Common Issues general

File Upload Not Working in My AI App

Users try to upload files (images, documents, etc.) and the upload fails, shows an error, takes forever, or the file seems to upload successfully but then disappears or can't be accessed.

Error Messages You Might See

413 Payload Too Large Failed to fetch Storage object not found Bucket not found Permission denied

Common Causes

  • File size exceeds the server or hosting platform's limit
  • Storage bucket not configured or permissions wrong
  • Upload saves to local filesystem which doesn't persist on serverless platforms
  • CORS blocking the upload request to the storage service
  • File type validation rejecting valid files

How to Fix It

  1. Check the browser Network tab for the upload request — see the error response
  2. Try uploading a very small file (under 1MB) to rule out size limits
  3. Verify your storage configuration (Supabase Storage, S3, etc.) is correct in production
  4. Check storage bucket permissions — uploads need write access
  5. If using serverless hosting, make sure you're uploading to cloud storage, not the local filesystem

Real developers can help you.

Dor Yaloz Dor Yaloz SW engineer with 6+ years of experience, I worked with React/Node/Python did projects with React+Capacitor.js for ios Supabase expert Daniel Vázquez Daniel Vázquez Software Engineer with over 10 years of experience on Startups, Government, big tech industry & consulting. Kingsley Omage Kingsley Omage Fullstack software engineer passionate about AI Agents, blockchain, LLMs. Omar Faruk Omar Faruk As a Product Engineer at Klasio, I contributed to end-to-end product development, focusing on scalability, performance, and user experience. My work spanned building and refining core features, developing dynamic website templates, integrating secure and reliable payment gateways, and optimizing the overall system architecture. I played a key role in creating a scalable and maintainable platform to support educators and learners globally. I'm enthusiastic about embracing new challenges and making meaningful contributions. Matt Butler Matt Butler Software Engineer @ AWS Caio Rodrigues Caio Rodrigues I'm a full-stack developer focused on building practical and scalable web applications. My main experience is with **React, TypeScript, and modern frontend architectures**, where I prioritize clean code, component reusability, and maintainable project structures. I have strong experience working with **dynamic forms, state management (Redux / React Hook Form), and complex data-driven interfaces**. I enjoy solving real-world problems by turning ideas into reliable software that companies can actually use in their daily operations. Beyond coding, I care about **software quality and architecture**, following best practices for componentization, code organization, and performance optimization. I'm also comfortable working across the stack when needed, integrating APIs, handling business logic, and helping transform prototypes into production-ready systems. My goal is always to deliver solutions that are **simple, efficient, and genuinely useful for the people using them.** PawelPloszaj PawelPloszaj I'm fronted developer with 10+ years of experience with big projects. I have small backend background too BurnHavoc BurnHavoc Been around fixing other peoples code for 20 years. Matthew Jordan Matthew Jordan I've been working at a large software company named Kainos for 2 years, and mainly specialise in Platform Engineering. I regularly enjoy working on software products outside of work, and I'm a huge fan of game development using Unity. I personally enjoy Python & C# in my spare time, but I also specialise in multiple different platform-related technologies from my day job. Jen Jacobsen Jen Jacobsen I’m a Full-Stack Developer with over 10 years of experience building modern web and mobile applications. I enjoy working across the full product lifecycle — turning ideas into real, well-built products that are intuitive for users and scalable for businesses. I particularly enjoy building mobile apps, modern web platforms, and solving complex technical problems in a way that keeps systems clean, reliable, and easy to maintain.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Files upload but then disappear. What's happening?

Your app is probably saving files to the server's local filesystem, which gets wiped on each deploy. You need to use cloud storage (Supabase Storage, S3, etc.) instead.

Upload works for small files but fails for large ones. Why?

There's likely a file size limit on the server, hosting platform, or in the code. A developer can increase the limits and add proper large file handling.

Related Common Issues Issues

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