# Upload failed or timed out

> Diagnose a CV that will not upload — unsupported file type, a corrupted or unreadable PDF, duplicate filenames, or an account credit limit.

Source: https://www.remakecv.com/help/troubleshooting/upload-failed
Last updated: 2026-08-21

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Uploads fail for two distinct reasons: a file problem or an account problem. Credit limits raise a dialog naming the limit; anything else surfaces as "Failed to upload and process file", which almost always means the document's text could not be extracted. The web app itself imposes no file size limit.

## First: which kind of failure is it?

| What you see | Kind |
|---|---|
| A dialog titled **"No Credits Left"** or **"Credit Limit Reached"** | Account |
| **"Failed to upload and process file"** | File |
| **"Upload functionality is restricted for this account."** | Account |
| **"Please select a file to upload"** | Nothing was attached |
| A red error state on a file during a bulk upload | File — see below |

The two kinds have nothing in common, so establishing which you have saves most of the diagnosis.

## Account problems

| Dialog | Meaning | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| **No Credits Left** — "You have run out of credits. Please top up to continue using the service." | The company balance is exhausted | Top up, or wait for the billing cycle |
| **Credit Limit Reached** — "You have reached your individual or shared credit limit for this period." | A per-user or shared-pool cap, while the company still has credits | An administrator raises the limit — costs nothing |

> **Tip:** 
These are genuinely different. "Credit Limit Reached" is an administrator setting an administrator can change in a minute at no cost. See [credits explained](https://www.remakecv.com/help/account-and-billing/credits-explained.md).

## File problems

### Check the format

Only `.pdf`, `.doc` and `.docx` are supported for CVs. Convert anything else first.

Note that the attachment pickers for interview notes and job descriptions accept a wider range including `.txt` — that is a different feature, and a `.txt` file cannot be used as a CV.

### Check the file opens on your machine

If it will not open locally, it is corrupted and RemakeCV cannot read it either. Ask for a fresh copy.

### Check for protection or restrictions

A PDF with encryption or permission restrictions may fail text extraction. Open it with the password and re-save without protection, then retry.

### Try a different CV

If another file uploads fine, the problem is that document. If nothing uploads at all, it is your account, network or the service — see [service status](https://www.remakecv.com/help/reference/service-status.md).

> **Warning:** 
"Failed to upload and process file" is a single generic message covering every extraction failure — an unsupported type, an unreadable PDF, or a platform-side problem with the OCR service. The message alone does not distinguish them, so work through the steps rather than inferring a cause from the wording.

## Bulk uploads: two behaviours to know

**Duplicate filenames are dropped before upload.** If you select several files with the same name, the duplicates are skipped with a warning, and only one is processed. A candidate whose CV "never processed" was often a second file with an identical name.

**Failed files in a batch show a red status but no message.** In single-file mode you get "Failed to upload and process file"; in a batch you get a status indicator only. To see the actual error, retry that file on its own.

See [bulk formatting](https://www.remakecv.com/help/formatting-cvs/bulk-formatting.md).

## What about file size?

There is no size limit in the web app itself. Very large files still take longer to upload and process, and can hit limits imposed by your own network or a corporate proxy.

The **10MB default does apply to the [public API](https://www.remakecv.com/help/api-reference/endpoints/process-a-cv.md)**, where it is configurable per company. If you are integrating and hitting that cap, email support@remakecv.com.

## Nothing uploads at all

Then it is not the file:

- Try a different browser, to rule out an extension blocking uploads
- Check your network — corporate firewalls sometimes block large uploads
- Check [`GET /health`](https://www.remakecv.com/help/api-reference/endpoints/health.md) if you use the API
- Email support@remakecv.com with the time and what you saw

## Frequently asked questions

### Is there a file size limit in the web app?

No. The 10MB limit applies to the public API, where it is configurable per company. The web app itself does not enforce one, though very large files take longer and may hit network limits.

### Can I upload a .txt CV?

No. CVs must be .pdf, .doc or .docx. The .txt option you may have seen belongs to the interview-notes and job-description attachment fields, which are a separate feature.

### Does a failed upload use a credit?

No. A credit is deducted only after a CV parses successfully.