizona.edu and they can give your account creator access.
Note: Make sure to log back into D2L and open Panopto through UA Tools every time you open the Recorder so your D2L login information is passed to Panopto automatically.
- Once you are logged in to the Panopto web interface, click on the Create button. Here are the different options within the Create button.
- Record a new session - This option will allow you to download and install the Panopto Recorder. If the Recorder is already installed you will have the option to launch the recorder; this will also automatically sign you into the recorder with the credentials you used to login to the web interface (D2L login or NetID login).
- Upload media - This option will allow you to upload audio files, a single video, or multiple videos (up to 100 at once), that will create new Panopto Sessions.
- Webcast - This option will create a URL for you to live broadcast to at a later time.
- Build a session - This option will allow you to upload multiple videos and PowerPoint files to create a Panopto session.
- New Folder - This option will create a new folder on the server that you can use to upload and/or record to.
- To create a recording click on the Create button (shown above) and choose Record a new session. If you have the Panopto Recorder installed then it will ask you to open the Panopto Recorder. Click Open Panopto Recorder.
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Recording with Panopto for Windows
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Recording with Panopto for Mac
Important Points to Remember
Once in the Recorder, choose a folder if the default folder is not correct, name the session and select your recording sources. Always make sure you have an audio source chosen within the Primary Sources. We recommend you record at a High quality for your primary sources. Choosing to capture PowerPoint does not capture any animation or embedded video that might be in your PowerPoint presentation. All this option does is take snapshots of each of your slides to use to develop a table of contents for the video. If you want to capture the PowerPoint presentations animations (bullets coming in separately, embedded video, etc) then you would need to capture the main or secondary screen, whichever one your presentation will be projected on during the video.
The following information will assist you in getting started with Recording in Panopto:
Using basic setup for recording videos
For more in depth instructions please refer to the official Panopto help documentation and video tutorials.
3. Create: Create Assignment Folder for Students to Post Videos
Learn how to create an assignment folder for students to create and post videos to.
To create an assignment folder for the students in your course to have the ability to create and post Panopto videos to you first will need to access your course in D2L.
- Login to D2L at https://d2l.arizona.edu and access the course for which you want to create an assignment folder.
- In the navigation bar click on UA Tools and then choose Panopto.
- This will take you to your course Panopto folder.
- Click on the Settings icon for the course folder.
- Click on Overview section. On the Overview screen, click on the link labeled "Create Assignment Folder".
- Once the assignment folder is created, you will see a new link that is <name of folder> [assignments].
- Exit out of the folder settings window by clicking the "X" in the upper right.
- You will see that the folder has been added as a subfolder to the original with the word "[assignments]" added to the end.
- Now the students in the class will be able to add content to the newly created [assignments] folder.
4. Edit: Edit Video Sessions
Learn how to edit video sessions after they are recorded.
The information below will assist you in editing existing Panopto sessions (videos).
Note: Make sure to log back into D2L and open Panopto through UA Tools every time you want to record or manage your videos for your course.
Editing
The Panopto editor allows for easy web based editing from any modern browser. You can perform quick, non-destructive edits to any video on the Panopto platform that you have creator rights to and deliver exactly the content you choose to viewers.
For detailed written instructions on using the Panopto editor please see Panopto's Basic Editing documentation.
Tour of the Panopto Editor Video
Making Cuts to your Panopto Video
Note: More tutorial videos on editing can be found by viewing their How To Videos page.
5. Move: Move Sessions to Another Course Folder
Learn how to move sessions to another course Panopto folder.
Panopto Move and Copy documentation
Each D2L course site has its own folder within Panopto created by default. The Panopto content you create in one course does not automatically get copied to the Panopto folder for a new course, even if it is the same course. However, you can move and copy individual sessions (videos) from one folder to another by hovering over each session in the list of sessions and selecting the session. Once the session is selected, the options to Delete, Copy, Move and Share will appear.
By selecting "Move", you will get the option to move the session to another folder. You will need to choose which course folder you want to move the selected video(s) to. Moving the session will move the session to another folder, but will not preserve the original session location. It will no longer be in the original folder that it was previously in.
You can also bulk move or copy sessions (videos) by selecting them all by clicking the box at the top of the list of sessions. It will select ALL videos that are listed in the results on that screen. You may need to increase the viewing options for results by page to get ALL videos within a folder if you have over 25 videos within that folder. The default view is to show the first 25 videos within a folder. Say your folder has 31 videos in it. Doing a bulk select would only select the 25 videos that are appearing on this results screen. If you change the results per page to view 50 videos per page then all of the videos in your folder would then appear in the list. You could then do a bulk select to move or copy all of your videos at once.
