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Which files you can upload, and how large
The formats we accept, the size your plan allows, and how to reduce a file.
Last updated
CecurSign accepts PDF and Word documents: .pdf, .doc and .docx. The largest file you can
upload comes from your plan.
Where to read your own limit
Open Self sign from the menu. The line under the upload box names your figure, as "PDF, DOC or DOCX, maximum" the size your account allows. It is read live from your account rather than written into the page, so if your plan changes the number changes with it, without you having to reload anything or ask us. A file that is refused for size tells you the same figure in its message.
The same figure applies wherever you upload: the envelope wizard, the template wizard and Self sign all use it.
Which format to prefer
PDF is the better choice where you have one. What you upload is exactly what your recipient sees, page for page, and it can be sent the moment it finishes uploading.
Word documents work too. They are turned into a PDF for you before anyone signs, which takes a few seconds after upload. See Using Word documents for what to check afterwards.
If a file is refused
File too large, with two numbers in the message beneath it. The first is your file, the second is what your plan allows. Reduce the file or split it:
- In Acrobat, use File, then Save as Other, then Reduced Size PDF.
- Scanning at 200 or 300 dpi in black and white, rather than 600 dpi in colour, usually cuts a scanned document by most of its size with no loss that matters on a signature page.
- Split a long pack into parts and add them to the same envelope as several documents. Recipients see them one after another and sign once at the end, so nothing about their experience changes.
A file type the picker will not offer. Save or export it as a PDF and upload that. Almost everything that can be printed can be saved as a PDF: spreadsheets, presentations, pages from a practice management system. Use Print, then choose the PDF option, or Save as and pick PDF.
Pages and length
There is no page count to worry about. A long document simply takes a little longer to prepare after upload, and a little longer to load for the person signing it, especially on a phone.
If a document is very long, consider placing your signature fields near the front as well as at the back, so a recipient on a slow connection is not scrolling for a minute before they can act.
Password protected files
Remove the password before uploading. A file that requires a password to open cannot be prepared for signing, because the pages cannot be read to place fields on them. Open it, save a copy without the protection, and upload that.
If it still will not upload
Try the same file once in a different browser, which separates a problem with the file from a problem with the machine. If it goes through there, clear your usual browser's cache and try again.
If it fails everywhere, raise a ticket from Support inside CecurSign with the file name, the size, and the exact wording of the message you saw.