Files can fail to upload to Absorb LMS for several reasons, including unsupported file types, file names that contain special characters, files that exceed the size limit, or Course packages that are not built correctly. This article explains the most common causes of upload failures and the steps you can take to resolve them. It applies to files uploaded through the File Manager, course content such as SCORM and Tin Can (xAPI) packages, and Learner submitted Course Uploads.

Error Messages You May See

When an upload fails, you will usually see one of two messages. The first is "Sorry, something went wrong. If this problem persists, please contact your system administrator." This is a general message, and the underlying cause can vary.

The second is "Your file has been blocked due to a security risk," which appears when a file is stopped by the security scan applied to every upload. Because the same general message can point to different problems, work through the causes below to identify what applies to your file.

File Name Issues

The name of a file, or of any file contained inside a ZIP package, can prevent an upload from completing. Review the file name before uploading and adjust it if needed.

• Avoid special characters in file names, such as the backtick (`), apostrophe ('), hyphen (-), ampersand (&), and angle brackets (< and >).
• Remove accented letters (for example, é, ñ, or ü) and use standard alphanumeric characters instead.
• Shorten very long file names, including the names of files packaged inside a ZIP, then re-create the package and try again.

Course Package and Lesson Type Issues

Third-party Course content, such as SCORM, Tin Can (xAPI), and AICC packages, can fail to upload when the package is built incorrectly or the wrong type is selected. Check the following before uploading a course package.

• Confirm that the manifest file is at the root of the ZIP. For SCORM, this is the imsmanifest.xml file; for Tin Can, it is the tincan.xml file. If the manifest is inside a subfolder, the upload fails.
• Select the correct lesson type. Uploading a SCORM 1.2 package as a SCORM 2004 lesson, or the reverse, causes the upload to fail. If you are unsure, open the manifest file to confirm the version.
• Re-compress the package if it was unzipped during download, so that the files upload as a single ZIP rather than a folder of loose files.

For help preparing a package, see How to Zip (Compress) SCORM Files. 

For supported formats and broader troubleshooting, see Third Party Courses: SCORM, AICC, and Tin Can and Third Party Course Content Troubleshooting.

File Size Limits

Files that exceed the maximum upload size will fail. The limit depends on whether the file is uploaded through the Administrator Interface or the Learner Interface.

These limits apply to each individual file, not to the total capacity of your File Manager. For larger content, split the file into smaller parts and spread them across multiple Lessons or Resources. For more detail, see Limits on Custom Fields, File Uploads, and Character Counts and What Are Absorb's Upload File Size Limits?.

Unsupported and Blocked File Types

Every file uploaded to the LMS is scanned and validated, and some file types are blocked for security reasons. If a file is blocked, you will see the message "Your file has been blocked due to a security risk."

• Convert content to a supported format before uploading. Standard audio, image, video, and document formats are accepted.
• Web pages (.htm and .html) and executable files are not accepted as direct uploads.
• To include code or executable files, compress them into a ZIP folder and upload the ZIP. This keeps the files accessible to anyone who downloads them while allowing the upload to pass the security scan.

For the full list of supported formats and security details, see Overview of Security and Supported Files. 

For attachment-specific formats, see Supported File Types for Attachments.

Browser and Connection Issues

An upload may fail for a single user on a specific browser even when the file is valid. If other causes do not apply, the issue may be local to the browser or connection.

• Try the upload again in a private or incognito window.
• Try a different supported browser.
• Disable browser extensions that may interfere with uploads, then retry.
• Confirm that you have a stable internet connection, since interruptions can cause large uploads to fail.

For the list of supported browsers, see Browsers Supported by Absorb LMS.

Troubleshooting a Failed Upload

If your upload continues to fail, work through the following steps in order. Each step rules out a common cause before you escalate the issue.

1. Rename the file to remove special characters, accented letters, and unnecessary length.
2. Confirm that the file is within the size limit for the interface you are using.
3. Confirm that you selected the correct lesson type for course content.
4. Confirm that the manifest file is at the root of the ZIP package.
5. Re-compress the package if it was unzipped during download.
6. Upload course content using Import Course from the Courses report, rather than Add Lesson in the course editor, which can time out for large files.
7. Try the upload in a private window, a different browser, or with extensions disabled.
8. If the upload still fails, contact Absorb Support with the details below.