---
title: Pause, resume, and retry uploads
description: "Pick an interrupted upload back up without starting again, what Pause, Retry, and Cancel each do, and how to fix uploads that failed."
section: Files
order: 60
audience: [owner, admin, member]
status: published
lastVerified: 2026-09-15
sources:
  - web/src/lib/multipart-upload.ts
  - web/src/lib/multipart-persistence.ts
  - web/src/components/app/bucket-browser/UploadSheet.tsx
  - web/src/components/app/bucket-browser/useUploadManager.ts
  - src/objects/organisation.constants.ts
---

Files over 256 MB are uploaded in parts. If a large upload is interrupted, quickS3 only needs to send the parts that are missing. Smaller files upload in one go, so if they're interrupted they start again from the beginning.

## The buttons on an upload

- **Pause** stops an upload for now. Select **Retry** to carry on. Large files continue where they stopped; small ones start over.
- **Retry** appears on paused and failed uploads. For large files, it sends only the missing parts.
- **Cancel** (✕ while uploading) stops the upload for good and throws away the parts already sent.
- **Remove** (✕ on a finished row) clears it from the list. The uploaded file stays in the bucket.

## Resume after closing the tab

If you close the tab or your computer restarts during a large upload, you can pick it up again later from the same browser:

1. Go back to the same bucket and folder, and select **Upload**.
2. The panel lists **Interrupted upload** with the file name and how much was sent.
3. Select **Select file to resume** and pick the same file from your computer.

quickS3 checks that it's the same file, then sends only what's left. You have seven days to resume. After that, you'll need to upload it again.

Resuming only works in the browser where you started, because that's where quickS3 remembers the upload. It stores the upload's progress there, not the file itself.

## When an upload fails

quickS3 retries each part up to three times on its own before showing an error. If it still fails:

| The error mentions | What to do |
| --- | --- |
| Write access, or "forbidden" | You don't have Write access in this folder. Ask an Owner or Admin. |
| File size or "too large" | The file is over this connection's limit. See [upload limits](/docs/files/upload-methods/). |
| CORS, or a network error on every file | The bucket isn't set up for browser uploads. An Owner can [fix CORS](/docs/files/cors/). |
| The upload reaches 100% but never completes | Also a CORS problem: the bucket needs to expose the `ETag` header. |

If cancelling says cleanup is pending, quickS3 couldn't reach your provider to remove the partial upload. It tries again later, so you don't need to do anything.