6. Copy: Copy Sessions to Another Course Folder
Learn how to copy sessions to another course Panopto folder.
Panopto Move and Copy documentation
Each D2L course site has its own folder within Panopto created by default. The Panopto content you create in one course does not automatically get copied to the Panopto folder for a new course, even if it is the same course. However, you can move and copy individual sessions (videos) from one folder to another by hovering over each session in the list of sessions and selecting the session. Once the session is selected, the options to Delete, Copy, Move and Share will appear.
Selecting "Copy" will allow you to Copy the session to another folder. You will then need to choose the course folder you want to copy the session to. Copying will move a session to another folder, while preserving the original session location.
You can also bulk move or copy sessions (videos) by selecting them all by clicking the box at the top of the list of sessions. It will select ALL videos that are listed in the results on that screen. You may need to increase the viewing options for results by page to get ALL videos within a folder if you have over 25 videos within that folder. The default view is to show the first 25 videos within a folder. Say your folder has 31 videos in it. Doing a bulk select would only select the 25 videos that are appearing on this results screen. If you change the results per page to view 50 videos per page then all of the videos in your folder would then appear in the list. You could then do a bulk select to move or copy all of your videos at once.
7. Statistics: View Session Statistics
Learn how to access and view statistics of a particular session.
To view information on a session, such as time viewed, minutes viewed and who viewed it, there is a Stats button you can click on by hovering over the session or folder you would like to view. For more information visit Panopto's Statistics documentation.
8. View: View Your Sessions
Learn how to view your sessions within Panopto.
Viewing a Video
Panopto Viewer Layout
- Information Bar
- Primary Video and/or audio stream
- Search
- Contents, Captions, Notes, Bookmarks and Discussion
- Screencapture, PowerPoint or any Secondary Video
- Player
- Timestamped Thumbnails for navigation
Viewer Layout documentation
Accessibility Features
- Screen Reader Support
- Keyboard Access
- Viewer Captions
- Shortcut Keys
- Embedded Player Captions
Accessibility documentation
9. Settings: Video Session Settings
Learn about the different settings options you have with each video session.
The following covers the basic settings for the sessions. There are various settings you can access by hovering over your session, and selecting Settings.

This list of Settings includes:
- Overview: Provides session information, allows you to enter a description, and provides you with links to other actions such as Share, Edit, and Resume. Most importantly, it provides you with Availability options so that you can decide when and for how long the session is available to be seen, if applicable.
- Share: Provides Share Options, such as session link, embed code, and permissions, as well as the option to invite people to the session.
- Outputs: Provides various Output formats and ways to access them.
- Quiz Results: Allows you to view the results from any embedded quizzes that were in the session.
- Streams: Combined with HD recording, adaptive streaming helps a presenter deliver the best possible experience to users on connections ranging from 3G wireless to gigabit LAN.
- Search: Allows you to search inside the content of your videos. You can search for any word that is spoken or shown in any video in your library and fast forward to that precise moment with one click. It is made of primarily of two components Automated Speech Recognition (ASR) and Optical Character Recognition (OCR).
- Caption: Provides the ability to upload Captions. If you need assistance with captioning a video you can contact the University of Arizona Disability Resource Center. Within the Panopto editor of a session you can also add ASR generated captions.
- Manage: Provides the ability to Merge, Copy, and Delete a session.
- Log: Provides a detailed Activity Log.
10. Embed: Embed Video in D2L Content
Learn how to embed a Panopto video into your D2L content modules.
To provide the easiest access to Panopto videos, insert the video in an HTML page. You can insert more than one video on an HTML page, but if you insert too many the page will load very slowly. Best practice is to limit the number of Panopto videos on a page to no more than 3.
Note: Before you perform the following steps make sure that you have logged in to your D2L Panopto account via the UA Tools > Panopto link in the navigation bar.
- Within a module in Content, create a new HTML file by clicking on the Upload/Create button and choose Create a File.
- Enter a title for the HTML file.
- Click on the page and click on the Insert Stuff button.
- Select Panopto from the list of options on the left side of the page.
- Select the Panopto video you would like to embed by clicking the check box to the left of the video.
- Click on the Insert button. If you can't see the Insert button you may have to scroll all the way down or increase the size of the "insert stuff" window by dragging downwards from the bottom right hand corner. Note: You will only be able to select one video at a time. If you want to insert more than one on a page you will need to go through the steps again for each additional video.
- You now have a preview of the embedded video. Click Insert button.
- Click Publish to finish.