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CM/ECF PDF requirements, and how to meet them

If a federal court just bounced your filing, you are probably staring at a terse notice from the clerk and a deadline that has not moved. It is a stressful place to be, and the notice rarely tells you exactly what to change.

The good news: almost every CM/ECF rejection comes down to a handful of PDF problems, and they are all fixable. The file usually isn't wrong in substance — it just doesn't yet meet the technical rules the system enforces.

This page walks through what CM/ECF actually requires, the reasons filings get kicked back most often, and how docu checks your PDF against those rules right in your browser. Your document never leaves your device.

CM/ECF · Official requirements

What CM/ECF is

CM/ECF stands for Case Management/Electronic Case Files. It is the system the U.S. district courts, bankruptcy courts, and appellate courts use to accept filings and manage dockets. When you upload a PDF to file a motion, brief, or exhibit, CM/ECF is what receives it.

It is worth separating three names that get tangled together. CM/ECF is the filing system. PACER (Public Access to Court Electronic Records) is the companion service for viewing and downloading what has been filed. NextGen CM/ECF is the newer version of the platform, which links your filing account and your PACER account under a single Central Sign-On login. Most courts have moved to NextGen, but the PDF rules your document has to satisfy are the same either way.

What CM/ECF requires of a PDF

There is no single nationwide rulebook for PDF formatting. Each district and each court sets its own local rules and CM/ECF administrative procedures, so the exact numbers vary. That said, the core requirements are consistent from court to court.

Text-searchable text. Documents you create from a word processor should be converted straight to PDF so the text stays selectable. Anything you scan — a signed page, an exhibit, an older document — must be run through OCR (optical character recognition) so the court's system can read and search it. Image-only scans are a frequent cause of rejection.

A file size under your court's cap. This is the requirement that varies most, and there is no shared number. The Central District of California caps PDFs at 35 MB per document. The Southern District of Florida allows up to 50 MB per document. The Northern District of Georgia limits documents to 30 MB. PACER's own guidance simply states that "each court sets a limit on the size of PDF files submitted for electronic filing," and points filers to the Court CM/ECF Lookup to find theirs. Always confirm your specific court's limit before you file.

No security restrictions. CM/ECF will not accept a PDF that is password-protected or encrypted, and documents with permission restrictions or embedded scripts can fail on upload. The court needs to be able to open, print, and combine your file freely.

Flattened form fields. If your document was built from a fillable form, the interactive fields should be flattened into the page so the content is fixed and prints exactly as it appears. Live form fields can render unpredictably once they are in the docket.

The rejections we see most

When a federal filing comes back, it is usually one of these. Each one is a formatting issue, not a problem with your argument — and each is quick to fix.

  1. 1Scanned pages that aren't searchable — the PDF is really just images. docu runs OCR to add a real, selectable text layer underneath.
  2. 2The file is over your district's size cap. docu compresses oversized PDFs so they come in under the limit without you re-scanning anything.
  3. 3Live form fields that never got flattened. docu flattens fillable fields into the page so the document is fixed and prints cleanly.
  4. 4Security or permission settings on the file. docu strips permission restrictions and removes embedded scripts so the court can open it. Note: a PDF locked with an open password can't be modified until you remove the password yourself — docu refuses encrypted files rather than trying to break them.
  5. 5Pages that aren't a standard size. docu resizes pages to 8.5 x 11 Letter, the format federal filings are expected to use.
  6. 6Hidden metadata you'd rather not file. docu can strip document metadata before you submit.

How docu pre-checks your filing

Before you re-upload to CM/ECF, docu inspects your PDF against these rules and tells you what it finds — whether the text is searchable, whether the file is oversized, whether it carries security settings or unflattened fields. Checking is free.

Everything happens inside your browser. The PDF is never uploaded to a server, ours or anyone's, so a document you have not filed yet stays entirely on your machine. That matters when the file is a client's sealed exhibit or a draft you are not ready to make public.

If docu finds problems it can fix, it fixes them and hands you back a corrected PDF plus a plain-language compliance summary of what changed. One thing docu will not do is guess: if your file is encrypted, it stops and tells you, rather than silently altering a protected document.

Fix your PDF before you re-file

The workflow is short. You stay in control of the file the whole way through.

  1. 1Open docu in your browser and drop in the PDF the court rejected.
  2. 2Let docu check it against the CM/ECF requirements — searchable text, size, security, page size, form fields.
  3. 3Review what it found, including the specifics behind any rejection.
  4. 4Apply the fixes docu recommends and download the corrected PDF with its compliance summary.
  5. 5Confirm your court's size cap in the CM/ECF Lookup, then re-file the corrected document through CM/ECF.

Frequently asked questions

Why do file size limits differ from court to court?
Because each federal court sets its own. CM/ECF does not impose one nationwide cap — individual districts and courts decide their limits through local rules, and they range widely. The Central District of California caps documents at 35 MB, the Northern District of Georgia at 30 MB, and the Southern District of Florida at 50 MB, for example. PACER directs filers to the Court CM/ECF Lookup to find the number for their court, and that is always the figure to trust for your filing.
What's the difference between PACER, CM/ECF, and NextGen?
CM/ECF (Case Management/Electronic Case Files) is the system you file through. PACER (Public Access to Court Electronic Records) is the service for viewing and downloading documents that have been filed. NextGen CM/ECF is the newer version of the filing platform, which links your filing and PACER accounts under a single Central Sign-On. The PDF requirements your document must meet are the same whether your court runs NextGen or the older version.
Does docu produce a PDF/A file?
No. docu makes your PDF text-searchable, flattens form fields, resizes and compresses it, and removes security settings and scripts — the things that cause CM/ECF rejections — but it does not convert files to the PDF/A archival standard. Most federal district courts do not require PDF/A; they require a searchable, unrestricted PDF under their size limit, which is what docu produces. If a particular court asks for PDF/A specifically, you will need a separate tool for that conversion.
My filing was rejected and my deadline is close. Does re-filing help?
Fixing the PDF and re-filing promptly is the practical next step, but how a rejection affects your deadline depends on the court's rules, the type of filing, and the timing — and that is a legal question, not a technical one. docu can get your document compliant quickly; it can't tell you how the court will treat the timing. Read the clerk's notice carefully and, if the deadline is genuinely at risk, talk to the clerk's office or counsel. This is not legal advice.
Is my document safe if I upload it to docu?
It is never uploaded. docu runs entirely in your browser, so the PDF stays on your own device from start to finish. Nothing is sent to a server, which is why you can safely use it on sealed exhibits, drafts, or anything you have not filed yet. Checking your file is free.
What happens if my PDF is password-protected?
docu will not accept an encrypted or password-locked PDF. Rather than attempting to break the protection, it stops and tells you to remove the password first — something only the file's owner should do. Once the encryption is off, docu can run its checks and fixes normally. CM/ECF itself also rejects password-protected files, so the lock has to come off before you can file either way.

Ready to file with CM/ECF?

docu checks your file against your court's rules and repairs what it can — right in your browser. Your document never leaves your device.

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Fix a specific problem

Requirements change. Always confirm the current rules with U.S. Federal Courts or the official CM/ECF portal before filing.