---
title: My upload failed
description: Why the Upload button stays disabled, why a file is refused, why the progress bar seems stuck, and why a file you uploaded is not showing where you expected.
product: Lexpoint — Individuals
audience: People managing their own Canadian immigration
doc_type: troubleshooting
canonical_url: https://docs.lexpoint.io/individuals/troubleshooting/upload-problems/
app_routes: https://my.lexpoint.io/app/cases/[case]/members/[member]/applications/[application]?tab=documents, https://my.lexpoint.io/app/documents
last_verified: 2026-08-27
keywords: upload failed Lexpoint, file too large, 10MB limit, HEIC upload, upload stuck, document not showing
license: Documentation © Lexpoint. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL.
---
# My upload failed

Uploads fail for a small number of concrete reasons: the file is too big, the format is not
accepted, the connection dropped part-way, or the file went somewhere other than where you are
looking for it. The limits themselves are in
[supported files and limits](/individuals/documents/supported-files/); this page is about what to do
when an upload does not work.

## The Upload button stays greyed out

**Cause.** A staged file is over **10MB**. The size check runs in your browser before anything is
sent, so nothing is uploaded and nothing is lost — the file is listed with its size and the note
*— exceeds 10MB limit*, and the button stays disabled while it is in the list.

**Fix.**

1. Remove the flagged file from the list with its remove control. The button comes back as soon as
   no oversized file remains.
2. Make a smaller version. A scan is usually large because it was captured at a higher resolution
   than anyone needs: rescan at 200–300 DPI, or use your scanner or PDF tool's *reduce file size*
   export.
3. If the document genuinely runs long, split it into parts under 10MB and upload each. Files on the
   same requirement can be reordered and combined afterwards — see
   [uploading documents](/individuals/cases/uploading-documents/).

## My file is not in the file picker, or is refused

**Cause.** The picker is filtered to the accepted extensions: `.pdf`, `.jpg`, `.jpeg`, `.png`,
`.doc`, `.docx`. Anything else is greyed out or hidden by your operating system's file dialog, which
is why the file appears to be missing rather than rejected.

The most common case is an iPhone photo saved as **HEIC**, which is not on the list.

Dragging a file onto the drop zone **bypasses that filter**. The file stages, the upload runs, and
the rejection comes back from the server instead — so check the extension yourself when you drag
rather than browse.

**Fix.** Convert first, then upload:

- **iPhone photos** — set **Settings → Camera → Formats** to *Most Compatible* so new photos save as
  JPG. For a photo you already have, use the share sheet to export it as a PDF, or email it to
  yourself, which converts it.
- **Anything else** — print or export to PDF. PDF is the safest format: it survives being combined
  with other files and it keeps page order.

## Only one of the files I dropped was picked up

**Cause.** Not every drop zone takes more than one file. Where the screen is set up for a single
document, dropping a handful hands over only the first file in the batch and quietly ignores the
rest — the list then shows one file where you expected several.

**Fix.** Add the files one at a time, or use the multi-file upload area on a case requirement, which
stages every file you drop and lists them all with their sizes before you select **Upload**.

## The same file will not add twice

**Cause.** The staging list de-duplicates on file name and size. Picking the same file again — or
picking it once by browsing and once by dragging — adds nothing, because it is already staged.

**Fix.** This is working as intended. If you genuinely need two different documents that happen to
share a name, rename one before uploading. Naming files for the person who will read them
(`passport-bio-page.pdf` rather than `IMG_4471.jpg`) avoids the collision entirely.

## The progress bar sits still

**Cause.** Files upload **one at a time**, not in parallel, and the counter reads *Uploading X of
Y…*. A large file early in the list holds the counter at the same number for as long as it takes to
send, which on a slow connection looks identical to being stuck.

The second cause is a session that lapsed while the window sat open. When that happens the upload
stops and the window shows **Not authenticated** rather than continuing.

**Fix.**

1. Give it time proportional to the file. Watch the counter rather than the bar — if *X of Y*
   advances at all, the upload is running.
2. If the window shows **Not authenticated**, close it, refresh the page, sign in again if you are
   asked to, and re-upload. Nothing was stored from that attempt.
3. On a phone, stay on the tab. Switching apps mid-upload can suspend the transfer.
4. If a file fails with a network error, only that file fails — the ones before it are already
   stored, and the ones after it still run.

