When an upload will not go through

Work down this list. Between them the first two explain most failed uploads.

1. The file is too large

The default limit is 50 MB, and your firm may have set it lower. The message names the limit when this is the problem.

Scanned documents are the usual offender. Rescan at 200–300 dpi in black and white rather than colour, or run the PDF through a compressor. A 90 MB scan of a 12-page letter is a scanner setting, not a big document.

2. The file type is not allowed

By default: PDF, DOCX, XLSX, JPG, JPEG and PNG. Your firm may allow fewer.

The common refusals are HEIC photographs from an iPhone, ZIP archives and Pages or Numbers files. Export to PDF and upload that. An admin can widen the list under Settings → Organization → Documents, but converting is usually faster than changing a firm-wide rule for one file.

3. The connection dropped

A large file over a weak connection can fail partway. Nothing half-uploads — the document simply does not appear. Try again on a better connection, and prefer a wired or office network for anything over about 20 MB.

4. Something is wrong in the browser

If the first three do not apply: reload the page, then try a private window, then a different browser. That sequence separates a stale page from an extension from a genuine fault, and takes a minute.

It uploaded but you cannot find it

It is probably not missing. Either a filter is still set on the document list, or the file is waiting for approval and is not in the working set yet. See Finding a document again and Document status and approvals.

Still stuck

Write in through Help & Support → Contact Support in the portal, and include the file name, its size, its type and what the message said. Those four facts usually answer it without a second exchange.