Empty Files Submitted to Assignments and Content Collection – Users of Microsoft Windows 10 and Edge Browser

Microsoft Edge File Upload Issue

A bug in the Microsoft Edge browser in Windows 10 can cause file attachments to become blank in Blackboard. So far, this issue only appears to affect Microsoft Office files (Word, Excel, PPT, etc.).

The issue occurs when following these steps when trying to add attachments (for instance on content items or assignments):

1. Click on the "Browse My Computer" button, and navigate to the Microsoft Office file you want to attach. Click Open, but do not Submit the main page you're trying to attach the file to.
2. Outside of Blackboard, use Windows Explorer to open the file you selected in step 1; then close the file.
3. Now, back in Blackboard, click the Submit button for the page you're trying to attach the file to. 

When you follow these steps, you’ll see that a file with the correct filename will be attached to the item. However, when you open the attachment, it will be blank.  

Workaround #1:
Do not open the source file after selecting it for upload into Blackboard Learn.  Users should be advised to open files for inspection before accessing the area to which they wish to upload the file.

Workaround #2:
Use a different browser such as Chrome or Firefox.