If you’re facing the frustrating “Unable to Upload Image or File” error in ChatGPT, it usually happens due to incorrect permissions, wrong image formats, cache corruption, browser issues, or even incorrect system date and time. Below are the 8 best working solutions, each explained step-by-step with clear, actionable instructions so you can fix the upload problem quickly on Windows or Mac.
1) Do End Task (Force Restart Browser or ChatGPT App)
Sometimes your browser or ChatGPT app gets stuck and blocks uploading. A quick End Task fixes it instantly.
Steps (Windows):
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Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager.
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Go to the Processes tab.
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Select your browser (Chrome/Edge/Firefox) or ChatGPT app.
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Click End Task.
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Reopen your browser and try uploading again.
Steps (Mac):
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Press Command + Option + Esc.
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Select the browser or ChatGPT app.
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Click Force Quit.
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Restart the browser and retry uploading.
2) Check Image Size & Format (Very Important)
ChatGPT does not support all image or file formats, and large files fail to upload.
Supported formats:
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Images: JPG, JPEG, PNG, WEBP
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Documents: PDF, DOCX, TXT
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Spreadsheets: XLSX
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Presentations: PPTX
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Videos (small): MP4, AVI
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Others: CSV
Do these checks:
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Make sure your image is under 20–25 MB
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Convert unsupported formats like HEIC, RAW, TIF, BMP into JPEG/PNG
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Reduce file size using any compressor or online tool
If your file is too large, ChatGPT will show the upload error.
3) Check & Set Correct Date & Time on PC/Laptop
Incorrect date and time settings break SSL certificates and block file uploads.
Steps (Windows):
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Right-click the time on the taskbar.
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Select Adjust date and time.
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Turn on Set time automatically.
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Turn on Set time zone automatically.
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Restart your browser.
Steps (Mac):
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Open System Settings.
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Go to General → Date & Time.
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Enable Set time and date automatically.
4) Log Out and Log In Again
Refreshing your OpenAI session often fixes upload permissions.
Steps:
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Click your profile icon on ChatGPT.
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Select Log out.
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Close the browser.
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Open ChatGPT again.
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Log in and check if the upload works.
5) Disable VPN
A VPN can cause server routing conflicts, leading ChatGPT to block uploads.
Steps:
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Turn off your VPN extension in the browser.
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Disable any system-wide VPN apps.
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Refresh the page and try uploading again.
If you must use a VPN, switch to a US-based server for better stability.
6) Allow Site Permissions for Uploading Files
Your browser may be blocking file system access, camera access, or clipboard access, causing ChatGPT to fail uploads.
Steps (Chrome/Edge):
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Click the lock icon beside the ChatGPT URL.
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Open Site Settings.
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Set the following to Allow:
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Files and downloads
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Images
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Clipboard access
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Pop-ups and redirects
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Refresh ChatGPT.
Steps (Firefox):
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Click the lock icon.
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Manage Permissions.
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Allow Files, Images, and Clipboard access.
7) Clear Browser Cache & Data
Corrupted cached data is the most common cause of upload failures.
Steps (Chrome):
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Open Settings.
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Click Privacy and Security.
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Select Clear browsing data.
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Check Cookies and other site data and Cached images and files.
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Click Clear data.
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Restart your browser.
Steps (Edge/Firefox):
Similar steps—clear Cookies and Cache, then restart.
8) Use CMD Commands (Network Reset)
If the upload issue is caused by bad DNS or network corruption, these two commands fix it instantly.
Steps:
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Press Windows + R.
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Type cmd and press Enter.
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Type this command and press Enter:
ipconfig /flushdns -
Then type:
netsh winsock reset -
Restart your PC.
These commands refresh your DNS records and network sockets, removing upload-related network conflicts.
Conclusion
By following these 8 methods—End Task, fixing image sizes, correcting system time, logging out and in, disabling VPN, enabling site permissions, clearing cache, and performing DNS reset—you can easily fix the ChatGPT “Unable to Upload Image or File” error on any device. These solutions work for uploading images, PDFs, Word, Excel, PPT, text files, JPEG, PNG, WEBP, AVI, and more.
