---
title: "What to do when a file fails to convert"
description: "The file conversion failure reasons ARGENT reports and how to handle each, plus the steps to remove a failed file and process it again"
canonical_url: "https://docs.ardge.com/en/knowledge/argent/conversion-failures"
---
# What to do when a file fails to convert

> The file conversion failure reasons ARGENT reports and how to handle each, plus the steps to remove a failed file and process it again

## Short answer

Open the file source's detail page and hover over the failed file's failure icon to see the reason. Adjust the file based on the reason, then upload it again or re-run the sync. For three of the reasons — processing timed out, the data source couldn't be reached, and removing the document failed — the system retries automatically on the next sync, so you don't need to do anything.

## Details

### Failure reasons and what to do

<table>
<thead>
  <tr>
    <th>
      Message
    </th>
    
    <th>
      What it means
    </th>
    
    <th>
      What to do
    </th>
  </tr>
</thead>

<tbody>
  <tr>
    <td>
      <code>
        The file size exceeds the limit. Split the file into multiple files and upload again. Maximum allowed size for <file name>: <size>.
      </code>
    </td>
    
    <td>
      The file is over the per-file size cap
    </td>
    
    <td>
      Split the file into several smaller files and upload them again
    </td>
  </tr>
  
  <tr>
    <td>
      <code>
        This media type is not supported.
      </code>
    </td>
    
    <td>
      The file's format isn't supported
    </td>
    
    <td>
      Save it in a supported format. For the supported formats, see <a href="https://docs.ardge.com/en/knowledge/argent/formats-and-limits">
        What file formats and limits does ARGENT support?
      </a>
    </td>
  </tr>
  
  <tr>
    <td>
      <code>
        Legacy <extension> (97-2003) files are not supported. Save the file as <new format> and sync again.
      </code>
    </td>
    
    <td>
      The file is in a legacy 97–2003 Office format
    </td>
    
    <td>
      Save it as DOCX, XLSX or PPTX in Office, then upload or sync again
    </td>
  </tr>
  
  <tr>
    <td>
      <code>
        This content is not supported.
      </code>
    </td>
    
    <td>
      The file's format is supported, but its contents can't be parsed
    </td>
    
    <td>
      Provide the same content in another format, or remove the file from the file source
    </td>
  </tr>
  
  <tr>
    <td>
      <code>
        The source file is damaged or incomplete. Copy it to the source folder again, then sync.
      </code>
    </td>
    
    <td>
      The file itself is damaged, or wasn't fully written when it was copied
    </td>
    
    <td>
      Copy a complete file again, then upload or sync again
    </td>
  </tr>
  
  <tr>
    <td>
      <code>
        Processing timed out or the service was temporarily unavailable. It will be retried on the next sync, or you can upload it again later.
      </code>
    </td>
    
    <td>
      The conversion service was busy or briefly unavailable
    </td>
    
    <td>
      Wait for the next sync to retry automatically, or upload again later
    </td>
  </tr>
  
  <tr>
    <td>
      <code>
        The data source could not be reached. It will be retried on the next sync.
      </code>
    </td>
    
    <td>
      The NAS couldn't be reached during the sync
    </td>
    
    <td>
      Confirm the NAS is reachable, then wait for the next sync to retry automatically
    </td>
  </tr>
  
  <tr>
    <td>
      <code>
        The source file no longer exists, but removing it from the knowledge base failed. It will be retried on the next sync.
      </code>
    </td>
    
    <td>
      The file was deleted from the source, but couldn't be removed from the knowledge
    </td>
    
    <td>
      Wait for the next sync to retry automatically
    </td>
  </tr>
  
  <tr>
    <td>
      <code>
        Conversion failed. Delete the file and try syncing or uploading again.
      </code>
    </td>
    
    <td>
      An error other than those above occurred during conversion
    </td>
    
    <td>
      Follow the message: delete the file, then sync or upload again
    </td>
  </tr>
</tbody>
</table>

### One failed file doesn't affect the others

When a sync job finishes but some of its files failed, the file source's status shows **Partially Complete**, and the files that processed successfully can still be retrieved by the agent. For details, see [What do the file source statuses mean?](https://docs.ardge.com/en/knowledge/argent/source-statuses).

## How to fix

### Find the failed files

1. Go to the **File Sources** page and click the target source's name to open its detail page
2. In the file list, find the files with a failure icon
3. Hover over the icon to read the failure reason

You can also click **Log** in the action menu of the row in the **File Sources** list, then click any run to see every failed file at once in the **Failure Reason** column of **File Results**.

### Remove the file and process it again

1. On the detail page, click the delete icon at the right of the file's row
2. The **Remove File** confirmation dialog shows **Are you sure you want to remove this file from the file source? This action cannot be undone. Agents can currently find this content. After removal, they can no longer find this file.** Click **OK** to remove it. The page shows **Successfully removed ""**
3. Adjust the file's contents or format based on the failure reason
4. Add the file back:

  - For a **Manual Upload** source: click **Upload Files** on the detail page and upload the adjusted file
  - For a **Select from NAS** source: put the adjusted file back in the shared folder, go back to the **File Sources** page, click the row's sync icon, then click **Start** in the **Start Sync** confirmation dialog

<note>

**You can't delete files while a sync is running:**

Until the sync finishes, the delete icon is unavailable and shows **Files cannot be removed while a sync is running**. Wait for the sync to finish, then try again.

</note>

## Related articles

- [What file formats and limits does ARGENT support?](https://docs.ardge.com/en/knowledge/argent/formats-and-limits)
- [What do the file source statuses mean?](https://docs.ardge.com/en/knowledge/argent/source-statuses)


## Sitemap

See the full [sitemap](https://docs.ardge.com/sitemap.md) for all pages.