Reduce Your Blackboard Footprint in Ultra

Find and delete unused files (Ultra)

Ultra has made finding and deleting unused files VERY easy. 

If you want to find your unused files so that you can delete them, click on the three dots at the top right of your Content area (next to the magnifying glass icon). 

Choose Unused Files from the menu. 

That will bring up a list of unused files. 

First, make sure that List View at the top left is set to Unused Files. 

Click on the checkbox next to each file you want to remove, then choose Delete Files. 

Remove video files

In the past, you might have needed to upload video files to Blackboard to use them in your course. However, TCC now uses Panopto, a video capture and storage service that is integrated with Blackboard. With Panopto, you can upload video files or record video directly, and never even touch your Blackboard quota! In addition, Panopto automatically adds captions to videos, which makes the videos accessible and searchable. Learn how to get started with Panopto.

Reduce file sizes

Microsoft Office Files

Use the tools available in Microsoft Office to reduce file size for PowerPoint and Word files. The Compress Pictures option is located in the Save As dialogue box, under tools near the Save button. You can also save files as PDFs before uploading, which often makes smaller, read-only versions of the files.

Images

Use a graphics program to resize images for screen viewing before uploading. You can also use an online service such as http://www.shrinkpictures.com or http://www.picresize.com.

Audio

Use software to resample or trim audio files to reduce their size.

Delete outdated master sites or organization sites

This won't decrease your quota, but it does make Blackboard a more pleasant environment. Look for non-credit sites that can be removed to free up space. Credit sites will be removed according to our established schedule.  You can complete the site removal form to request that non-credit and organization sites be removed.