> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://overleaf-pro.ayaka.space/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://overleaf-pro.ayaka.space/latex/knowledge-base/141-uploading-a-project.md).

# Uploading a project

## Step-by-step guide

This article provides a step-by-step guide showing how to create an Overleaf project by uploading a `.zip` file containing LaTeX files stored on your local computer.

1. Create a `.zip` file containing your local files (images, bibliography, fonts, `.tex` sources, etc.).

* If your local LaTeX project uses folders, these can be preserved in the `.zip` file and will be reconstructed when the `.zip` file is unpacked on Overleaf.

3. In the Project Management page, select **New Project** then choose **Upload Project** from within the drop-down menu.

![Creating a new project on Overleaf](/files/SuExCl2xNxp95iwT87oh)

6. A window is displayed, onto which you can drag-and-drop your `.zip` file or choose **Select a .zip file** to locate a `.zip` file stored on your device.

![Uploading a zip file to Overleaf](/files/ZYHaY74CJWDL4MFrTs6a)

9. Overleaf decompresses the uploaded `.zip` file to extract the files and create any folders in your project.
10. You are then redirected to the editor, where a new project has been created.

* You now have a new Overleaf project, ready for editing and recompiling. Note: if your LaTeX code needs LuaLaTeX or XeLaTeX you may need to [set the project's LaTeX compiler](/latex/knowledge-base/026-changing-compiler.md).

![An Overleaf project created by uploading a .zip file](/files/JEIgsQa1eW05Rdjl9W7X)

## Additional guidance on file uploads (including restrictions/limits)

If you plan to upload large projects, here are some Overleaf resource limits/restrictions you need to be aware of:

* You cannot upload individual files which exceed 50MB.
* Each upload can contain up to 180 files—if you attempt to upload more than that, only 180 files will be uploaded.
* Each Overleaf project cannot contain more than 2000 individual files.

If your project’s `.zip` file exceeds 50MB you can try this:

1. Upload a subset of your files in a `.zip` file (just to create the project).
2. Manually upload the remaining files.

For a `.zip` file to upload properly:

* It should contain only file types that a LaTeX compiler can process: plain text files and images in `.eps`, `.pdf`, `.svg` and `.png` formats.
* It cannot contain more than 7MB of material that can be edited on Overleaf (this is the maximum editable data for a project on Overleaf). For further information, please refer to the page [What is the maximum compilation time, file number and project size allowed on free vs paid plans?](/latex/knowledge-base/119-overleaf-plan-limits.md)

Although the Overleaf editor can edit any plain text file, only those uploaded files with the most common LaTeX file extensions will be editable on the site—such as `.tex`, `.bib`, `.cls`, `.sty` etc. Suppose you need to edit a project file with a different extension. In that case, it is best to copy and paste its content into a new blank file within the project and then save it with the desired file extension; alternatively, upload it with a `.tex` extension and change it once online.

Text files larger than 2MB cannot be edited online and don’t count toward the 7MB limit, which means, for example, you can upload large `.csv` files for use with Rtex without using up your 7MB editable data allowance.


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