Lovable
storage
Image Upload Failing or Corrupted in Lovable
When users try to upload images in your Lovable app, the upload either fails entirely, succeeds but the image appears broken or corrupted, or the image uploads but never displays correctly on the page.
Image uploads are a core feature for many apps — profile pictures, product images, gallery uploads. When they break, users can't complete essential tasks and the app feels unreliable.
The issue may appear in different ways: a spinner that never completes, an error message after selecting a file, a broken image icon where the photo should appear, or images that upload fine on desktop but fail on mobile.
Error Messages You Might See
Failed to upload image
Payload too large
Error: new row violates check constraint
The resource could not be loaded
net::ERR_FAILED 413
Common Causes
- File size too large — Mobile phone photos can be 5-15MB, exceeding default upload limits
- Wrong MIME type — HEIC images from iPhones aren't handled, or the server expects specific image formats
- Storage bucket not configured — Supabase storage bucket doesn't exist or has wrong permissions
- Missing image transformation — Images aren't resized before upload, causing timeout on large files
- Base64 encoding issues — The app converts images to base64 for database storage, hitting text column size limits
How to Fix It
- Check Supabase storage configuration — Verify the bucket exists, is set to public (if images need to be displayed), and has correct RLS policies
- Add client-side image compression — Use a library like browser-image-compression to resize images before upload
- Handle HEIC format — Add HEIC to JPEG conversion for iPhone users using heic2any library
- Increase upload size limits — Configure your server and Supabase to accept larger files if needed
- Verify the image URL — Check that the stored URL is correct and accessible by opening it directly in a browser
Real developers can help you.
rayush33
JavaScript (React.js, React Native, Node.js) Developer with demonstrated industry experience of 4+ years, actively looking for opportunities to hone my skills as well as help small-scale business owners with solutions to technical problems
Daniel Vázquez
Software Engineer with over 10 years of experience on Startups, Government, big tech industry & consulting.
Basel Issmail
’m a Senior Full-Stack Developer and Tech Lead with experience designing and building scalable web platforms. I work across the full development lifecycle, from translating business requirements into technical architecture to delivering reliable production systems.
My work focuses on modern web technologies, including TypeScript, Angular, Node.js, and cloud-based architectures. I enjoy solving complex technical problems and helping teams turn product ideas and prototypes into working platforms that can grow and scale.
In addition to development, I often collaborate closely with product managers, business analysts, designers, and QA teams to ensure that solutions align with both technical and business goals.
I enjoy working with startups and product teams where I can contribute both as a hands-on engineer and as a technical partner in designing and delivering impactful software.
Krishna Sai Kuncha
Experienced Professional Full stack Developer with 8+ years of experience across react, python, js, ts, golang and react-native. Developed inhouse websearch tooling for AI before websearch was solved : )
Tejas Chokhawala
Full-stack engineer with 5 years experience building production web apps using React, Next.js and TypeScript.
Focused on performance, clean architecture and shipping fast.
Experienced with Supabase/Postgres backends, Stripe billing, and building AI-assisted developer tools.
Prakash Prajapati
I’m a Senior Python Developer specializing in building secure, scalable, and highly available systems. I work primarily with Python, Django, FastAPI, Docker, PostgreSQL, and modern AI tooling such as PydanticAI, focusing on clean architecture, strong design principles, and reliable DevOps practices. I enjoy solving complex engineering problems and designing systems that are maintainable, resilient, and built to scale.
Yovel Cohen
I got a lot of experience in building Long-horizon AI Agents in production, Backend apps that scale to millions of users and frontend knowledge as well.
Victor Denisov
Developer
Jared Hasson
Full time lead founding dev at a cyber security saas startup, with 10 yoe and a bachelor's in CS. Building & debugging software products is what I've spent my time on for forever
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.
You don't need to be technical. Just describe what's wrong and a verified developer will handle the rest.
Get HelpFrequently Asked Questions
Why do iPhone photos fail to upload?
iPhones save photos in HEIC format by default, which many web apps don't support. You need to either convert HEIC to JPEG before upload or configure your storage to accept HEIC files.
Should I store images in the database or storage?
Always use dedicated storage (like Supabase Storage or S3). Storing images as base64 in the database is slow, expensive, and hits size limits quickly.