Etsy File Size Limit for Digital Downloads: 20 MB, 5 Files, and the Fixes

Etsy lets you attach five files to a digital listing, and each one can be 20 MB at most. If your print, planner or bundle is bigger, Etsy refuses the upload. Here is exactly what the limit covers, why your file is over it, and every way round it, with what each one costs your buyer.

Etsy's digital file limits at a glance

These come from Etsy's own help page, How to Manage Your Digital Listings (checked 21 October 2026):

• 20 MB per file. There is no paid tier that raises it.
• Five files per listing. So the most a buyer can ever get from one listing is 100 MB.
• Made-to-order downloads have the same cap. When you complete a custom digital order, you can attach up to five files of 20 MB each.
• Accepted file types: .bmp, .doc, .gif, .jpeg, .jpg, .mobi, .mov, .mp3, .mpeg, .pdf, .png, .psp, .rtf, .stl, .txt, .zip, .ePUB and .iBook.
• File names are fixed once uploaded. Buyers see the name you upload, it can be up to 70 characters, and you can't edit it afterwards.
• No variations on digital listings. You can't offer "A4 or US Letter" as a choice, so every size you sell has to fit in the same five files.

"File too large" on Etsy: why your file is over 20 MB

Etsy rejects any single file over 20 MB. The usual culprits:

• Print files at 300 DPI. An A4 page at 300 DPI is 2480 × 3508 pixels, about 26 MB of image data before compression. A 24 × 36 inch poster at 300 DPI is 7200 × 10800 pixels, about 233 MB before compression. JPG squeezes that a lot, but large prints still land over the line.
• PNG instead of JPG. PNG keeps every pixel exactly, so a detailed artwork is often several times bigger as a PNG than as a high-quality JPG.
• PDFs full of images. Planners, workbooks and pattern books embed every page's images. Fifty illustrated pages add up fast.
• Video. Your iPhone's own Camera settings put a minute of 1080p video at 30 fps at about 60 MB.
• Zips of any of the above. Zipping barely shrinks files that are already compressed, like JPG, PNG and most PDFs. More on that in zip files on Etsy.

To check a size: on a Mac, select the file and press Command-I. On Windows, right-click it and choose Properties. Or drop the whole set into the checker below.

Why the limits hurt your shop

• Buyers expect full quality. Someone printing a 24 × 36 poster needs the 300 DPI file. A squeezed one prints soft, and they leave the review.
• Bundles don't fit. Five files is tight for a planner in several colourways, a font family, or a printable in every ratio. See how to sell more than 5 files and the printable size guide.
• Workarounds create support messages. Every extra step between "paid" and "downloaded" is a place a buyer gets stuck. If they're already writing in, see Etsy digital download not working.

The workarounds, and what each one costs your buyer

1. Compress the files

Lower the JPG quality, shrink the pixel dimensions, or save PDFs with smaller images.

Cost: you are selling a lower-quality version of your work. That's fine for a phone wallpaper. It isn't for a large print.

2. Zip several files together

Zipping gets you past the five-file count, because one zip holds many files.

Cost: each zip is still capped at 20 MB, and many buyers shop on phones, where zips are awkward. Read zip files on Etsy before you rely on them.

3. Split across files or listings

Put each size or colourway in its own file, or sell "Part 1" and "Part 2" as separate listings.

Cost: you run out of five files quickly, and split listings confuse buyers. Some will buy one part and expect the whole set.

4. Put a Google Drive or Dropbox link in a PDF

Upload the real files to cloud storage, put the link in a PDF, and upload the PDF to Etsy. It's allowed: Etsy only cares that the sale happens on Etsy. We cover the policy and the risks in is linking to Google Drive allowed on Etsy?. For a side-by-side with OrderFiles, see Google Drive links vs OrderFiles.

Cost: anyone with the link can download, links break when you reorganise folders, and buyers hit "request access" screens. If you go this way, use a clear download instructions template, and read how to protect your digital downloads.

5. Email the files by hand

Cost: it doesn't scale, buyers wait for you to wake up, and email attachments have their own size limits.

6. Use a delivery service that works alongside Etsy

Keep selling on Etsy, and let a service hold the full-size files and hand them over. That is what OrderFiles does.

Delivering the full-size files with OrderFiles

OrderFiles keeps your Etsy listing, reviews and checkout exactly as they are, and replaces only the file hand-off:

• Files up to 5 GB each, and no cap on how many files a product holds.
• One download page per product, with your shop's name on it. Files can sit in folders, and buyers download them one by one or all at once as a ZIP.
• Buyers unlock with their Etsy order number or purchase email. OrderFiles checks it against the order email Etsy sent you, which you forward with one inbox rule.
• Etsy still delivers instantly. The digital file on your listing is a small PDF holding your OrderFiles link, so the buyer has it the moment they pay.

Should you leave Etsy instead?

Payhip, Sellfy and Gumroad all take bigger files. But moving means giving up Etsy's search traffic and your reviews. If you're weighing it up, our comparisons say plainly when moving makes sense: Payhip vs Etsy, Sellfy vs Etsy and Gumroad alternatives.

Getting started

1. Start a free 14-day trial. A card is needed, and you aren't charged if you cancel before it ends.
2. Upload your files to a product titled exactly like your Etsy listing.
3. Forward your Etsy order emails to your shop's OrderFiles address. One rule, about five minutes.
4. Upload a small PDF with your download link as the listing's digital file.

From then on, every order has the full-quality files waiting, and you aren't attaching anything by hand.