The submission failed status reflects that the e-filing system was unable to process one or more PDF documents successfully and it has not been sent to the court.
To learn why the document failed, continue scrolling down or click here to learn how to fix the documents and click here to learn how to resubmit the documents.
If a PDF document does not meet the system requirements established by the court, it will not be accepted, and the filing status will display as Submission Failed.
Common Reasons for Failure Include, but are Not Limited to:
- Page size not being 8.5x11 inches and in Portrait orientation
- A resolution higher than 300dpi
- Fill-able boxes
- Use of unintelligible images
- Filenames should be no longer than 24 characters and should not contain special characters (e.g. ,.'!@#_$%^&*-).
- Unsupported fonts like ZapfDingbats, Wingdings, Symbols
- Password protection on PDF documents
- URLs, shortcuts or hyperlinks included in the filing
- PDF Producers, other than Adobe Acrobat or Microsoft Word.
- Corel Word Perfect PDF Producer - this is when Word Perfect is used to create PDFs. Using this PDF producer can cause submission failure with the EFile website.
- Documents with security restrictions or limited permissions may also cause this document error. The most common restriction is a password security; however, you may also encounter this if there is an eSignature on the document.
One way to check for this information is to look at the Properties of one or all your documents.
If you using Adobe Acrobat or Adobe Reader, open the document, click File and select Properties in the drop down menu.
In the Properties you can view the Page Size, Security and Fonts.
How to Fix Submission Failed Document(s)
When your document fails submission, you will need to recreate the file before resubmitting. The most common method of doing so is to print the document and scan it back into your computer.
You can also "print" the document to PDF. Scroll down further instructions, or select one of the following options.
- Microsoft Windows
- Adobe Acrobat Reader (Microsoft Windows)
- Mac Preview (Apple OS / Apple Macintosh)
- Linux
- Alternative Method
Microsoft Windows
To do so, open the document and attempt to print by either clicking the "Print" button or by holding down the CTRL button on your keyboard and pressing the P button.
When presented with your printer options, select 'Adobe PDF' or 'Microsoft Print to PDF'. This will prompt you to rename and save the file. Use the new version of the document when you re-file the document(s).
Adobe Acrobat Reader (Microsoft Windows)
Open your PDF in Adobe Acrobat Reader. Select “File” and choose “Print.”
A Printer Dialogue box will open. Click the drop-down field next to “Printer”. To Print to PDF, locate and select “Microsoft Print to PDF” or “Adobe PDF.” Click “Print.”
This will prompt you to name and save your updated PDF. Click “Save.”
Mac Preview (Apple OS / Apple Macintosh)
The latest instructions are available on Apple's Mac support website. As technical support for the efile site, we recommend following Apple's instructions for their devices/products. To view our recommended PDF settings to avoid errors, click here.
The latest Adobe Acrobat Reader version on macOS does not allow you to access the Print menu unless you have a printer set up. The printer options in Adobe mimic Windows platforms, and does not have the PDF button or option for Print to PDF. It would be recommended for Mac users to use Preview.
NOTE: These instructions apply to MacOS Ventura (OS version 13) and newer versions. Please ensure that your computer is updated to the most recent operating system software. Users of older versions of MacOS will want to print their corrected documents out and re-scan them in as PDF files.
- On your Mac, open the document you want to save as a PDF.
- Choose File > Print.
- Click the PDF button or click the down arrow to open the PDF pop-up menu, then choose Save as PDF.
- The PDF pop-up menu showing the PDF commands, including Save as PDF.
- Choose a name and location for the PDF file. Enter the information you want in the Title, Author, Subject, and Keywords fields.
If your documents submission fail, you may need to Export as a new PDF.
Choose File > Export
Name your document and choose a location for the PDF file, then choose Save.
Please Note: The steps to Export the PDF does not flatten documents, it just saves it again as a PDF. May also not be available on forms with fillable fields.
If your filing included multiple documents, it is recommended to Print to PDF or Export PDF on all documents. After re-submitting your corrected documents, check to make sure they are in Submitted status. This confirms that the documents were successfully sent to the court's review queue.
For more information about how to correct your filing; please see the attached "Submission Failed" document below.
Also recommend reading: How do I convert my document to a PDF?
Linux
- Open the Document in your PDF Viewer.
- Press Ctrl+P to open the print dialog box or click File, select Print in the Menu.
- On the Menu Settings page, Click the General tab, and under Printer name, choose Print to File as your listed Printer.
- Choose your filename (rename the document) and save location.
- Select your file format. PDF is the default file type.
- Select any page preferences.
- Click Print to save the PDF.
Alternative Method
Using the "Compress PDF" tool at ILovePDF.com can resolve Submission Fail errors as well, even if the file does not require compression due to its file size.
If you have corrected your document(s), click here for instructions on how to copy your submission failed envelope and resubmit the documents.