·8 min read

When your upload is rejected, read the error first

Forms speak in codes. Here is a plain-English map from error text to the fix — without opening four different websites.

You filled out twelve pages of a form. On the last step the photo upload fails with a red banner and three words of help. That message is almost always specific — if you translate it, you rarely need to guess which free tool to open first.

This guide is a decoder, not a dimension cheat sheet. It maps what portals say to what to enable on FilezyAI so you download once and resubmit.

"Invalid file format" or "Only JPG allowed"

The file extension and the actual bytes inside disagree, or the portal whitelist excludes your type. iPhone HEIC is the usual culprit on Windows-heavy review systems. A PNG screenshot fails on legacy HR software that only accepts JPEG.

  • Fix: enable Convert to the format named in the PDF instructions (usually JPG or PDF).
  • Try: HEIC to JPG, PNG to JPG, or the generic convert to JPG hub if sources are mixed.
  • Do not rename photo.heic to photo.jpg without converting — validators read file headers, not filenames.

"File size exceeds maximum" or "Must be under 200 KB"

The portal measured kilobytes, not megabytes rounded in your folder. Camera exports and scanned PDFs blow past caps that look tiny on paper.

  • Fix: enable Compress and set the min-max KB band to match the form (e.g. 40–50 KB, 180–200 KB).
  • Try: preset pages like 50 KB JPG, 200 KB JPG, or 400 KB PDF.
  • If compress alone cannot reach the cap, also resize — fewer pixels compress to fewer bytes.

"Image dimensions invalid" or "Aspect ratio not supported"

Pixel width×height or aspect ratio is wrong. The photo may be perfectly sharp; the box is not the box the slot expects.

  • Fix: enable Resize with the exact numbers from the form, aspect lock on unless the instructions show a fixed crop rectangle.
  • Try: Resize JPG or a social preset if the portal matches a platform slot (YouTube thumbnail, LinkedIn headshot, etc.).

"Filename does not match requirements"

Some validators check the string before they parse contents. IMG_2048.jpg fails when the PDF says photo.jpg exactly.

  • Fix: enable Rename with the exact spelling, including lowercase extensions unless the spec uses uppercase.
  • Try: Rename JPG or Rename any file when format is already correct.

"Metadata" or privacy concerns (rare but real)

Most portals never mention EXIF, but security-conscious teams and marketplace sellers sometimes strip GPS before publishing. If you are posting a photo of your home office, hidden location tags are worth removing.

When the error lists two or three rules at once

Real specs look like: JPG, max 200 KB, 600×600 px, named applicant-photo.jpg. That is not three problems — it is one job with three toggles. Chaining separate convert, compress, and resize sites re-encodes JPG three times and still might miss the filename.

On FilezyAI enable convert + compress + resize + rename together: all-in-one JPG pipeline or the equivalent for your format. One upload, one encode pass, one download to verify locally before you touch submit again.

Checklist before you re-upload

  1. Open the file on your computer — does it open in Preview/Photos?
  2. Check Properties / Get Info for KB size and dimensions.
  3. Confirm extension matches format (JPG not HEIC with a renamed extension).
  4. Match filename character-for-character to the form PDF.