Your import file won't upload or parse
This page covers what to do when a file won’t upload to the import screen, or when MapleGather accepts the file but reports a parsing problem.
How to fix it
Section titled “How to fix it”File won’t upload at all
Section titled “File won’t upload at all”The file is too large. MapleGather’s upload limit is row-based, not a fixed byte size. If you hit a size error, split your file into batches of about 50,000 rows each — for example, alphabetically by last name — and run each as a separate import.
The file type isn’t supported. Supported file types are .csv, .xlsx, and .xml (or paste directly from a spreadsheet). Legacy .xls, .ods, .numbers, .tsv, or other formats need to be converted to CSV or .xlsx first. In most spreadsheet apps, go to File > Save As or Export and choose CSV or Excel.
The upload failed mid-way. This can happen on a slow or intermittent connection. Check your connection and try again. If you’re on mobile, switching to Wi-Fi often helps. The file is re-uploaded from scratch each time — there’s no resume-from-checkpoint.
The drop zone isn’t accepting your drag. Make sure you’re dropping directly onto the drop zone area. Some browsers treat drag-and-drop differently depending on where exactly you release the file. Try selecting Browse files instead and choosing the file from your file picker.
File uploads but MapleGather shows a parsing error
Section titled “File uploads but MapleGather shows a parsing error”“We couldn’t read any rows from this file.” This usually means the file is empty (zero rows below the header), the sheet is blank, or the file was exported as a template without data. Open the file in a spreadsheet app and verify it has both a header row and data rows.
“Column headers missing.” MapleGather expects the first row to contain column headers (field names). If your file has descriptive text, logos, or summary rows above the actual data, delete those rows so the first row is the header.
“File appears to be corrupted.” Try saving the file again from your spreadsheet app. If you exported a CSV from another tool, try reopening it in Excel or a text editor to verify the contents look right before uploading.
“This sheet has merged cells.” MapleGather can’t process Excel files with merged cells in the header row or data rows. Open the file, select all cells, go to Format > Merge & Center > Unmerge Cells, and save a new copy.
“Multiple sheets found — please select which to import.” This is normal for Excel workbooks with multiple sheets. A sheet picker appears automatically. Select the sheet (or sheets) you want to include and select Continue with selected sheets.
If that didn’t work
Section titled “If that didn’t work”If none of the above resolved the problem, contact support with:
- A description of the error message you saw
- The name and format of your file (for example, “members.xlsx, Excel 2019”)
- Whether the file is from a specific export tool
Support can inspect the upload log to diagnose parsing failures that don’t match these common patterns.