PDF requirements for CM/ECF federal court e-filing
CM/ECF (Case Management/Electronic Court Filing) is the federal courts' electronic filing system, used by all federal district courts, bankruptcy courts, and the circuit courts. While individual courts can configure additional requirements, the core technical standards are consistent across the system.
The five standard CM/ECF PDF requirements: (1) Text must be searchable — scanned PDFs must be OCR'd before filing. (2) Maximum file size of 50 MB per document in most courts; check your specific district's local rules as some districts set lower limits. (3) No password protection or encryption. (4) US Letter (8.5×11) page size is standard; any deviation should be accompanied by a motion for oversized documents. (5) PDF files only — other formats like Word, Excel or ZIP are not accepted as principal documents.
PrepFile's E-Filing Checker validates checks 1–5 locally. It checks the text layer, page size, encryption, file size (configurable threshold), and form field presence. It does not connect to CM/ECF or read court-specific configuration — it is an advisory pre-flight tool. Always verify against your specific district's local rules and the CM/ECF filing guide for that court.
Open the tools — free, no upload
CM/ECF pre-filing checklist
- Confirm the document is text-searchable (PrepFile checker or Acrobat's text selection tool).
- Check page size — US Letter for all standard documents.
- Confirm no password/encryption is present.
- Check file size. If over 25 MB, consider whether you need to split exhibits into separate attachments.
- Flatten any form fields if the document was generated from a fillable form.
- Review your district's local rules for any additional format requirements.
Questions
Can I file a PDF that is over 50 MB on CM/ECF?
No — files over the district's size limit are rejected. Attach large exhibits as separate documents. Some courts allow a notice of filing with the document submitted in chambers on physical media for very large filings.
Does CM/ECF require PDF/A?
Not generally. CM/ECF accepts standard PDFs. Some courts have guidance recommending PDF/A for archival purposes but do not require it.
What if I have a document in a non-standard page size, like an A3 spreadsheet?
Reduce and re-export the document at Letter size, or provide a notice explaining the format. Courts generally prefer you to file a readable scaled version rather than submit a non-standard page size.