---
title: "Add a course file"
slug: "add-a-course-file"
tags: ["Content Creator", "How-to", "Totara Learn"]
updated: 2025-07-22T10:52:18Z
published: 2025-07-22T11:18:31Z
canonical: "totara.help/add-a-course-file"
---

> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://totara.help/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Add a course file

When [creating courses](/19/docs/create-a-course) you may want to add important files for your learners to access. There are multiple ways to add files to your courses.

To add a file as a resource follow these steps:

1. Go to the course and **Turn editing on**.
2. Click **Add a resource or activity** in the section you want to add the file to.
3. From the list of resources select **File**, then click **Add**.
4. Configure the [settings](/19/docs/course-file-settings) as required.
5. Click **Save and return to course** to finish.

## Alias

When you use the file picker to add an existing file from either your **Private file** area in Totara Learn or a repository file (such as Server file or an external connected repository) you will have two options.

1. **Make a copy of the file:** This makes a separate copy of the file. The file is now duplicated and not linked to the original file, so you can make changes without affecting the original.
2. **Create an alias/shortcut to the file**: This creates a link to the original file, meaning that any changes to the original file will be disseminated across any aliases.

Which option you choose depends on whether you wish for this instance of the file to be affected by changes to the original or not.

Aliases can be a good way of preventing extra storage space being taken up (by only having a single copy of a file) and means that you only have to make changes once and it will be applied to all the file's aliases across the site.

## Drag and drop

If you want your file to show up as a downloadable link on your course, and you do not immediately wish to configure any other settings, then you can drag and drop it directly onto the course page.

1. Go to the course and **Turn editing on**.
2. Find the file on your computer and hover the mouse pointer over it, then press and hold the left mouse button so that you can drag it.
3. Drag it over to the section you want to add it to on the course and drop it by releasing the left mouse button.

You can then [edit your file settings](/19/docs/course-file-settings) if required.

## From a ZIP folder

It is possible to upload a ZIP folder and then set a file to display as the main file. This could be useful if for example you wanted to upload an exported website, as you could upload this as a ZIP folder and then set the **index.html** page as the main file.

## Via a link

If you want to link to a file in an external repository, instead of uploading a copy to the course, you can add the file to the course as a hyperlink in a text area. However, if you choose this method then you will not be able to configure the settings in the same way.

1. Go to the course and **Turn editing on**.
2. Add some text (for example [via a label](/19/docs/add-course-content-as-a-label) or using the topic description).
3. Highlight the text and click the hyperlink icon (![](https://cdn.document360.io/a007399b-031e-436b-999a-528240e16f58/Images/Documentation/image-1633617072996.png?sv=2026-02-06&spr=https&st=2026-11-01T15%3A50%3A58Z&se=2026-11-01T16%3A50%3A58Z&sr=c&sp=r&sig=7yXGYFGbBXvdQXnmEwpACYFmSfkAyvoo7yTxl033X1g%3D)) to create a link.
4. Select **From a repository** and then upload or browse for your file.
5. Choose the file and click **Select this file**.
6. When you are done click **Save and return to course**.

## Next steps

- [Course file settings](/19/docs/course-file-settings)

Join the [Totara Community](https://totara.community/) for more resources to help you get the most out of Totara.

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