Lovable storage

Image Upload Failing or Corrupted in Lovable

When users try to upload images in your Lovable app, the upload either fails entirely, succeeds but the image appears broken or corrupted, or the image uploads but never displays correctly on the page.

Image uploads are a core feature for many apps — profile pictures, product images, gallery uploads. When they break, users can't complete essential tasks and the app feels unreliable.

The issue may appear in different ways: a spinner that never completes, an error message after selecting a file, a broken image icon where the photo should appear, or images that upload fine on desktop but fail on mobile.

Error Messages You Might See

Failed to upload image Payload too large Error: new row violates check constraint The resource could not be loaded net::ERR_FAILED 413
Failed to upload imagePayload too largeError: new row violates check constraintThe resource could not be loadednet::ERR_FAILED 413

Common Causes

  • File size too large — Mobile phone photos can be 5-15MB, exceeding default upload limits
  • Wrong MIME type — HEIC images from iPhones aren't handled, or the server expects specific image formats
  • Storage bucket not configured — Supabase storage bucket doesn't exist or has wrong permissions
  • Missing image transformation — Images aren't resized before upload, causing timeout on large files
  • Base64 encoding issues — The app converts images to base64 for database storage, hitting text column size limits

How to Fix It

  1. Check Supabase storage configuration — Verify the bucket exists, is set to public (if images need to be displayed), and has correct RLS policies
  2. Add client-side image compression — Use a library like browser-image-compression to resize images before upload
  3. Handle HEIC format — Add HEIC to JPEG conversion for iPhone users using heic2any library
  4. Increase upload size limits — Configure your server and Supabase to accept larger files if needed
  5. Verify the image URL — Check that the stored URL is correct and accessible by opening it directly in a browser

Real developers can help you.

BurnHavoc BurnHavoc Been around fixing other peoples code for 20 years. zipking zipking I am a technologist and product builder dedicated to creating high-impact solutions at the intersection of AI and specialized markets. Currently, I am focused on PropScan (EstateGuard), an AI-driven SaaS platform tailored for the Japanese real estate industry, and exploring the potential of Archify. As an INFJ-T, I approach development with a "systems-thinking" mindset—balancing technical precision with a deep understanding of user needs. I particularly enjoy the challenge of architecting Vertical AI SaaS and optimizing Small Language Models (SLMs) to solve specific, real-world business problems. Whether I'm in a CTO-level leadership role or hands-on with the code, I thrive on building tools that turn complex data into actionable value. Omar Faruk Omar Faruk As a Product Engineer at Klasio, I contributed to end-to-end product development, focusing on scalability, performance, and user experience. My work spanned building and refining core features, developing dynamic website templates, integrating secure and reliable payment gateways, and optimizing the overall system architecture. I played a key role in creating a scalable and maintainable platform to support educators and learners globally. I'm enthusiastic about embracing new challenges and making meaningful contributions. Bastien Labelle Bastien Labelle Full stack dev w/ 20+ years of experience Tejas Chokhawala Tejas Chokhawala Full-stack engineer with 5 years experience building production web apps using React, Next.js and TypeScript. Focused on performance, clean architecture and shipping fast. Experienced with Supabase/Postgres backends, Stripe billing, and building AI-assisted developer tools. Kingsley Omage Kingsley Omage Fullstack software engineer passionate about AI Agents, blockchain, LLMs. Richard McSorley Richard McSorley Full-Stack Software Engineer with 8+ years building high-performance applications for enterprise clients. Shipped production systems at Walmart (4,000+ stores), Cigna (20M+ users), and Arkansas Blue Cross. 5 patents in retail/supply chain tech. Currently focused on AI integrations, automation tools, and TypeScript-first architectures. Jared Hasson Jared Hasson Full time lead founding dev at a cyber security saas startup, with 10 yoe and a bachelor's in CS. Building & debugging software products is what I've spent my time on for forever Jaime Orts-Caroff Jaime Orts-Caroff I'm a Senior Android developer, open to work in various fields Prakash Prajapati Prakash Prajapati I’m a Senior Python Developer specializing in building secure, scalable, and highly available systems. I work primarily with Python, Django, FastAPI, Docker, PostgreSQL, and modern AI tooling such as PydanticAI, focusing on clean architecture, strong design principles, and reliable DevOps practices. I enjoy solving complex engineering problems and designing systems that are maintainable, resilient, and built to scale.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Why do iPhone photos fail to upload?

iPhones save photos in HEIC format by default, which many web apps don't support. You need to either convert HEIC to JPEG before upload or configure your storage to accept HEIC files.

Should I store images in the database or storage?

Always use dedicated storage (like Supabase Storage or S3). Storing images as base64 in the database is slow, expensive, and hits size limits quickly.

Related Lovable Issues

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