## The window closed but not every file is there

**Cause.** The upload window closes as soon as **at least one** file has been stored. If some files
in the batch failed — one was too large, one hit a network error — the successful ones are saved,
the window closes, and the failures are not restated afterwards.

**Fix.** Compare the file list on the requirement against what you meant to upload, and re-upload
anything missing. Uploading the same file a second time is safe: it becomes another file on the same
requirement, which you can remove from the document viewer if it turns out to be a duplicate.

:::caution[Check the list before you leave the screen]
The moment to notice a missing file is right after the window closes, while you still remember what
was in the batch. The requirement's file list is the record — not the upload window.
:::

## The file uploaded, but it is not on my Documents page

**Cause.** Three different things produce this, in order of how often:

- **The folders are collapsed.** The Documents page opens with everything closed. Expand the case,
  then the applicant, to reach the file rows.
- **The file was never attached to a requirement.** Documents lists files attached to a document
  requirement on an application, plus the forms Lexpoint generated. A file that is not on a
  requirement has nothing to be listed under.
- **The case is archived.** Archived cases are left out of the page entirely.

The Documents page is also **read-only** — there is no upload control on it, by design. Files enter
the vault by being attached to a requirement on the case they belong to.

**Fix.** Open the case, go to the application's **Documents** tab, and check the requirement you
uploaded against. If the file is there, the vault will list it under that case and applicant. If it
is not, upload it again from the requirement. See
[your document vault](/individuals/documents/vault/).

## The file is on the requirement but shows an unfamiliar status

**Cause.** A stored file is not a finished file. It shows **Reading file** while it is analyzed,
then settles on a review status while it waits for a person to look at it. That is the normal path,
not a failure.

**Fix.** Nothing, unless the status is **Needs Changes** — that one is asking you to act, and the
reason is recorded with the file. The vocabulary is in
[document review statuses](/individuals/cases/review-statuses/) and
[review and verification](/individuals/documents/review/).

## Combining files was refused

**Cause.** The most common one is a **password-protected or secured PDF**, which cannot be merged
with anything. The error names it: *We couldn't combine these PDFs. One or more may be
password-protected or secured. Try exporting an unlocked PDF.* Banks and government portals often
issue statements this way.

**Fix.** Open the file, enter the password yourself, and re-export or print it to a new unprotected
PDF, then replace the locked file with that. The other reasons combine is refused — too few files,
an unsupported type, a read-only application — are listed in
[uploading documents](/individuals/cases/uploading-documents/).

## What to bring to support

Open a ticket at [**my.lexpoint.io/app/tickets**](https://my.lexpoint.io/app/tickets) with:

- The case number and the name of the requirement you were uploading against.
- The file name, its format, and its size in MB.
- The exact error text. Upload errors are reported per file, in the form
  `filename: reason` — copy the whole line.
- Whether the file was dragged in or chosen through the browse dialog.
- Whether other files in the same batch succeeded.

## Related

- [Supported files and limits](/individuals/documents/supported-files/) — the formats, the size cap, and what makes a scan usable
- [Uploading documents](/individuals/cases/uploading-documents/) — the full upload, replace, and combine workflow
- [Your document vault](/individuals/documents/vault/) — where stored files are listed and why
- [Contacting support](/individuals/troubleshooting/contact-support/) — what makes a ticket answerable fast

## Frequently asked questions

### Why is the Upload button greyed out?

One of the staged files is over 10MB. The check runs in your browser before anything is sent, the oversized file is marked "exceeds 10MB limit" in the list, and the button stays disabled until you remove it.

### My iPhone photo will not upload.

iPhone photos default to HEIC, which is not an accepted format. Set Settings, Camera, Formats to "Most Compatible" so new photos save as JPG, or export the existing photo as JPG or PDF.

### I uploaded a file but the Documents page does not show it.

The Documents page lists only files attached to a requirement on a case, and it opens with every folder collapsed. Expand the case, then the applicant. Archived cases are not listed at all.