You might encounter an error when uploading a file to use as a patient form or treatment note template:
This guide explains the most common upload errors, what causes them, and how to resolve them.
Common upload errors include:
Image is too tall
What’s happening
The image you uploaded is very tall, which can make the text difficult to read when it’s processed.
This most commonly occurs when a full-page screenshot is taken from a web browser. Full-page screenshots capture the entire webpage (including content outside the visible screen), resulting in a very long image.
How to fix it
Instead of uploading a single long image, convert the content into a multi-page PDF.
If the template comes from a website:
Open the page in your browser
Press cmd+P (Mac) or ctrl+P (Windows) to print the page
Choose Save as PDF, and click Save
This breaks the content into readable pages and avoids image size issues.
No questions found
What’s happening
The uploaded file doesn’t appear to contain any questions or structured fields. This can happen if the wrong file was uploaded (perhaps accidentally uploading an image of a pet 🐕 ), or if the template doesn’t include readable question text.
How to fix it
Make sure you’re uploading an image or PDF that clearly contains form questions or treatment note fields, then try again.
Template is invalid
What's happening
Cliniko lets you export treatment note and patient form templates so they can be shared with other Cliniko users. These templates are exported as JSON files. If you see this error when uploading a JSON file, it means the file contains information that Cliniko wasn’t expecting, so it couldn’t be processed.
This can sometimes happen if the file has been manually edited and its structure no longer matches what Cliniko supports. More commonly, it occurs when the template includes custom patient fields.
If a patient form template was exported from one Cliniko account with custom patient field connections, and then imported into a different account, the upload can fail.
This is because custom patient fields are account-specific. If the destination account doesn’t have the same custom patient fields set up, Cliniko can’t map those connections and the upload is rejected.
How to fix it
If you’re moving a template between different Cliniko accounts:
Go back to the original account
Duplicate the template
Remove any custom patient field connections from the duplicated version
Export the duplicated template
Import that version into the other account
Once imported, you can recreate the custom patient field connections in the destination account if needed. If you’re still seeing this error, or if you’re unsure what’s causing it, please contact our support team.
File is invalid
What’s happening
The file couldn’t be read correctly. This can happen if the file is corrupted, incomplete, or didn't finish downloading properly.
How to fix it
Try opening the file in another program (for example, Preview on macOS or a PDF or image viewer) to confirm it opens correctly.
If the file isn't opening in another program, you may need to go back to the source to get a working copy. If the file opens elsewhere but still fails to upload in Cliniko, please contact our support team for help.
PDF exceeded the limit of 20 pages
What’s happening
The error appears if you attempt to upload a PDF that contains more than 20 pages. Uploaded PDF files can include a maximum of 20 pages.
How to fix it
If your template is longer than 20 pages, please contact our support team so we can help you work through the best option.
Template is too large to be processed
What’s happening
The file contains too much content to be processed in a single upload.
How to fix it
Please get in touch with our support team. We can help determine whether the template can be adjusted or suggest an alternative approach.
If you’ve tried the steps above and are still seeing an error, our support team is happy to help! Get in touch with us and include the file you’re trying to upload (if possible), as this will help us resolve the issue more quickly.