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Troubleshooting

Use this page when Bulk Fill does not behave the way you expect. Start with the symptom that best matches what you see, then work through the likely causes and fixes.

If you are working with supported native PDF form fields, also read Work with native PDF forms (AcroForm).

PDF Uploads But Cannot Be Used​

Symptom​

The PDF does not open cleanly, or Bulk Fill blocks you before mapping starts.

Likely Causes​

  • The PDF is password-protected.
  • The file is too large for the current upload limit.
  • The PDF uses structures the editor cannot process reliably.

How To Fix It​

  1. If the file is locked, remove the password and upload the unlocked copy.
  2. If the file is too large, compress it or simplify the source PDF before uploading again.
  3. If the file is incompatible, re-save it as a new PDF and retry.
  4. If Bulk Fill says the PDF uses XFA fields, use overlay Fields instead of the native Form tab controls. Native form fill and flatten are not available for XFA PDFs.

Further Reading​

The PDF Turned Out To Be XFA​

Symptom​

Bulk Fill shows an XFA notice, native form controls stay unavailable, or Flatten form fields cannot be used for the current document.

Likely Causes​

  • The PDF uses XFA instead of the supported non-XFA AcroForm model.
  • The document looks fillable in another viewer, but that fillability is not exposed through the supported native Bulk Fill path.

How To Fix It​

  1. Treat the document as an overlay workflow instead of a native form workflow.
  2. Use overlay Fields for CSV-mapped text placement.
  3. Use overlay QR codes or barcodes if you need those outputs.
  4. Do not expect native field fill or native flattening for that PDF.

Further Reading​

CSV Upload Fails Or Looks Wrong​

Symptom​

Bulk Fill reports a CSV error, shows no rows, or the column list does not match what you expected.

Likely Causes​

  • The file is not a valid CSV.
  • The file is empty or only contains blank rows.
  • The separator or encoding came out wrong during export from another tool.
  • You expected the first row to become headers automatically.

How To Fix It​

  1. Re-save the file as a standard UTF-8 CSV.
  2. Remove empty trailing rows and unused columns.
  3. Re-open the file and confirm the values are separated consistently.
  4. Remember that Bulk Fill treats every row as data. If your file includes a header row, it will appear as row 1 and must be excluded during export.

Further Reading​

Mapped Results Are Blank​

Symptom​

The PDF shows empty output where a mapped field should appear.

Likely Causes​

  • The field is not mapped.
  • The field is mapped to the wrong column.
  • The CSV cell for that row is empty.
  • The upstream CSV changed column order after you mapped the layout.

How To Fix It​

  1. Open the Fields tab and confirm every field is mapped.
  2. Preview the exact row that looks wrong and inspect the corresponding CSV value in the Data tab.
  3. If the column order changed, remap the affected fields before exporting.

Further Reading​

Output Is In The Wrong Place​

Symptom​

The value is filled, but it lands in the wrong part of the page.

Likely Causes​

  • The field overlay was placed in the wrong position.
  • The source PDF layout changed after the fields were placed.
  • The mapped content is longer than the space available.

How To Fix It​

  1. Go back to the editor and move the field overlay.
  2. Preview several rows, not just one short sample row.
  3. If the layout changed, re-check all field placements before exporting.

Further Reading​

Text Is Cut Off Or Overflows​

Symptom​

The exported text is truncated, crowded, or spills into nearby content.

Likely Causes​

  • The field area is too small for the data.
  • Some rows contain unusually long values.
  • The layout leaves too little room for variable-length text.

How To Fix It​

  1. Increase the available space in the layout or move the field.
  2. Preview the longest expected values before running the batch.
  3. Shorten or normalize the source data where possible.

Further Reading​

Some Rows Look Wrong But Others Look Fine​

Symptom​

Only a subset of rows fail, while the rest of the batch looks normal.

Likely Causes​

  • Some rows contain blanks, long values, or unexpected formatting.
  • Row 1 is a header row that you forgot to exclude.
  • The rows you tested in preview were not representative.

How To Fix It​

  1. Use the row controls to inspect the failing rows directly.
  2. If row 1 is a header row, start the batch range at row 2.
  3. Compare the failing rows against a working row and fix the source data.

Further Reading​

Preview Looks Fine But Export Does Not​

Symptom​

The preview looked correct, but the downloaded result is still wrong.

Likely Causes​

  • You previewed only one safe row and skipped edge cases.
  • The export range included rows you did not validate.
  • The batch output was larger or messier than expected.

