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About Kanopy
Kanopy is a streaming service that provides access to a wide range of movies and documentaries, as well as educational and instructional videos. The platform is available to library cardholders, students, and faculty at participating institutions, and it can also be accessed through some mobile and streaming devices.
Their selection of films and documentaries is quite extensive, featuring many award-winning titles from around the world. The service covers a broad range of genres, including classic cinema, indie films, foreign films, and popular movies, as well as documentaries on topics such as social issues, history, and the arts.
Kanopy also offers a curated collection of educational and instructional videos that cover a variety of subjects, including business, healthcare, and the arts. These videos can be used in classroom settings or for personal learning, and they are often produced by top educational institutions and organizations.
One of the unique features of Kanopy is that it is entirely ad-free, and it provides unlimited access to its entire collection of films and documentaries to its users. Additionally, Kanopy offers customizable playlists, closed captions, and the ability to share videos with others, making it a versatile and user-friendly platform for both personal and educational use.
Kanopy Kid’s Mode
Kanopy Kid’s mode is a feature of the Kanopy streaming service that allows parents and caregivers to create a safe and secure viewing experience for children. When activated, Kid’s mode filters out adult-oriented content and displays only age-appropriate films and videos that have been specifically chosen for children.
To use Kanopy Kid’s mode, a parent or caregiver must first create a Kanopy account and then select the “Kids” category. This will bring up a selection of films and videos that are appropriate for children, ranging from classic children’s movies to educational programs and documentaries.
Once in Kid’s mode, the user will not be able to access any content outside of the Kids category, which is specifically curated for children. This means that parents can have peace of mind that their children will not be exposed to any content that they have not approved.
Kanopy Kid’s mode also provides age-appropriate recommendations, and users can search for content by age range, making it easier to find movies and videos that are suitable for their child’s age and interests. Additionally, the platform offers parental controls to limit screen time and set up a PIN to prevent children from accessing adult-oriented content outside of Kid’s mode.
What it’s great for:
- Quality films
- Educational videos
- Kid’s mode available
Works best on:
- Computers
- Tablets
- Mobile Phones
- Televisions
Get the App
Frequently Asked Questions
All you need to get started is your library card number and your PIN/password. This is needed for registration if your library requires one. During registration, Kanopy will ask you to enter an email address. This will be your username to log into our service. At this time, you are able to set a password for your account as well.
Play credits are used to play videos on Kanopy. Each month, you receive a set number of play credits from your library. Your play credits reset on the first day of each month (at midnight in your library’s time zone), and unused play credits don’t roll over to the next month.
When you log in to Kanopy, you’ll see the play credit counter in the top-right corner of the homepage. The counter displays your remaining play credits out of your monthly total.
A film uses a play credit once you start it. Many films on Kanopy have a 48 or 72 hour viewing period, and you can watch the film as many times as you like during the viewing period without using another play credit.
Series and episodes
Some series, like those from A&E and The History Channel, require only one play credit to access an entire season for one viewing period (48 or 72 hours). Other series require a play credit for each episode you watch.
You can see how a series uses play credits in the Kanopy mobile app. If “Playlist” appears at the top of the title details page, only one play credit is required to access the entire series or season for one viewing period. If “Collection” appears at the top of the title details page, each episode will use a play credit.
Note: The supplier for each individual series decides how play credits are used when their series is viewed.
The steps are different depending on which device you’re using. Visit their website to see how to set up Kanopy on your device.
The following titles don’t use play credits in the standard way:
- Kanopy Kids titles: You have unlimited plays for videos in the Kanopy Kids section.
- The Great Courses series: The Great Courses series don’t use play credits, but your library may set a monthly limit on the number of series you can watch. To find out if your library has a monthly limit on Great Courses series, check your library’s website or contact us.
Note: If you reach your series limit, you won’t be able to start new series until next month, but you can continue to watch any series you’ve already started.
- Credit-Free Viewing titles: You’ll sometimes see a “Credit-Free Viewing” shelf on the Kanopy homepage. These titles can be watched without using a play credit as long as they’re on this shelf. If a title leaves this shelf, watching it will require a play credit.
On the My Lists page, the Continue Watching tab displays films that you’ve started watching but haven’t finished.
For films with 48 or 72 hour viewing periods, you’ll see the number of hours remaining until your play credit expires in the top-right corner of the film on your Continue Watching list.
When a play credit expires, you’ll need to use another one to continue watching.
With Kanopy’s parental controls enabled, your child will only be able to view titles in Kanopy Kids. To exit Kanopy Kids or watch videos outside of Kanopy Kids, you’ll need to enter a four-digit PIN.
To set up parental controls
- Log in to your Kanopy account from a web or mobile browser.
- Go to My Account and select Parental Controls.
- Enter a four-digit PIN and select Turn On. We recommend using an original PIN that doesn’t include any part of your address, phone number, or other number that your child might guess.
Parental controls can only be managed from a browser, though your PIN will be required to exit Kanopy Kids from any device.
To disable your PIN
- Go to Parental Controls and enter your PIN.
- Select Turn Off.
To reset your PIN
- Go to Parental Controls and select Forgot PIN?
- Select Send. Directions for resetting your PIN will be sent to the email address associated with your Kanopy account.
A Forgot PIN link will be available across all devices, but you can only reset your PIN through a browser. If you’re using the Kanopy app, the link in the email will redirect you to the Kanopy website.
You can also visit Kanopy’s website to get more help.
