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Troubleshooting

Upload Problems and Errors

Fix the errors DocuClipper shows when a file won't upload — password-protected PDFs, files that aren't valid PDFs, oversized scans — and what to do when an upload seems stuck.

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If a file won't upload, DocuClipper almost always tells you why in the error message. Match the message below to find the fix. The most common cause by far is a password-protected PDF, which takes about thirty seconds to fix.

For getting the best accuracy out of a file that uploads fine, see Preparing your files for the best results instead.

"Password-protected PDFs are not supported"

Many banks email statements locked with a password (often your date of birth or the last digits of your account). DocuClipper can't open an encrypted file, so remove the protection first and upload the unlocked copy.

On a Mac: open the PDF in Preview and enter the password, choose File → Print, then PDF → Save as PDF in the bottom-left, and save under a new name. The new file has no password.

On Windows: open the PDF in your browser (Chrome or Edge) and enter the password, press Ctrl + P, choose Save as PDF as the destination, and save under a new name.

In Adobe Acrobat: open the file, go to All tools → Protect a PDF → Remove security, then save.

Upload the new, unlocked file. Deleting the password from your bank's download settings, where that's offered, saves you doing this every month.

"This file is not a valid PDF. Please upload a PDF file."

The file isn't a PDF, even if the name ends in .pdf. This usually means one of:

  • It's really an image or a web page that was renamed. Open it — whatever opens it is its actual format.
  • The download was interrupted, leaving a truncated file. Download it again from your bank and check the size looks right.
  • It's a .csv or .xlsx being uploaded to the statement converter. Those go through the bank transactions CSV converter instead.

DocuClipper also accepts JPG, PNG, and TIFF images directly, so if you have a scan in one of those formats, upload it as-is rather than renaming it to .pdf.

"The PDF is too big, try scanning at a lower resolution."

The file's pages are too heavy to process — this is about resolution, not page count. It comes from scans made at very high DPI, where a handful of pages can run to hundreds of megabytes.

Re-scan at around 300 DPI, which is plenty for accurate extraction, or re-save the PDF with your PDF tool's "reduce file size" / "optimize" option. If the file came from a scanner's default setting, dropping from 1200 DPI to 300 DPI typically shrinks it by more than 90% with no loss of accuracy.

The upload seems stuck

An upload that hasn't finished after a few minutes is usually one of these:

  1. A very large file on a slow connection. A few hundred megabytes over a weak uplink genuinely takes a while. Leave the tab open — closing it cancels the transfer.
  2. The tab lost focus or the network dropped. Refresh the page and check the project: if the document is listed, the upload finished and you can carry on.
  3. A large batch. Uploading many statements at once is fine, but progress only shows per file. Upload in smaller batches if you want clearer feedback.

If a file is still not through after roughly fifteen minutes, refresh, delete any half-uploaded copy from the project, and try that one file on its own. If it fails again, email support@docuclipper.com with the file name and the project — we can see what happened to it on our side.

The file uploaded but no transactions came out

That's a different problem — the upload worked and the extraction didn't. See Missing or wrong transactions and Preparing your files for the best results.

FAQs

Why won't DocuClipper accept my password-protected statement?

An encrypted PDF can't be opened for reading without the password, and DocuClipper never asks you for one. Save an unlocked copy — the print-to-PDF trick above is the quickest way — and upload that.

What file types can I upload?

PDF, JPG, PNG, and TIFF for statements, invoices, receipts, and checks. CSV and Excel files go through the bank transactions converter. See Preparing your files for the best results.

Is there a limit on file size or page count?

Practical limits are generous — the constraint you're likely to hit is scan resolution, not page count, which is what the "PDF is too big" message is about. Very large packs upload fine; you can also pick just the pages you want after uploading.

My file says it's a PDF but DocuClipper rejects it. Why?

The extension can be wrong. A renamed image or an interrupted download both produce a file that looks like a PDF but isn't. Re-download it from your bank and try again.

Does closing the browser tab cancel my upload?

Yes. The transfer happens from your browser, so keep the tab open until it completes.

Can I upload a scan I made with my phone?

Yes, but a flatbed scan is markedly more accurate. If a phone photo is all you have, shoot the full page square-on in good light, without cropping the balance column on the right.