Immich Upload Fails or Times Out

Symptoms

  • Photos fail to upload from the mobile app
  • Web UI uploads time out on large files
  • Upload progress gets stuck at a percentage
  • Error message: “Failed to upload” or timeout errors

Common Causes & Fixes

1. Reverse Proxy Timeout

If you’re behind a reverse proxy (Nginx, Traefik, Caddy), the default timeout may be too short for large uploads.

Nginx fix: Add to your Immich server block:

client_max_body_size 50000M;
proxy_read_timeout 600;
proxy_connect_timeout 600;
proxy_send_timeout 600;

Traefik fix: Increase the response forwarding timeout in your Traefik config.

2. Disk Space

Check that your upload volume has sufficient space:

Terminal window
df -h /path/to/immich/library

3. Permissions

Ensure the upload directory is writable by the Immich container:

Terminal window
sudo chown -R 1000:1000 /path/to/immich/library

4. Mobile App Connection

If only mobile uploads fail:

  • Verify the server URL in app settings
  • Try switching between WiFi and mobile data
  • Check that the server port is accessible from outside your LAN

Still Stuck?

See also: Immich setup guide | Reverse proxy guide