The TEL team are often asked which browser to use with Blackboard. We thought it was worth sharing a few tips and recommendations to help you – whichever browser you chose to use. Blackboard is compatible with the main browsers: Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer, Safari and Edge. It’s worth checking this list of support browsers to make sure the version of your browser is supported.
Our preferred browsers for working with Blackboard are currently Chrome or Firefox. In our training sessions, we advise staff to use one of these two browsers.
Chrome and MS Edge
If you are using Chrome, please be aware of he issue of Plug-ins not working in Google Chrome.
You might also be aware that the latest versions of Google Chrome and Microsoft’s new Edge browser (for Windows 10) do not support a type of plug-in that is used in some live chat tools and some media players. Any tools that use this plug-in aren’t supported by Blackboard in these browsers. This issue also prevents you from using the multiple file upload feature in FileShare.
Internet Explorer
If you like to use Internet Explorer (IE), to make Blackboard work correctly you will need to turn off ‘compatibility view’.
Further details on how to tackle common issues using IE with Blackboard can be found on the on the Blackboard help site.
Test your Browser
Our best advice is to check out Blackboard’s Support for Staff tab where you’ll find the Browser Test feature. This allows you to check the compatibility of your browser with Blackboard and other features.
Beneath that, Technical Support has links to other information to help you identify how well various browsers work with Blackboard. The same browser test and information is also available for students on the Support for Students tab.
We hope you find this helpful!