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Bulk Upload Issues

Bulk verification is a powerful way to clean large email lists, but sometimes uploads don't go as planned. This guide covers common bulk upload issues and how to resolve them.

"Please Upload a CSV or TXT File"​

Valid Email Checker accepts specific file formats for bulk uploads. If you're seeing this error, your file isn't in a supported format.

Supported Formats​

  • CSV (Comma-Separated Values) - The most common format
  • TXT (Plain Text) - Simple text files with one email per line

Not Supported​

  • Excel files (.xlsx, .xls)
  • Google Sheets (must export first)
  • PDF documents
  • Word documents
  • Any other format

How to Fix It​

If you have an Excel file:

  1. Open your file in Excel
  2. Go to File → Save As
  3. Choose CSV (Comma delimited) as the format
  4. Save and upload the new CSV file

If you have a Google Sheet:

  1. Open your Google Sheet
  2. Go to File → Download
  3. Select Comma-separated values (.csv)
  4. Upload the downloaded file

If you have another format:

Copy the email addresses into a plain text file (one per line) or spreadsheet and save as CSV.

"File Size Exceeds 100MB Limit"​

For performance and stability, we limit upload file sizes to 100MB.

How to Fix It​

Option 1: Compress your data

Remove unnecessary columns. If your CSV has columns like names, addresses, or other data, create a new file with just the email column. This can dramatically reduce file size.

Option 2: Split your file

Divide your list into multiple smaller files:

  1. Open your CSV in Excel or Google Sheets
  2. Select a portion of the rows (keep headers if present)
  3. Copy to a new file
  4. Save as CSV
  5. Repeat until you have files under 100MB each
  6. Upload each file separately

How Big Is Too Big?​

A CSV file with just email addresses (one column) can hold roughly:

  • 10MB ≈ 200,000-300,000 emails
  • 50MB ≈ 1-1.5 million emails
  • 100MB ≈ 2-3 million emails

If your single-column email file is over 100MB, you likely have more than 1 million emails and should split it regardless due to the email limit.

"Maximum 1,000,000 Emails Allowed Per Upload"​

Each bulk upload can contain up to 1 million email addresses. This ensures reasonable processing times and system stability.

How to Fix It​

Split your list into multiple uploads:

  1. Open your file in Excel or Google Sheets
  2. Create multiple files, each with up to 1 million rows
  3. Upload each file as a separate verification task
  4. Name each upload clearly (e.g., "Customer List Part 1 of 3")

Planning Large Verifications​

If you regularly verify lists larger than 1 million emails:

  • Consider scheduling uploads over multiple days
  • Take advantage of our bulk pricing for high volumes
  • Contact sales@validemailchecker.com for enterprise solutions

"No Valid Email Addresses Found"​

You uploaded a file, but we couldn't find any emails in it. This is frustrating, but usually easy to fix.

Common Causes​

Wrong column selected

If your file has multiple columns, make sure emails are in the column we're scanning. By default, we look for common patterns like an "email" header or the first column.

Formatting issues

  • Emails wrapped in quotes might not be recognized
  • Extra spaces before or after emails
  • Hidden characters from copy-pasting

Incorrect file structure

  • Emails spread across multiple columns
  • Data in unexpected format
  • File is actually empty

How to Fix It​

Check your file:

  1. Open it in a text editor (Notepad, TextEdit)
  2. Look at the raw contents
  3. Verify you see email addresses

Clean up the format:

  1. Create a new, simple file
  2. Paste only the email addresses, one per line
  3. Save as a fresh CSV or TXT file
  4. Try uploading again

Sample of a clean file:

john@example.com
sarah@company.org
mike@business.net

Or with a header:

email
john@example.com
sarah@company.org
mike@business.net

"Please Upload a File or Enter Email Addresses"​

You clicked verify without providing any emails to check.

How to Fix It​

You have two options for bulk verification:

Option 1: Upload a file

  1. Click the upload area or drag a file into it
  2. Wait for the file to process
  3. Then click verify

Option 2: Paste emails directly

  1. Click on the text input area
  2. Paste your email addresses (one per line)
  3. Then click verify

Make sure you complete one of these steps before clicking the verify button.

