# Resume a Large Upload That Was Interrupted Few things are as frustrating as a 10 GB upload failing at 80%. Uploads here go up in pieces, so a dropped connection pauses the upload instead of ending it, and even a closed tab can be picked up again. _Source: https://sharelargefilesfree.com/resume-interrupted-upload · Updated 2026-10-01_ **Quick answer:** If your connection drops, the upload pauses ("Connection lost — upload paused") and continues by itself once you are back online; you can also press Resume now. If the tab was closed or the browser crashed, open the upload page again in the same browser: a banner says "You have an unfinished upload". Press Pick the same files, choose the same files, and each continues from the last piece the server received. Unfinished uploads are kept for a limited time (24 hours unless the page says otherwise). ## What it does and when it saves you Files are uploaded in small pieces, and the server remembers how much of each file it has. That makes three common situations survivable: - **Train or car Wi-Fi** that keeps dropping in and out during a long upload. - **A laptop that went to sleep** or a browser that crashed overnight with a 20 GB set of rushes half sent. - **A phone** that reloaded the page when you switched to another app to answer a message. ## What happens when an upload is interrupted | What went wrong | What happens | What you do | | --- | --- | --- | | A short drop | The failed piece is retried automatically | Nothing | | The connection is gone for longer | "Connection lost — upload paused"; it checks regularly and continues | Wait, or press **Resume now** | | You need the bandwidth | You press **Pause** on the progress screen | Press **Resume** when ready | | Tab closed, crash, page reloaded | The server keeps what it received | Open the upload page and pick the same files | ## Continue after closing the tab, step by step 1. Open the [upload page](https://sharelargefilesfree.com/) again in the same browser on the same device. 2. A banner says "You have an unfinished upload" with the number of files and how much was sent. Each file is listed as _Uploaded_ or _Add this file again_. 3. Press **Pick the same files** and choose exactly the files you were sending. 4. When every file shows _Ready to continue_, press **Resume upload** (or **Get link** if you had not pressed it before the tab closed). 5. Re-enter anything the browser did not keep, such as a password or email addresses, and finish as usual. ![Upload card with a file added, a message box, a password box and the Get link and More settings buttons](https://sharelargefilesfree.com/assets/img/guides/upload-files-added.jpg?v=1791899187) Want to start over instead? Press **Discard** on the banner and the unfinished upload is deleted. ## A worked example Sam is sending 9 GB of wedding footage from a hotel. At 62% the hotel Wi-Fi drops; the screen says the upload is paused, and when the network returns ten minutes later it carries on. Later the laptop runs out of battery at 88%. Next morning he opens the site in the same Chrome window, sees the banner, presses **Pick the same files**, selects the same nine clips and presses **Resume upload**. Only the last 12% goes up. ## What the recipient sees Nothing unusual. With a link, the recipient has nothing until the upload completes. With **Send by email**, the email goes out once all files are up. The files they download are the complete originals, identical to a transfer that never stopped; the download page even lists a [SHA-256 checksum](https://sharelargefilesfree.com/verify-file-checksum-sha256) so they can check. ## Limits and what it does not do - Browsers never let a page keep access to your files after it closes, so you must pick them again. The page matches each by name, size and last-modified time. - A renamed, edited or re-exported file counts as a new file and starts from zero. - Use the same browser. The note about the upload is kept in that browser only; a private window forgets it when closed, and another device cannot continue it. - Unfinished uploads are deleted after the resume window: 24 hours after the last piece arrived unless the page states another time. - No password or email addresses are stored for resuming. ## Troubleshooting - **No banner:** different browser, private window, cleared site data, or the resume window has passed. - **"…isn't part of your unfinished upload":** you picked a different file. Choose the originals, from the same folder. - **Keeps pausing on a phone:** keep the screen on and the browser in front; phones pause background tabs. - **Still failing:** see [upload keeps failing](https://sharelargefilesfree.com/upload-keeps-failing) and [sending on slow internet](https://sharelargefilesfree.com/send-large-files-on-slow-internet). ## Tips for very large uploads on a weak connection - Plug in a laptop and turn off sleep until the upload is done; a sleeping computer drops the connection. - Do not move, rename or edit the files until the upload has finished, or they will no longer match. - Check how long it should take with the [upload time calculator](https://sharelargefilesfree.com/tools/upload-time-calculator), and start big uploads when you have that much time on a stable connection. - Near the limit of 20 GB? Send two transfers, for example one per camera card, so a problem with one does not hold up the other. - On a phone, avoid switching apps for long; some phones reload the page when memory runs low. ## Frequently asked questions ### Can I resume an upload after closing the browser? Yes. Open the upload page again in the same browser, press Pick the same files and choose the same files. Each continues where it stopped. ### How long do I have to resume? A limited time after the last piece arrived, 24 hours unless the page says otherwise. After that the unfinished upload is deleted. ### Can I resume on a different device? No. The unfinished upload is remembered by the browser you started it in. ### Why does my file start from zero? It does not match the original: a different name, size or last-modified time, for example after editing or exporting it again. ### Does a dropped connection cancel the upload? No. It pauses and continues by itself when the connection is back, or when you press Resume now. ### Can I pause an upload on purpose? Yes. Press Pause on the progress screen and Resume when you are ready.