Kanopy

Kanopy Kids

Unlimited access to videos for kids ages 2 and up

Signing Up

How to get started with a Kanopy account

How to Watch

Learn which devices you can use and how many videos you can watch

Help

Troubleshoot common problems using Kanopy

Thanks to a gift from the Madison Public Library Foundation, anyone with a Madison library card can now enjoy over 30,000 free videos from Kanopy, a company committed to streaming high-quality films that inspire, educate and entertain to libraries around the globe. Kanopy’s unique selection offers something for everyone, from award winning indie films to important and timely documentaries, to foreign films, popular cinema, children’s shows and more. The library's subscription includes unlimited access to Kanopy Kids and Great Courses, a collection of lectures on a variety of topics from literature, health, finance, and more.

Many of Kanopy’s videos are not available on any other streaming video platform, and the experience is easy-to-use and completely advertisement free. New videos are added regularly in a wide range of subject areas.

Some popular titles by genre include the following:

Short: The Phone Call	Horror: Midsommar	Drama: The Bookshop
Comedy: What We Do in the Shadows	Documentary: I Am Not Your Negro	Foreign Language: Seven Samurai
Classic: Dial M for Murder	Animation: Loving Vincent	Romance: The Tomorrow Man
Sci-Fi: Under the Skin	Thriller: Eye in the Sky	Kids: Don’t let the Pigeon Drive the Bus
Series: Alone	Miniseries: Roots

Kanopy Kids

Kanopy Kids is a carefuly curated collection of the best children’s programming available today. Our kids' selection is curated to support early literacy, STEM education, and even foreign language learning. Using favorite children’s characters from Sesame Street, PBS Kids, Weston Woods, and more, our collection of kids films inspire empathy, critical thinking, and self-esteem in young viewers.

Children and their parents can enjoy Kanopy Kids with a generous viewing period and parental controls.

Signing up for a Kanopy account

1. Click on the blue "Connect to Kanopy" button at the top of this page, or go to madisonpubliclibrary.kanopy.com

2. Click on Add Library Card

3. Type in your 14-digit library card number with no spaces, and your 4-digit PIN. Then click Continue

4. On the next page, you'll create your Kanopy account. You'll use this account to log in to Kanopy. To create your account, you can:

Enter your first and last name, email address, and a password you'd like to use. These do not need to match the information associated with your library card or library account.
Sign up with an existing Apple or Google account by selecting Sign Up with Apple or Sign Up with Google and following the instructions.

5. On the next page, you'll see a Welcome screen. When you're ready to get started, select the Watch Now button and enjoy!

How to watch videos with Kanopy

You can watch on your desktop or laptop computer, mobile device, TV apps, and more.

With your Madison library card, you can use 10 play credits per month. Each video will use 1 play credit regardless of length, unless you are accessing videos from Kanopy Kids, Great Courses, or the list of Monthly Credit-Free Films -- these collections do not require any play credits to view. If you use all available play credits for the month you will not be able to play any videos until the 1st of the next month when your play credits reset. Unused play credits will not roll over into the next month.

A play credit will be used once at least 5 seconds of a video has been played. Once a play credit is logged, you will have a full 3 days (72 hours) to watch the video as many times as you would like without using another play credit, even if a new month starts and your credits reset. Your Viewing History (when accessing from a web or mobile browser) will show any video that is still available to view in your 3-day window.

After the 3-day window has expired, another play credit will be used if you press play on the video again.

Help

Having trouble using Kanopy? Here are some Help articles to troubleshoot common problems:

It's telling me that I already have an account, but I don't remember setting one up OR I don't have access to that email address anymore. You can ask Kanopy to delete your account. After that, you can start over and create a new account with your current library card number and email address.
It says my library card number or PIN may be incorrect. Make sure you are typing in your library card number without spaces. If that doesn't work, it's possible that your card has expired, or your Home Library is not set to Madison or another library that subscribes to Kanopy. Contact library staff for help by calling 608-266-6350 or Ask a Librarian online. If you don't know your PIN, you will need to come in to your nearest library with photo ID to reset it.
I have a Kanopy account with another library, and I want to add my Madison library card too. Here are instructions for adding Madison to your existing account.
The video I'm trying to watch isn't loading. Try the steps on this General troubleshooting page, depending on the device you're using.

If the steps listed above don't work for you, you can Contact Kanopy Support for more help.