This article outlines the limits that apply across Absorb LMS, including limits on Custom Fields, file uploads, and character counts. It also explains how to interpret situations where a limit is not officially documented, and shares practical guidance for protecting performance and the Learner Experience. Use it as a reference when configuring your Portal and building content.

Documented Limits

The following limits are documented and enforced within Absorb LMS. Each limit is fixed or configurable as noted, and applies to the field or feature described.

Custom Fields

A System Admin can add a defined number of Custom Fields to your Portal from the Portal Settings page. The maximum number of fields depends on the field type:

For more detail, see How Many Custom Fields Can I Add To My Portal?

Upload File Size

Absorb's File Manager applies a maximum size per uploaded file, and the limit differs between the Administrator Interface and the Learner Interface. These limits apply to each individual file, not to the total capacity of your File Manager.

Files larger than these limits will fail to upload. 

For larger content, split the file into smaller parts and spread them across multiple Lessons or Resources. For more detail, see What Are Absorb's Upload File Size Limits?

API Pagination and Limits

Absorb's Integration Application Programming Interface (API) supports pagination to help manage large datasets and avoid overloading the system. Two parameters control how records are returned:

• _limit: Sets the number of records returned per request.
• _offset: Sets the page of results, starting at 0.

For complete parameter details, refer to the Absorb Integration API documentation.

WYSIWYG Description Fields

Several description fields use a What You See Is What You Get (WYSIWYG) editor, such as Course descriptions and Message Templates. These fields have a maximum length of 4,000 characters.

• The 4,000-character limit counts only visible text and excludes HTML tags.
• It applies to fields such as Course descriptions and Message Templates.
• If you exceed the limit, the system prevents you from saving or publishing the content.

For more detail, see Advanced Text Formatting with Absorb's HTML Editor.

Notes Field in Online Course Settings

The Notes section within Online Course Settings is a rich text field with no character limit. 

For related configuration detail, see Overview of Online Course Settings.

Course Title Character Limit

The Title field of an Online Course accepts a maximum of 450 characters. This title is visible to both Learners and Admins.

The same 450-character limit applies to Curriculum titles. 

For more detail, see Overview of Online Course Settings and Overview of Curriculum Settings.

Limits That Are Not Documented

When Absorb LMS does not explicitly state a limit for a field, feature, or function, it does not necessarily mean that no limit exists. An undocumented limit may be implicit, based on system architecture or browser capabilities, or it may simply be unpublished while still affecting performance or behavior. In some cases, the system may behave unpredictably once practical thresholds are exceeded.

What to Consider When Limits Are Not Mentioned

Even when a limit is not stated, keep the following factors in mind when working with large inputs or high volumes of content:

• Browser Performance: Large inputs, such as long text fields or massive data tables, can cause slow rendering, freezing, or crashes, especially on older browsers or low-memory devices.
• Loading Times: Excessive content, such as too many images or large blocks of HTML, can increase page load times and affect usability and accessibility.
• Data Integrity: Very large inputs may result in truncated data, validation errors, or server timeouts.
• User Experience: Overly long titles, descriptions, or lists may break layouts, overflow containers, or confuse Learners.

When no limit is stated, the following best practices help protect performance and the Learner Experience:

• Keep text fields concise, for example under 255 characters, unless a higher limit is documented.
• Avoid uploading files near or above the 1 to 2 GB limits unless they are explicitly supported.
• Test performance with realistic data volumes before rolling content out to Learners.