Large files: the limits and how to stay inside them
The size limits for spreadsheets, rows, columns, cells and ZIP files, the message each gives, and how to split or slim down a file that is too big, with what it costs.
- 4 min read
- Updated October 14, 2026
The limits below protect your workspace and your website, and they are the same on every plan. Most files are nowhere near them. This page lists each limit, the message you get when you cross it, and what to do.
The limits#
| What | Limit | Message when crossed |
|---|---|---|
| Spreadsheet file | 10 MB | Spreadsheets must be at most 10 MB. |
| Data rows (not counting the header) | 10,000 | Use at most 10,000 data rows and 100 columns. |
| Columns | 100 | the same message |
| Text in one cell | 32 KB | Cells must contain valid UTF-8 text of at most 32 KB. |
| Text in one row | 128 KB | Use at most 128 KB of text per row and 25 MB of text per import. |
| Text in the whole file | 25 MB | the same message |
| ZIP of images | 25 MB, 2,000 files, 200 MB once unpacked | ZIP files must be at most 25 MB. and the messages in upload images in a ZIP |
| One image | 20 MB | the image is reported as not usable (image types and limits) |
| Everything you drop at once | 40 MB | This file is larger than 40 MB. |
A file over a limit is refused when it is uploaded or read. It never starts a run, nothing is published and no allowance is used.
"At most 10,000 rows" is per file, not per site#
The limit is on one upload, not on how much you can publish. A site with 40,000 articles is handled as several files, or, better, as a recurring update: after the first big import, a file only has to contain what changed, and rows that did not change cost nothing (updating existing content).
Splitting a file#
- Keep the same header row in every part, so the same configuration reads every part.
- Keep each item's record ID with its row. Never renumber while splitting.
- Split by anything convenient: by category, by year, by alphabet, or in blocks of rows. Parts can be uploaded one after the other; items are recognised by their ID, whichever part carries them.
- Upload part 1, review it, publish, then part 2, and so on. Each part gets its own review.
A file in several parts does not publish less safely: the review shows each part's new, updated and unchanged items.
Slimming a file down#
| If the problem is… | Try |
|---|---|
| A spreadsheet over 10 MB with few rows | It usually holds pictures, formatting or hidden sheets. Save the data alone as CSV, or copy the cells into a new workbook. A CSV is typically a fraction of the size (CSV or Excel). |
| More than 100 columns | Delete the columns the configuration does not use. Only mapped columns matter. |
| A cell over 32 KB | A cell that long is usually an article with images embedded as text (data:image/…;base64,…). Put the images in a ZIP and refer to them by file name, or use web addresses. |
| A row over 128 KB | The same: very long text, or several long columns in one row. Shorten, or split the content. |
| A ZIP over 25 MB | Compress or resize the images before zipping, or upload them in batches: images already sent are remembered, so later files do not need them again (reusing images). |
| Blank rows or columns at the end | They are ignored, so they do not count towards the limits. |
A big file takes longer#
Reading, checking and comparing thousands of rows takes time, and publishing writes one item at a time to your site through your CMS. The page shows progress (Reading your file: 2400 rows read so far., Preparing content: 1800 of 4000 rows prepared., Comparing with published content) and you can leave the page: you are emailed when the file needs you or is done (emails). A busy or slow website makes publishing slower, not wrong.
What it costs#
Checking and reviewing a file of any size cost nothing. Only writes to your site use your plan's allowance, and only for new and updated items; unchanged rows are free. A 10,000-row file in which 120 rows changed uses 120 record writes. If the file needs more than you have left, you can publish the first N changes and the rest later (plans and allowances).
If the upload itself fails#
This file is larger than 40 MB. means the whole upload (spreadsheet plus ZIP) is over the server's limit. Send fewer images with each upload: the same spreadsheet can be uploaded again with the next batch, and what was published already shows as unchanged. An upload that was interrupted can simply be started again.
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