PDF not uploading on a government or exam portal? 7 common reasons and fixes

File too large, wrong format, password protected, damaged file or a name with special characters — the usual reasons a portal rejects your PDF, and how to fix each one.

1. The file is bigger than allowed

Read the limit carefully — "max 200 KB" means 200 KB, not 2 MB. Compress the PDF to exactly the size asked.

2. The file is smaller than allowed

Some forms ask for a minimum size. Increase PDF size adds empty space inside the file so it meets the minimum without changing the pages.

3. It is a picture, not a PDF

A file renamed from .jpg to .pdf is still a picture and portals reject it. Convert the photo properly with JPG to PDF.

4. The PDF has a password

Bank statements and e-Aadhaar PDFs are usually locked. Many portals cannot open locked files. If it is your own file and you know the password, remove it with Unlock PDF.

5. The PDF is damaged

A half-downloaded or badly made PDF may open on your phone but fail on the portal. Repair PDF rebuilds the file structure.

6. The portal wants PDF/A

Courts, e-filing and some government sites accept only PDF/A (an archive version of PDF). Convert with PDF to PDF/A.

7. The file name has special characters

Names like "marksheet (final) #2.pdf" can fail. Rename the file to letters, numbers and hyphens only, for example "marksheet-2026.pdf".