Troubleshooting Uploads to Box

If you are having trouble uploading files or folders to Box, please try the following troubleshooting steps:

• Make sure that your web browser is the latest version of Chrome, Firefox, Safari, or Edge. An out-of-date browser can cause file upload problems.
• Clear your browser's cache - If this does not resolve your issue, please proceed to the next step.
• Verify that you are using one of our supported operating systems.
• Check that the file name is valid. Box only supports file or folder names that are 255 characters or less. File names containing non-printable ascii, "/" or "\", names with leading or trailing spaces, and the special names “.” and “..” are also unsupported. Box supports only Unicode Basic Multilingual Plane (BMP) characters in file and folder names.

  • The following reserved characters are not allowed:

    • < (less than)
    • > (greater than)
    • : (colon)
    • " (double quote)
    • / (forward slash)
    • \ (backslash)
    • | (vertical bar or pipe)
    • ? (question mark)
    • * (asterisk)
  • File/folder names are case-insensitive (no distinction between "a" and "A") and accent-insensitive (no distinction between "a" and "ă"). You can't have a file/folder titled with "Test" and "tèst" in the same directory as the file/folder name must be unique in each directory.
• Verify that the file or folder's path on Windows machines is under the 255-character Windows limitation. Folder paths that exceed 255 characters may truncate the content's name before uploading to Box.
  • For example: file names will be shortened to the '8.3' convention and contain a tilde character '~': Exampl~1.PDF
• Make sure you are uploading files smaller than the maximum for your account type. To determine your maximum, click on your initials in the top-right corner of the page and select Account Settings. Then, click on Account and your Max file size will be listed under Account Details.
• Try uploading using the File upload method instead of Folder upload, or vice versa.
• If using the Email Upload feature, then please review these for help: 
  • Upload to Box Through Email
  • Email Uploads to a Folder Are Failing
• Files that are active like an Outlook PST file may have upload problems. Try copying the active file (i.e. *.PST) file to a separate file and upload the copy instead. 
• Check your network connection to Box. If connected to the internet with a wireless card, try a wired LAN connection. Check to see if the connection to the internet drops intermittently. If this is the case, we recommend the Folder upload method.
• Try temporarily disabling or configuring your firewall to allow Box as a trusted site. You may find that your anti-virus software includes a built-in firewall that is impacting performance. If you are attempting to access Box from an office location and experience upload issues, then please contact your IT administrator or internal Help Desk.
• Proxy servers may sometimes cause failed uploads. If you see the error message: An error occurred with the upload. Please refresh the page and try again. Please contact your IT department or Help Desk and ask them to check your proxy configuration.
• For Download issues please see Common Issues with Downloading Files

Potential Causes of Slow Uploads:

Slow upload speeds can have a variety of causes.

If you find that your upload is taking longer than it should, we have listed a few reasons that may affect upload speeds.

• Firewalls: Firewalls can slow down or block the upload process. If you use third-party software, try temporarily turning off firewalls such as ZoneAlarm, the built-in Windows firewall, Mac firewall, or any others.
• Simply configuring your firewall to allow the Box domains will likely solve this issue.

• Business network restrictions: Users accessing Box from an office setting may find that their IT department has blocked or slowed down connections to Box. VPNs can be the cause of slower connections.
  • If you are unsure whether your IT department has placed restrictions on uploads or unapproved websites, you can try connecting to Box from a different location, such as a coffee shop with Wi-Fi, to see if the issue persists.  If the issue does not persist, then it is likely that your IT department has placed restrictions on Box.
  • If you're using a VPN, your IP address may be misplaced, which can inadvertently put your computer in a different geographic location from your actual location. This can affect your upload speeds. Check with your network or IT department to see if a VPN is causing your computer to be placed in a different geographic location on the internet.

• Browser Specific Issues: If you're having trouble uploading files to Box, try using a different browser or computer. Some users find that their upload speeds increase when using a different browser or a faster computer..

• Device Specific Issues: If your upload speed has not improved after trying different browsers and updating your browser, try using a different computer to isolate the issue.
  • If your upload speed increases on another computer, then the first computer is causing the slow speed.
  • If your speed does not increase, then it is likely an issue with your internet connection.

• Internet Service Provider: Sometimes slow upload speeds are the fault of your Internet Service Provider.
  • We recommend a high-speed internet connection with high upload speeds. Fiber is best, followed by Cable and DSL.
  • Often with Cable and DSL, the upload speed is significantly slower than the download speed. This will result in fast loading times for most websites and file downloads, but slow uploads.

Bandwidth and Box Endpoints:

Upload speed depends on your network connection and a component of this is bandwidth.

• Bandwidth determines the amount of data that can pass from the Internet to your web browser in a given amount of time.
• A smaller bandwidth results in a longer time that it takes Internet data to transfer on your web browser.

Box offers multiple endpoints to make sure your uploads (and downloads) are taking the most efficient route. See our announcement: Box expands its Global Network Presence