You picked a photo, clicked upload, and nothing landed in your library — almost every refused image comes down to one of three things: the file is bigger than your site accepts, WordPress does not recognise the file type, or the uploader itself gave up partway. Work through the checks below in order; the first two fix most cases.

## Checks and fixes

### Check 1: Check how big the file is

Go to **Media** → **Add Media File** and read the line under the drop area — it tells you the largest file your site will take, for example `Maximum upload file size: 2 MB.` If your photo is bigger than that number, resize or export a smaller copy on your computer first. Then click **Select Files** and pick the smaller copy.

![Check how big the file is](https://wordpress.supportpages.io/rails/active_storage/blobs/proxy/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsiZGF0YSI6MTExNjUsInB1ciI6ImJsb2JfaWQifX0=--9f21b25786a6c30e528514946281433f6fdbce1b/block_check-the-file-size.png)

### Check 2: Check the file type

Recent phones and design apps hand over pictures in formats a server cannot always edit, and it turns those away with `The server cannot process HEIC images. Convert it to JPEG before uploading.` Export the picture as a JPEG or PNG in your usual image app and upload the converted copy instead.

![Check the file type](https://wordpress.supportpages.io/rails/active_storage/blobs/proxy/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsiZGF0YSI6MTExOTQsInB1ciI6ImJsb2JfaWQifX0=--348af237004ad8216667ffcee5b6e4390431b371/block_check-the-file-type.png)

### Check 3: Try the browser uploader

The multi-file uploader hands your file to the browser in the background, and a slow connection can break that handover on a large photo. Under the drop area, click **browser uploader** to get the plain one-file-at-a-time uploader your browser has always had. It is slower, but it keeps the whole file in one piece and gets through when the other one stalls.

![Try the browser uploader](https://wordpress.supportpages.io/rails/active_storage/blobs/proxy/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsiZGF0YSI6MTExOTUsInB1ciI6ImJsb2JfaWQifX0=--06c8a9068cd8bf4a0f2f82e48425c8fe0ca26abe/block_try-the-browser-uploader.png)

### Check 4: Look in the Media Library

Open **Media** → **Library** and check whether your image is there after all. If it is missing, the upload was refused rather than interrupted, so repeat the checks above; if it is there but shows up as a grey box, WordPress could not make the copies your theme asked for. **Add Media File** takes you straight back to the uploader.

![Look in the Media Library](https://wordpress.supportpages.io/rails/active_storage/blobs/proxy/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsiZGF0YSI6MTEyMDAsInB1ciI6ImJsb2JfaWQifX0=--f5d0fd112340e98ac3d5f3e7d1d411f3d9ed8cfe/block_look-in-the-media-library.png)

### Check 5: Adjust your image sizes

Go to **Settings** → **Media** and look under **Image sizes**. These fields decide how large the spare copies of each photo are, so lower **Max Width** and **Max Height** for **Large size** — `800` is plenty for most sites. Click **Save Changes** when you are done; your original upload keeps its full size either way.

![Adjust your image sizes](https://wordpress.supportpages.io/rails/active_storage/blobs/proxy/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsiZGF0YSI6MTExOTksInB1ciI6ImJsb2JfaWQifX0=--d11b3aab755c860eb980221c2f5912ee81ef7a4f/block_adjust-your-image-sizes.png)

## Tips

- Rename a file before uploading if its name has spaces, apostrophes or accents — plain letters, numbers and dashes upload most reliably.
- Upload one image at a time when a batch keeps failing. The one that stops the batch is the one with the problem.
- Keep a resized copy of any photo you might reuse. Uploading the smaller version every time avoids the size limit completely.

## Summary

A refused image is nearly always too big, an unsupported file type, or a dropped connection. Check the size limit on **Add Media File**, convert anything unusual to a JPEG or PNG, and fall back to the **browser uploader** if the drag-and-drop one stalls. Then confirm the file arrived in the **Library**, and lower your **Settings** → **Media** sizes if the copies look broken.