Every document uploaded to Scribd expands a vast library of knowledge. Your work matters, and ensuring a smooth upload and conversion process is key to making it accessible to readers worldwide. If you encounter issues, here’s how to resolve them efficiently.
Upload failure
A successful upload requires both a stable internet connection and an optimized document file. If an upload stalls or does not appear in your uploaded documents, consider these common issues:
Check your internet connection
Uploads depend on a steady network. If your internet is slow or unreliable, it may interrupt the process. Use an internet speed test (such as https://speedof.me) to verify your connection before retrying.
Disable browser extensions
Security settings and browser add-ons—such as AdBlock or NoScript—can block Scribd’s upload process. Ensure any browser extensions allow upload and download activity on Scribd by adjusting your browser or add-on settings.
Adjust firewall or antivirus settings
Some firewall or antivirus software can prevent uploads. If you're experiencing repeated failures, temporarily disable your security software, attempt the upload, then re-enable protections.
Some workplace or public space IT policies may block sites like Scribd for all users across their network. Scribd cannot override access settings in these cases.
Review filename formatting
Files with non-ASCII characters or special symbols in their names may not process correctly. Rename the file using standard alphanumeric characters before re-uploading.
Conversion failure
If a document has been uploaded successfully but some or all parts of the document don't load or function as expected on Scribd, this may be an indication that the document was not properly converted after it was uploaded. This happens less frequently than upload failures, however there are a few known issues which might cause a conversion failure:
Password-Protected Documents
A document's author might use their PDF’s built-in security settings to limit features and prohibit unauthorized editing by the public. Under the law, we must respect the security settings of the original source document and so secured PDFs (also sometimes called "encrypted" or "password protected") cannot be uploaded to Scribd.
To verify your PDF's security settings, open it in your preferred PDF reader and locate the document’s security settings in the properties menu. If your document is 'secure,' you’ll need to save a copy of the document with these security features turned off. The screenshot to the right shows the "properties" page of a secured PDF in Adobe Acrobat.
Large Documents
Scribd supports documents up to 100 megabytes in size, though it’s worth noting that documents which approach this size limit are more likely to encounter conversion issues.
Optimizing your PDF can decrease the size of your file without eliminating content, which may help ensure your upload converts successfully. Users of Adobe Acrobat Pro should check out Adobe's online instructions for reducing PDF file size using the Acrobat PDF Optimizer. There are also a number of third-party optimization tools available from a variety of software providers.
You may also encounter issues when uploading PDFs to Scribd that use layers and transparency. If parts of your uploaded document look right but certain elements seem to be missing, you might be experiencing a transparency-related problem. If you use Adobe Acrobat Pro, you can try Acrobat's “Flattener Preview” function to flatten the layers, which will simplify your file while taking transparent areas into account. Then, try uploading the flattened version of the PDF to Scribd. Be sure to note — once you save your file there's no way to "unflatten" it, so we recommend saving it under a different filename.
Corrupt or Malformed Documents
Corrupted or malformed documents run a higher risk of conversion failure, even if the error is not visible in the body of the document. Errors are more liable to crop up in documents loaded with file information like embedded multimedia, high-resolution images, revisions and tracked document changes, or extraneous metadata.
If a Microsoft Office or OpenOffice document persistently fails to convert, open the document in its original application and save a new copy in the original format. If the upload still fails, try saving the document in a simpler format, such as RTF (Rich Text Format). If errors persist, try converting the document to PDF and then upload to Scribd.
Documents with Hyperlinks
During the conversion process, Scribd identifies links in your document and duplicates them in our online document viewer. If links work in your Word document, PDF file, or PowerPoint presentation, then they'll generally work on our site.
Commercial PDF applications like Adobe Acrobat and applications that can save documents directly as a PDF (such as Microsoft Office and OpenOffice) will create PDFs with working links. However, PDFs created through a printer driver (print-to-PDF) typically will not contain working hyperlinks, even though URLs in the document may appear blue and underlined. If you convert your documents to PDF exclusively through a printer driver, it may be best for you to upload the document in its original format whenever possible.
Scribd may also have problems rendering links in Word documents that contain a lot of metadata or tracked changes. In this case, we recommend saving a copy of the document that does not contain any extraneous data and uploading this new copy.
Before reporting broken hyperlinks in your uploads, please make sure they work in your original document, including transcribed webpages. For example, the text "http://scribd.com" will not automatically turn into a link to that address after the document is uploaded to Scribd. Instead, you must be sure to create a clickable link in the original document before you upload it.
Still experiencing issues?
If uploads or conversions continue to fail, contact Scribd Support with:
- A description of the issue, including error messages.
- The document type and format.
- A link to your document (if available).