This article explains how to resolve the "Request Too Large [413]" error that occurs when migrating files to Google Drive with document conversion enabled.
Symptom
During a migration to Google Drive, specific files fail to upload. The migration logs or item failure reports contain the following warning:
[GoogleDriveFileImporter] [Warn] ...Unable to upload item example.xlsx. Google.Apis.Requests.RequestError Request Too Large [413] Errors [ Message[Request Too Large] Location[ - ] Reason[uploadTooLarge] Domain[global]
This error indicates the file was rejected by Google servers because it exceeds the maximum size allowed for conversion during the upload process.
Cause
This error occurs when Convert to Google Docs is enabled in the CloudM Migrate configuration, but a source file exceeds Google's conversion limits. Google imposes specific size limits for files converted into Google Docs, Sheets, or Slides format:
| Document Type | Conversion Limit |
|---|---|
| Documents | Up to 50 MB |
| Spreadsheets | Up to 100 MB |
| Presentations | Up to 100 MB |
If CloudM Migrate attempts to upload a file (e.g., a 120 MB .xlsx file) with conversion requested, the Google Drive API rejects the request with a 413 error.
For current size limits, refer to Google’s documentation: Files you can store in Google Drive.
Resolution
Option 1: Disable Document Conversion (Recommended)
Disabling conversion ensures files migrate in their native format (e.g., .docx, .xlsx). The 413 error will no longer apply as the files are uploaded as binary blobs rather than converted assets.
- In CloudM Migrate, navigate to Configuration Destination Settings.
- Select the Document Conversion section.
- Locate the relevant file type and uncheck the conversion option.
- Save the configuration.
Reattempting Failed Items
To process the items that previously failed with the 413 error, rerun the migration. CloudM Migrate will use the migration history to skip successfully migrated items and reattempt only those that failed.
Optional: To ensure modified documents are not overwritten in the destination, verify that Configuration > Advanced settings > Document > Overwrite Updated Documents is disabled. This ensures the tool only reattempts failed items and migrates new items.
Option 2: Exclude Large Files
If you prefer to maintain conversion for smaller files, you can use item filters to exclude files over a specific size from the migration entirely. This prevents the 413 error but results in the large files not being migrated to the destination.