> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://help.brieftech.ai/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://help.brieftech.ai/reference/file-size-and-storage-limits.md).

# File size and storage limits

## Maximum file size

BriefTech checks a file's size against a limit for its type — the type it **detects**, which is not always the one the extension claims.

| File type                                               | Maximum size               |
| ------------------------------------------------------- | -------------------------- |
| PDF                                                     | 1 GB (reported as 1024 MB) |
| Legacy Office (`doc`, `xls`, `ppt`)                     | 500 MB                     |
| Modern Office (`docx`, `xlsx`, `pptx`) and ZIP archives | No fixed limit             |
| All other supported types                               | 500 MB                     |

Types shown as "No fixed limit" are read metadata-only at this step, so their size isn't checked — but your [storage allowance](#storage-allowance) still applies.

The size is checked while the file is processed, not while it uploads. A file that is too large shows a **File Too Large** error in the Exceptions view of the file list. See [Document processing and errors](/reference/document-processing-and-errors.md).

A document left in this state still takes its place in a court bundle, as a single blank page. BriefTech warns you before the bundle is built, naming the files it could not process — the first five of each kind, then a count of the rest.

## Storage allowance

Every account has a storage allowance for the documents it uploads. New accounts start at **1 GB**, but the allowance is set on your account and yours may differ — the figure shown on the **Usage/Billing** page is always the one that applies. See [Check your storage usage](/how-to-guides/manage/check-storage-usage.md). To change it, contact [BriefTech support](mailto:support@brieftech.ai); there is no self-service setting.

### What counts towards it

Every document in your matters counts towards the allowance, whether you uploaded it yourself or BriefTech created it by extracting an archive. Things that catch people out:

* Documents you have moved to the bin still count. Deleting a document permanently is what frees the space.
* Documents in matters you have finished with still count — the allowance covers your whole account, not one matter.
* Extracting a ZIP or an email's attachments adds the extracted files as documents in their own right, and the archive or email you extracted from is kept as well. The two together can take up considerably more space than the archive did on its own.
* The same document uploaded twice counts twice. BriefTech warns you when a file looks like a duplicate, but if you go ahead both copies are stored. Splitting a PDF works the same way: the parts are added alongside the original.

Documents count against the account that **owns** the matter they are in. Files a colleague uploads into your matter use your allowance; files you upload into a matter shared with you use the owner's, not yours.

The other files BriefTech creates from your documents — the PDF version, previews and extracted text — do not count.

### When you go over

Before files are added to the upload queue, BriefTech checks their combined size against the space left in **the matter you are uploading into**. Your allowance covers your **whole account**, so passing this check does not mean you are within your allowance overall.

Once your account total does pass the allowance, BriefTech stops accepting new uploads in every matter you can upload to, including matters shared with you, until the total comes back under. An upload blocked this way fails with *"You are not allowed to upload files. Check your limits. (storage/unauthorized)"*, and a red banner appears on the Usage/Billing page: *"Storage limit exceeded. Please free up space or contact support for an upgrade."*

The block is applied after your uploads finish processing, so a large batch can take you over before it takes effect; the next upload is the one that is stopped. To clear it, permanently delete documents and wait for the totals to update.

{% hint style="info" %}
**Still blocked after freeing space?** The same message can also appear because BriefTech support has disabled uploads on your account. If freeing space does not clear it, contact [BriefTech support](mailto:support@brieftech.ai).
{% endhint %}

## Path length

When you **drag and drop** files or folders into BriefTech, an item whose path is longer than **260 characters** is rejected before the upload starts. The <img src="/files/Nlp5ANnAYoEK1Fe4tXZp" alt="Upload" data-size="line"> button does not apply this check.

One over-long item stops the rest of that drag: anything BriefTech had not yet reached is never staged. Files it had already gathered stay in the upload list, so check that list before uploading, or cancel and start the drop again.

The length counted is the path *inside the item you dragged* — not where that item sits on your computer, and not the BriefTech folder you are uploading into.

The same message can also appear for other reasons. See [Fixing upload issues](/how-to-guides/upload/fix-upload-issues.md) for what to do about it.

## Related

<table data-view="cards"><thead><tr><th></th><th></th><th data-hidden data-card-target data-type="content-ref"></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><strong>How credits work</strong></td><td>What credits measure and how your balance is calculated.</td><td><a href="/pages/O1QjNb4Cebaz4dJszQdJ">/pages/O1QjNb4Cebaz4dJszQdJ</a></td></tr><tr><td><strong>Top up the credit balance</strong></td><td>Buy a credit pack to top up your balance via Stripe.</td><td><a href="/pages/dO6UVRLT7YNdMaxvPomP">/pages/dO6UVRLT7YNdMaxvPomP</a></td></tr><tr><td><strong>Credit costs and pricing</strong></td><td>How credits are consumed, what they cost, and when they expire.</td><td><a href="/pages/fw4wYZHpp052Zp2yI2kE">/pages/fw4wYZHpp052Zp2yI2kE</a></td></tr><tr><td><strong>Supported file formats</strong></td><td>Which file types BriefTech can ingest, and how each is handled.</td><td><a href="/pages/1M0oBW7cb7JlMUU6QeLx">/pages/1M0oBW7cb7JlMUU6QeLx</a></td></tr><tr><td><strong>Fixing upload issues</strong></td><td>What to do when an upload is refused, cancelled, or fails.</td><td><a href="/pages/eHt1j8RXpJego0G06Gto">/pages/eHt1j8RXpJego0G06Gto</a></td></tr><tr><td><strong>Your First Matter</strong></td><td>A guided, end-to-end first run — take a practice matter from sample files all the way to a downloaded court bundle.</td><td><a href="/pages/JElpS8iDIgC3KPHk5auM">/pages/JElpS8iDIgC3KPHk5auM</a></td></tr></tbody></table>


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