How To Fix It​

  1. Export a preview PDF again for one problematic row.
  2. Re-run the batch with a smaller range to isolate the issue.
  3. Re-check the export options before retrying.

Further Reading​

A Native Field Exists But Cannot Be Filled​

Symptom​

The PDF appears to contain a form field, but Bulk Fill cannot use it the way you expected.

Likely Causes​

  • The field type is outside the supported native scope.
  • The field is read-only or otherwise non-actionable.
  • The current PDF is XFA.
  • The mapped field no longer matches the current PDF.

How To Fix It​

  1. Check whether the document is supported non-XFA AcroForm, not XFA.
  2. In the Form tab, confirm the field is one of the supported native types: text, checkbox, single-select dropdown, or radio group.
  3. Re-select the intended native field and preview again.
  4. If the field type is unsupported or unavailable, use overlays for that part of the workflow instead.

Further Reading​

A Native Dropdown Did Not Fill​

Symptom​

The Form tab row is mapped, but the exported dropdown stayed unchanged or showed a warning.

Likely Causes​

  • The CSV value does not exactly match the visible option text shown in the PDF.
  • The dropdown is non-editable, so free-text fallback is not allowed.
  • The dropdown is read-only or multi-select, which stays outside the supported scope for this version.
  • The field no longer matches the current PDF.

How To Fix It​

  1. In the Form tab, confirm you selected the correct native dropdown row.
  2. Check the exact visible option text in the PDF. Match that text in the CSV, including spacing and punctuation.
  3. Do not rely on internal or export tokens when they differ from the visible option text.
  4. If the CSV value is blank and the dropdown is non-editable with no blank visible option, the field is left unchanged without warning. That is normal in this version.
  5. If the dropdown is editable, decide whether free-text fallback is the intended outcome before exporting the full batch.

Further Reading​

A Native Radio Group Did Not Fill​

Symptom​

The Form tab row is mapped, but the exported radio group stayed unchanged or showed a warning.

Likely Causes​

  • The CSV value does not exactly match one of the radio option tokens exposed by the PDF.
  • The CSV value was blank, so Bulk Fill intentionally cleared the group.
  • The radio group is read-only, which stays outside the writable scope for this version.
  • The field no longer matches the current PDF.

How To Fix It​

  1. In the Form tab, confirm you selected the correct native radio row.
  2. Check the exact option tokens listed in the row helper text and match those strings in the CSV, including spacing and punctuation.
  3. Do not rely on nearby page captions when they differ from the option tokens exposed by the PDF itself.
  4. If the CSV value is blank and you expected a selection, update the CSV cell. Blank radio values clear the group in this version.

Further Reading​

Preview Looks Correct But Flattened Output Is Not What You Expected​

Symptom​

The mapped values looked right in preview, but the final export did not match your expectation once form flattening was involved.

Likely Causes​

  • Flatten form fields was enabled when you expected the result to remain editable.
  • Flatten form fields was left unchecked when you expected a fully static output.
  • The current PDF is XFA, so native flattening is not available.

How To Fix It​

  1. Check the Flatten form fields setting in the Export tab before you rerun the export.
  2. Export one preview PDF again with the intended setting so you can confirm the result before the full batch.
  3. If the PDF is XFA, do not rely on native form flattening for that document. Use the overlay workflow instead.

Further Reading​

A Saved .doqlo File No Longer Imports​

Symptom​

A previously exported .doqlo file is rejected when you try to load it.

Likely Causes​

  • The file was exported under an older Bulk Fill project schema.
  • The file is malformed, tampered with, or was not issued by Doqlo.

How To Fix It​

  1. Re-open the source project in the current Doqlo editor if you still have access to it.
  2. Export a fresh .doqlo file from the current editor version.
  3. If the import still fails, confirm the file really came from Doqlo and was not modified outside the app.

Further Reading​

File Or Batch Size Problems​

Symptom​

Bulk Fill blocks the upload, refuses the batch, or tells you the output is too large.

Likely Causes​

  • The PDF is larger than the current upload limit.
  • The batch output is too large for the selected delivery path.
  • The current plan does not allow the export you attempted.

How To Fix It​

  1. Reduce the source PDF size if possible.
  2. Export a smaller range first to confirm the layout works.
  3. Check whether your current plan and usage still cover the export.

Further Reading​

Still Need Help​

If the docs do not explain the issue, read Support Boundaries before you contact support.