DOCSUPRA › Upload keeps failing
Your document upload keeps failing. Here is why.
Upload forms are famously bad at saying what went wrong. "Something went wrong, please try again" covers six completely different problems, and trying again fixes exactly none of them. Here they are in the order they actually occur.
The short answer. In order of how often they happen: the format is not accepted (HEIC is the usual culprit), the file is over the size limit, the dimensions are outside the allowed range, the session timed out while the file uploaded, the filename contains characters the system rejects, or the page itself is failing and the file is fine.
1. The format is not accepted
An iPhone saves photos as HEIC by default, and most receiving systems cannot open it. The upload often fails with no message at all, because the file never gets far enough to produce one. Converting to JPEG or PDF solves it. To stop it recurring: Settings → Camera → Formats → Most Compatible.
How to tell it is this
The failure is instant, and the same file fails on every attempt. If a different photo taken with a different app uploads fine, it is the format.
2. The file is over the size limit
The second most common, and the one people diagnose last, because the limit is usually written somewhere you did not read. The failure usually arrives after a long wait, at the very end of the progress bar.
3. The dimensions are outside the allowed range
Photo uploads in particular often have a minimum and a maximum pixel size, and a square requirement. A file can be well under the size limit and still be refused for being 1400 pixels wide where 1200 is the ceiling.
4. The session timed out
A large file on a slow connection can outlast the login session. The upload appears to complete and then bounces you to a sign-in page, or fails with a generic error. A smaller file uploads faster and simply avoids the problem.
How to tell it is this
It fails at the end, not the start, and the same file sometimes works on a faster connection.
5. The filename
Accented characters, emoji, hashes, ampersands and very long names still break older systems. Rename to plain letters, numbers, hyphens and underscores before assuming the file is at fault.
6. The portal is broken and your file is fine
It happens more than anyone admits, particularly near a filing deadline. If a small, plainly named JPEG also fails, the problem is not your document. Try a different browser once, then wait rather than re-uploading twenty times — repeated failed attempts occasionally trip rate limits and lock you out.
The five-minute triage
- Check the file extension. If it is .heic, convert it.
- Check the file size against the stated limit.
- Check the pixel dimensions if it is a photo upload.
- Rename to plain characters.
- If a tiny test file also fails, it is not you.
Fix the file before the next attempt
Runs in your browser. Your document is never uploaded. See the finished result before you pay.
Open DOCSUPRARelated
Doing this for clients, not for yourself? DOCSUPRA for teams adds the batch queue, one combined PDF per matter and a dated compliance report — still with nothing uploaded.
What it costs
See the finished file first — sharp on screen, 100% with the lens, no card and no account.
Prices are in USD and exclude any tax that applies in your country; Stripe calculates it and shows it before you pay.
See the full comparison →