"Insufficient Credits" for Bulk Upload​

You're trying to verify more emails than you have credits for.

What's Happening​

Bulk verification requires enough credits to cover all emails in your list. If you upload 10,000 emails but only have 5,000 credits, the upload will be blocked.

How to Fix It​

Option 1: Buy more credits

  1. Go to Buy Credits
  2. Purchase enough credits for your list
  3. Return and upload again

Option 2: Upload a smaller list

  1. Split your list into smaller batches
  2. Upload only as many emails as you have credits for
  3. Purchase more credits and upload the rest later

Seeing Your Credit Requirement​

When you select a file, we'll show you:

  • How many emails are in the file
  • How many credits you have
  • Whether you have enough

This helps you plan before attempting the upload.

Upload Stuck on "Processing"​

Your file uploaded, but it's been "processing" for a while without progress.

Normal Processing Times​

Processing time depends on list size:

  • 1,000 emails: A few minutes
  • 10,000 emails: 5-10 minutes
  • 100,000 emails: 15-30 minutes
  • 1,000,000 emails: 1-2 hours

If It Seems Stuck​

  1. Refresh the page - Sometimes the progress display gets stuck even though processing continues
  2. Check Uploads & Results - Your task might be further along than it appears
  3. Wait a bit longer - Large lists take time, especially during peak hours

Can I Close My Browser?​

Yes! Once you've submitted a bulk verification, it processes on our servers. You can:

  • Close the browser
  • Log out
  • Turn off your computer

Come back later and check Uploads & Results for your completed verification.

Bulk Verification Failed​

The verification task started but then showed as "failed."

Why This Happens​

  • Server hiccup - Temporary technical issues
  • Invalid file data - Corrupted data in the file
  • System maintenance - Rare scheduled updates

What to Do​

  1. Check your credits - If the task failed early, credits may not have been deducted
  2. Try again - Most failures are temporary; re-upload your file
  3. Check the file - Make sure your file isn't corrupted; try creating a fresh export

Credits for Failed Tasks​

If a bulk task fails before completion:

  • Credits for unprocessed emails are not charged
  • Only successfully verified emails use credits
  • Check your credit balance to confirm

If you believe you were charged incorrectly, contact support@validemailchecker.com.

Can't Find My Bulk Results​

You completed a bulk verification but can't locate the results.

Where Bulk Results Live​

All bulk verification results are stored in Uploads & Results in your dashboard. Go there to:

  • View all your completed and in-progress verifications
  • Download results as CSV
  • See status breakdowns
  • Delete old verifications

Results Not Showing?​

Still processing? Check if the verification is still running. Look for a progress indicator.

Already deleted? Results are stored for 15 days, then automatically deleted. If it's been more than 15 days, the results are gone.

Wrong account? If you have multiple accounts or are a team member, make sure you're in the right account.

Downloading Results Issues​

You can see your results but can't download them.

Download Not Starting?​

  1. Check your browser's download settings - Make sure downloads aren't blocked
  2. Try a different browser - Some browsers handle downloads differently
  3. Disable ad blockers temporarily - They sometimes interfere with downloads
  4. Check your popup blocker - Allow popups from our site

Downloaded File Is Empty or Corrupted?​

  1. Try the download again
  2. Use a different browser
  3. If the issue persists, contact support

Best Practices for Smooth Uploads​

To avoid issues in the future:

Prepare Your File Properly​

  • Use CSV or TXT format
  • Include only the email column (remove unnecessary data)
  • Remove duplicate emails before uploading
  • Check that emails are formatted correctly

Name Your Lists Clearly​

Give each upload a descriptive name like:

  • "Newsletter Subscribers - January 2026"
  • "Trade Show Leads - NYC Event"
  • "Customer Database Cleanup"

This makes it easy to find results later.

Start Small​

If you're new to bulk verification, test with a small list first (100-1,000 emails) to make sure everything works as expected.

Need More Help?​

If you're still having trouble with bulk uploads, our support team is ready to assist.

Contact us:

Include in your message:

  • What file format you're trying to upload
  • The error message you're seeing
  • Approximate file size and number of emails
  • Screenshots if possible

We'll help you get your bulk verifications working smoothly.