A Folder Upload Fails or Looks Incomplete
Why a folder upload to Peony fails or shows fewer files than expected: very large folder trees go up in parts, cloud-synced placeholders, and macOS hidden files. How to add only the missing files.
Last updated October 23, 2026
Drag a whole folder into a data room, or use Add content and Folder upload, and Peony keeps the nested structure. If every file fails, upload the folder in parts. If it comes out with fewer files than you expected, check the two causes after that, then re-upload only what's missing.
Every File Failed: Too Many Folders in One Upload
Each folder upload takes up to 120 folders, nested up to 10 levels; upload bigger trees in parts. A bigger tree is rejected as a whole, so every file in it is marked failed:
Instead of Retry, close the panel and upload the folder in parts: drop its subfolders one or a few at a time, each part up to 120 folders and 10 levels deep. The parts land side by side in the folder you dropped them into, so create the top folder first with Add content and New folder if you want them inside it.
The Folder Lives in the Cloud, Not on Your Disk
Cloud-synced folders may live in the cloud rather than on disk. Dropbox especially, and often on Macs, keeps files as online-only placeholders. Make the folder available offline, or download it locally, then drag it in. Otherwise the nested structure won't come through.
macOS Hidden Files Make the Count Look Short
macOS adds entries like .DS_Store that Peony skips by design, and Finder counts subfolders as items. So the number in Finder is often higher than the number of files in the room even when every real file uploaded.
Re-Upload and Add Only the Missing Files
Drop the same folder into the same place again. Peony checks what's already there and asks what to do:
- Upload missing only adds just the files that aren't in the room yet. Use this one.
- Upload as new uploads every file again as a new copy.
- Cancel stops without uploading anything.
Loose Files Land in a Container Folder
When you drop several loose files, not inside a folder, onto a data room, Peony generates a container folder for them. This automatic multi-file folder is created only at the root of a data room. Drop loose files into a specific subfolder and they land directly in that subfolder instead.
Common Questions
The file count after a folder upload looks short. Did I lose files?
No. Finder counts folders and hidden files like .DS_Store, which Peony skips by design, so its total is usually higher than the room's even when every real file uploaded. To confirm, drop the same folder again and choose Upload missing only: it adds just the files that aren't in the room yet.