Browser Information

Blackboard requires the latest release of Firefox; Internet Explorer 8 or 9; or Safari for Mac, version 5 or 5.1. See Blackboard’s list of Supported Browsers and Operating Systems for more information.

Cookies are required to log in to Blackboard, and to use certain tools such as SafeAssign.

Blackboard requires JavaScript or JScript for proper operation.

Pop-up windows should be enabled when using Blackboard in order to view information that appears in a new window. This may occur with quizzes and tests in Blackboard.

Java is required for various items in Blackboard, such as text editors, the grade center, and viewing math and science formulas.

If you do not see a Java Version listed in the space below, make sure your Java is up‐to‐date.

Media Plugins

In the space below you should see a white version of the University’s “A” with an orange star fading in and out over a blue background along with the version of Flash on your computer. If you can see that, your browser has the Flash plugin installed.

Flash is used for various media inside courses and organizations.

If you’re having trouble viewing the Flash sample, make sure you have an up-to-date version of the Flash Player installed properly.
You may also want to check Flash Player Support.

Instructors often post audio and video content in Blackboard. Audio files are commonly in mp3 or QuickTime format while video is usually in QuickTime. Here are some sample audio and video files as they would be delivered in Blackboard. Check whether you can play these files in your browser.

MP3 audio file

QuickTime video file

If you have problems viewing the QuickTime files, make sure you have an up–to–date version of the QuickTime plugin installed properly.

Download Apple QuickTime
Apple QuickTime Support Area

Document Files

Files are often available in the pdf format on course and organization sites in Blackboard.
To test if you have Adobe Reader installed properly, click this link for a Test PDF File

Make sure you have the latest version of Adobe Reader. The file should open in your browser or you should be able to download it and open it with Adobe Reader or another program that can view PDF files.

If you cannot open PDF files in Blackboard, this problem typically affects Firefox. Try the following workarounds:

• Switch to Google Chrome
• See Viewing PDF files in Firefox without downloading them or Install the SchubertIT PDF Browser Plugin.
• Follow Adobe’s instructions to configure PDFs to display in Safari.
• Save the PDF to your computer first, and then trying to open it, or open it in a new window.

Many instructors provide content in documents using Microsoft Office formats. The file names for Word documents end in “.doc” or “.docx” while names for PowerPoint documents end in “.ppt”. You can test your computer’s ability to download and open Office documents with these files:

• Test Word File
• Test PowerPoint File