I tried to translate a document, but it didn't work. What went wrong?
Should you encounter an issue while translating your document, one of the following solutions may be helpful to you:
- You can’t upload your file for translation
- You could upload your file, but it can’t be translated
- Your file is translated, but you can’t open the translation of your file
- Your PDF file is translated, but the quality of the translation is unsatisfactory
Below you will find more information about each case.
You can’t upload your file for translation
There could be several reasons why you can’t upload your document for translation.
File format
Please make sure that the format of your document is supported.
Users of our free service can translate the following file formats on the desktop apps:
- .docx/.doc
- .pptx
Please note that the document translation feature is not available for users without a DeepL account on the web translator.
DeepL Pro Starter users can translate:
- .docx/.doc
- .pptx
- .txt
- .html
In addition to these file formats, DeepL Pro Advanced and Ultimate users and DeepL API (Free and Pro) subscribers can translate:
- .xlsx
- .xliff
- .srt
Please find more details about the translation of PDF files here.
For .xliff files, only version 2.1 is currently supported for the document translation feature. More information about the translation of .xliff files can be found here.
Other file formats aren’t currently supported in any product or subscription plan offered by DeepL.
If you have a DeepL Pro (Starter, Advanced, or Ultimate) subscription, please make sure that you are logged in to your account to translate your document.
Translation of multiple documents
Only a single document can be translated in the web translator or in the DeepL for Windows app at a time. Please make sure that you select only a single file in the file upload dialog.
Multiple documents can only be translated with the DeepL for Mac app. This function allows you to translate files with different source languages, but the target language for all translations will be the same.
If you have a DeepL API (Free and Pro) subscription, please consider that different rules might apply to the document translation. For more information about the technical details and requirements, please consult the API documentation.
You can upload your file, but it can’t be translated
There might be several reasons why we couldn’t process your file for further translation.
Password protection
Please make sure that your file isn’t password protected.
No editable text in your .docx/.doc, .pptx, or .xlsx document
In .docx/.doc, .pptx, .xlsx files, text can’t be translated if it is only present in the document as an image and not as actual editable text. In this case, you can convert your file to PDF before uploading it for translation.
The source language is not supported
Please make sure that we support the source language of your document. You can find a list of supported source languages here.
Expired session
Please make sure that you are logged in to your account and check the status of your subscription in your DeepL account. Try translating your file again.
File size
Your file size shouldn’t exceed the file size limits on DeepL Translator. Moreover, your file shouldn’t exceed the character limit for the document translation feature. Please check the file size limits and character limits in the table below.
| Free service | DeepL Pro Starter |
DeepL Pro Advanced | DeepL Pro Ultimate | DeepL API Free |
DeepL API Pro | |
| Word (.docx/.doc) |
5 MB 100,000 characters |
10 MB 1 million characters |
20 MB 1 million characters |
30 MB 1 million characters |
10 MB 500,000 characters |
30 MB 1 million characters |
| PowerPoint (.pptx) |
5 MB 100,000 characters |
10 MB 1 million characters |
20 MB 1 million characters |
30 MB 1 million characters |
10 MB 500,000 characters |
30 MB 1 million characters |
| PDF (.pdf) |
5 MB 100,000 characters |
10 MB 1 million characters |
20 MB 1 million characters |
30 MB 1 million characters |
10 MB 500,000 characters |
30 MB 1 million characters |
| Excel (.xlsx) | not available | not available | 20 MB 1 million characters |
30 MB 1 million characters |
10 MB 500,000 characters |
30 MB 1 million characters |
| Text (.txt) | not available |
1 MB 1 million characters |
1 MB 1 million characters |
1 MB 1 million characters |
1 MB 500,000 characters |
1 MB 1 million characters |
| HTML (.html) | not available |
5 MB 1 million characters |
5 MB 1 million characters |
5 MB 1 million characters |
5 MB 500,000 characters |
5 MB 1 million characters |
| XLIFF (.xlf/.xliff) | not available | not available | 10 MB 1 million characters |
10 MB 1 million characters |
10 MB 500,000 characters |
10 MB 1 million characters |
| SRT (.srt) | not available | not available | 150 KB 1 million characters |
200 KB 1 million characters |
150 KB 500,000 characters |
150 KB 1 million characters |
Your file is translated, but you can’t open the translation of your file
This might happen if the content of your document isn’t fully compatible with the official specification of the supported file formats. This could, for example, happen if you convert a document from a non-supported format to one of the formats supported by DeepL.
If the translation of a .docx/.doc or .pptx file fails, you can try to convert the file to PDF before uploading it for translation.
If the translation of a PDF file fails, you can try to translate the source .docx/.doc or .pptx file if it is available.
Your PDF file is translated, but the quality of the translation is unsatisfactory
Please note that since the PDF file conversion relies on optical character recognition, it may be subject to a higher error rate.
If you are unsatisfied with the PDF file translation and your PDF file was created from a .docx/.doc or .pptx document, you can try translating that source document instead.
Custom fonts and large image sizes might impact the quality of translation. If possible, use documents with fewer visual elements.
Note: When translating a scanned document, the quality of the scan can affect the quality of your translation. We recommend a scan resolution of 300 DPI (Dots Per Inches).
If you are still experiencing problems with document translations, please contact DeepL Support.