Canvas - Known Issue - External links display gray page with message "site.wisc.edu refused to connect" [UW-Madison]

This document describes an error instructors may encounter if they try to use external links to web content in Canvas. The article specifically describes an error instructors may see when trying to link to videos in Kaltura MediaSpace or YouTube.

For example creating an external link to a YouTube video may create the error "www.youtube.com refused to connect", and a Kaltura video will produce the error "mediaspace.wisc.edu refused to connect":
A screenshot of a Canvas course with an external link to a Kaltura video displaying the error "mediaspace.wisc.edu refused to connect."
 

Affects

This issue notably affects Kaltura and YouTube videos that have been added to Canvas as external URLs. It may also affect other content that has been added via external URL.  See "External URL to page that doesn't allow iFraming causes sad face" for more information. 

Workaround

This error can be avoided by making sure you check Load in a new tab when creating an external link:
A screenshot showing the "Add External URL" options page. The "Load in a new tab" checkbox is checked and outlined in red to help point it out.

In general we don't recommend using external links to Kaltura MediaSpace video content. Instead we recommend embedding Kaltura content in a page. Embedding Kaltura media is described in Canvas - Upload and Embed a New Kaltura Mediaspace Video in a Canvas Page [UW-Madison] . If you prefer linking to Kaltura content additional information is available in Linking to Kaltura media from a Canvas course.


Keywords:
canvas, external, link, error, message, gray, screen, sad, face,"www.youtube.com refused to connect", "mediaspace.wisc.edu refused to connect" 
Doc ID:
94144
Owned by:
Learn@UW Madison in Learn@UW-Madison
Created:
2019-08-28
Updated:
2023-02-08
Sites:
DoIT Help Desk, Learn@UW-Madison