PDF requirements for e-filing in the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court and Appeals Court (eFileMA)

What the court requires

The limit is 50 MB per document and 75 MB for everything in one filing (envelope). Briefs and appendices are filed through eFileMA. Under Rule 10 of the Massachusetts Rules of Electronic Filing, anything over the limit may be filed in separate segments.

Common reasons filings are rejected

• An appendix volume is over 50 MB.
• The envelope is over 75 MB.
• The PDF is password-protected or has security restrictions.
• The PDF is password-protected or has security restrictions, so the court's system can't open it.

Questions about the Massachusetts appellate courts's PDF rules

What is the maximum PDF file size for the Massachusetts appellate courts?

50 MB per PDF. All files in one filing together may not exceed 75 MB.

What should I do if my PDF is too large for the Massachusetts appellate courts?

Split it into consecutive parts that are each under 50 MB, never cutting a page in half, and file the first part as the main document and the rest as attachments named in order (for example "Exhibit A, Part 2 of 3"). For scanned documents, re-scanning in black and white at 300 dpi often shrinks the file enough to avoid splitting. Docket Prime can split the file for you in your browser.

Does the Massachusetts appellate courts require text-searchable PDFs?

It is recommended. Documents saved directly from a word processor are searchable and much smaller than scans; for paper documents, OCR adds searchable text.

What page size does the Massachusetts appellate courts accept?

Letter size (8.5 × 11 inches) is expected. Legal-size or A4 pages may print badly or be refused, so resize them to letter.

Does the Massachusetts appellate courts require bookmarks in PDFs?

They are recommended. Bookmarks help the judge navigate longer documents.