Respondus LockDown Browser is a custom browser that locks down the testing environment for a Canvas Quiz item. Students are unable to copy, print, access other applications, or visit other websites during an online exam.
The use of LockDown Browser is not a guarantee to prevent academic dishonesty—students who have access to other internet-enabled devices could still potentially access the internet.
Please note that Yale does not use the Respondus Monitor service.
Some older computers may display a “Detected Insecure Environment” or “SIP Disabled” error when attempting to open and use Respondus LockDown Browser for a Canvas Quiz activity. This issue will affect Macs that are not running at least macOS 26.0 (Tahoe) and Windows computers that are not running at least Windows 11.
If you are getting this error when trying to open Respondus LockDown Browser on older operating system computers and you do not want to update / cannot update to at least macOS 26 / Windows 11, you must make setting adjustments through your computer's Terminal window. We recommend you schedule an in-person appointment at the Poorvu Center for Teaching and Learning with the Educational & Engagement Technology Team for assistance because the process of using your computer's terminal must be done in person and cannot be completed over Zoom or remotely. To schedule an appointment with us, please email [email protected].
Please advise your student about using an iPad to take a quiz with Lockdown Browser, please be aware of a known issue:
- Lockdown Browser will not work if the Canvas app is installed on your iPad.
- To proceed, you must uninstall the Canvas app before launching Lockdown Browser.
For a smoother experience, we do not recommend using an iPad with Lockdown Browser. Instead, we strongly advise using a Windows or Mac computer, as these platforms provide full compatibility and a more reliable testing experience.
If you have not already, be sure to Enable Respondus LockDown Browser in Your Canvas Course before moving forward in these steps.
Before you can add LockDown Browser to a Canvas quiz, you will first need to have the quiz created in the Quizzes area of your course.
- Within your course, click on "LockDown Browser" in the left-hand Course Navigation menu.
- If this is your first time accessing Respondus LockDown Browser, Canvas will present a message from Respondus requesting access to your account. Click the "Authorize" button to continue.
- On the next page, you will see the "LockDown Browser Resources" box, which has a number of potentially useful resources and guides you may want to explore by clicking through the tabs at the top of the box.
- Check "Don't show this page again" if you wish to skip this page for all future visits.
- This page will continue to be accessible from LockDown Browser Dashboard if you choose to skip the page.
- Check "Don't show this page again" if you wish to skip this page for all future visits.
- Click the "Continue to LockDown Browser" button.
- Find the quiz that you would like to enable LockDown Browser for and click the down arrow button to the left of the quiz name.
- Click the "Settings" button in the menu that opens.
- Select the "Require Respondus LockDown Browser for this exam" radio button.
- Toggle open the "Advanced Settings" if you would like to enable / disable the following settings:
- Require LockDown Browser to view post-exam feedback and results (Enabled by default)
- Lock students into the browser until exam is completed
- Allow students to take this exam with an iPad (using the "LockDown Browser" app from the Apple App Store)
- Allow access to specific external web domains
- Enable Calculator on the toolbar
- Enable Printing from the toolbar
- Toggle open the "Advanced Settings" if you would like to enable / disable the following settings:
- When done, click the "Save + Close" button.
- The name of the Canvas quiz item will be amended to now include "Requires Respondus LockDown Browser" as part of the title for students to see when looking at the item anywhere on Canvas.
- The "LockDown Browser" column on the Dashboard now says "Required" for the quiz item that has just enabled Respondus.
To learn more about the student experience with Respondus LockDown Browser, please visit our help guide, Taking Respondus LockDown Browser Enabled Quizzes.
For more help, please contact [email protected].