A file won't upload or play

When you create a project, FlowChord first makes every file as small as the project can use, right in your browser, and then uploads it. Your original file never leaves your device. Most problems come from one of four things: the kind of file, its size or length, what your browser can read, or the page being closed before the upload finished.

This article starts from what you see on screen and tells you what to do, most likely cause first.

Before you start

• Check the file opens and plays on your device.
• Use a recent browser. Check your browser tells you whether it can prepare and read your videos.
• Have a steady connection. A long video can take a few minutes to upload.

Steps

When an upload stops halfway, the project shows Upload interrupted. Your project is kept; only the file has to be sent again.

1. Open the project from your library.
2. Press Choose video again.
3. Pick the same file you used before.
4. Keep the tab open while the card goes through Optimizing your files and Uploading video.

You can move around FlowChord while it works, but closing the tab stops the upload.

Options

What a project accepts:

File	Kinds	Size limit
Video	MP4, WebM, MOV	800 MB
Audio	MP3, M4A, WAV, FLAC	100 MB
Chord sheet	PDF, TXT, PNG, JPG, WebP	PDF 20 MB, picture 15 MB, text 1 MB
Song cover	PNG, JPG, WebP	20 MB

For a video or an audio file, the limit is the size it is stored at, after FlowChord has made it smaller. A bigger file is still accepted when your browser can make it fit. A video or an audio file can also be at most 10 minutes long.

Tips

• An MP4 is the safest choice: every browser reads it.
• On a phone, keep FlowChord in front and the screen on until the upload is done. FlowChord keeps the screen awake while it works, but switching to another app can pause the page.
• A project that fails before its files are stored costs nothing: what it took from your balance goes back automatically, and a free video can be used again.

Common problems

When you create a project, a file FlowChord can’t take keeps its card in the list, and the card says why. The other files are not affected: remove the card, fix the file and add it again.

“That file type isn’t supported”

The file is not a kind FlowChord takes. For a video, you see “That file type isn't supported, use MP4, WebM or MOV”; for audio, “That audio type isn't supported, use MP3, M4A, WAV or FLAC”. Export or convert the file to MP4 (video) or MP3 or WAV (audio), then pick it again.

The file is too large

FlowChord tried to make the file smaller and couldn’t make it fit, usually because this browser can’t re-encode it. You see “That video is too large, and this browser can't optimize it. Export it as MP4 (H.264) and try again” or “That audio file is too large, and this browser can't optimize it. Export it as WAV (48 kHz, 16-bit) or MP3 and try again”.

• Try again in an up-to-date browser that passes Prepare a video on the device check page.
• Or export a smaller version from your camera or editing app (MP4, H.264), then pick that one.

If the project page shows Video too large, press Choose a smaller video and pick a smaller file.

The video is too long

Videos and audio files can be up to 10 minutes long. The project page shows Video too long. Trim the video to the part you need in your phone’s or computer’s editor, then press Choose a shorter video.

The video plays with sound but no picture

This browser can’t show the video’s picture, most often an iPhone video (HEVC) on a computer without the codec for it. Normally FlowChord reads such a video with its own decoder and stores it in a format every browser plays, which can make the Optimizing your files step take a little longer. When that isn’t possible here, FlowChord warns you before the project is made, and the preview shows “This browser can't show this video's picture, so here it plays as sound only. Convert it to H.264 (MP4) or try another browser”.

• Open FlowChord in an up-to-date browser and make the project there. On the device check page, the Read an iPhone video row should not say no.
• Or convert the video to MP4 (H.264) before you upload it. On an iPhone, the camera’s “Most Compatible” format records videos that way from the start.

An iPhone video recorded with Spatial Audio has no sound

Newer iPhones can record sound as Spatial Audio, which many browsers can’t decode. Where the browser can read it, FlowChord turns it into ordinary stereo before uploading. Where it can’t, the project may fail with “We couldn't read the audio from this video”. Make the project in your iPhone’s or Mac’s own browser, or record with stereo sound instead of Spatial Audio in your iPhone’s camera settings.

Your storage is full

The upload is refused when your files don’t fit in your storage. The project page shows Storage full with Manage storage. Free some space, then choose the video again. See Storage full.

FlowChord says it was just updated

If FlowChord was updated while your page was open, you see “FlowChord was just updated. Pick your files again”. The page loads the new version; pick your files again and create the project as before. Nothing was charged.

The chord sheet couldn’t be read

The project shows We couldn't read your chord sheet. Press Replace chord sheet to pick a clearer file (a PDF or a straight, well-lit photo works best), or Generate with AI instead to let FlowChord find the chords from the recording.

Nothing here helps

Write to us from Support in the account menu. Say what kind of file it is, where it came from (phone, camera, app) and what message you saw. The report from the device check page helps too.