Manifold Resource File Size Limits

[tsmyre]

With the ability to add pretty much any kind of file to a Manifold project as a resource, we sometimes get questions about how large each file upload can be and if there are any suggested best practices.

From the Manifold backend there are two ways to add resources to a project: individually or in bulk. When a resource is added individually, your browser (and not Manifold) manages the transaction. Typically browsers only allow that to go to around 200 MB, after which they'll time out. When you add resources in bulk that browser limitation isn't a factor. But user experience still very much is, and that's where we transition from the technical component to suggested best practice.

The larger the files you load, the longer the load time. If your readers have low connectivity, that can play a significant role in their experience, so we tend to recommend smaller file sizes where possible. When it's not, then we generally encourage the use of third-party hosting platforms like YouTube or Vimeo for video resources, Soundcloud or the like for audio (that would actually be added as an "interactive" resource) or using Variants for images, whereby you present a web friendly version of an image and allow a high-res version to be downloadable.