Archive/unarchive fails, hangs, or errors (e.g. timeout, "file too big")?
When archiving or unarchiving fails, hangs, or throws a "file too big" error, it's almost always about size, disk space, or an unsupported format — not a broken file. Working through these in order will usually get it done.
Why this happens
Extracting needs room for both the archive and its unpacked contents, so a near-full disk stops the operation partway. Very large operations can also exceed what a single web request can handle, and non-standard formats like .rar simply aren't supported.
How to fix it
- Check free disk space — extracting needs room for both the archive and its contents.
- For very large archives, do the compress/extract on your PC over SFTP instead of in the browser.
- Confirm the format is supported (
.zip,.tar,.tar.gz/.tgz) — convert.rarfirst. - If a huge operation times out in the panel, open a ticket and we'll run it server-side for you.
Warning: A timeout on a giant archive usually means it exceeded what the web request can handle — that's a size limit, not a broken file. Split it or let us handle it.
Frequently asked questions
I get "file too big" — what does that mean? You're likely near your disk quota. Free up space or ask us about a storage add-on.
Can support extract it for me? Yes — open a ticket or add us as a Files subuser and we'll run the extraction server-side.