MLS rules · Checked 3 November 2026
MLS photo size requirements: where the number is, and why uploads fail
Every MLS publishes its own photo specification, and none of them agree. This page tells you where your board keeps it, what the specification usually contains, and the four reasons an upload is rejected on a Friday afternoon.
What a photo specification covers
| Field | What it decides | Where to find it |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum long edge | Whether the portal accepts the file at all, and whether it looks sharp at full screen | Your board’s rules or knowledgebase |
| Maximum file size | Whether the upload times out | Usually on the upload screen itself |
| Accepted formats | JPG, PNG, sometimes WebP or TIFF | Upload screen or rules |
| Aspect ratio and crop | Whether the frame is letterboxed in the gallery | Board guidance, or the portal’s display behaviour |
| Watermark and logo policy | Whether your branding is allowed on the image | Board rules; several ban it outright |
| Image order and count | How many photos a listing may carry, and which one is primary | Board rules |
Where your board publishes it
- CRMLS — rules and knowledgebase; the photo fields are described in the add/edit module guidance.
- Stellar MLS — Rules and Regulations, Article 04.04, plus the photo entry fields.
- ARMLS — Rule 8.23 and the Flexmls upload screens.
- Doorify MLS — Data Integrity: Media Guidelines.
- OneKey MLS — Rules and Procedures, version 2026C.
We read each of those documents for the disclosure rule. We do not print a pixel or megabyte figure unless the board publishes it and we have read it, because a wrong number here is worse than no number: it gets a listing rejected after an hour of uploading.
The four reasons an upload fails
Why it always happens on a Friday
- The file is too large. A camera JPEG straight out of the body is often 8–15 MB. Most boards accept far less; downscale a copy rather than the original.
- The long edge is under the minimum. Screenshots, WhatsApp copies and images exported from a slide deck are the usual culprits.
- The format is not accepted. HEIC from an iPhone, TIFF from a scanner, PNG with transparency.
- The image carries something the board bans. A logo, a watermark, a person, or text added to the frame.
What we do to your file
What we never change
- Accepts JPG, PNG or WebP up to 8 MB per image.
- Returns the staged frame at the resolution you uploaded, so the long edge does not shrink between the tool and the portal.
- Keeps the original file alongside the staged one, which CRMLS and ARMLS require in the listing and California requires a link to.
- Does not downscale, crop or change the aspect ratio of your photograph.
If your board publishes a limit we have not covered, send the document and this page changes. That is how the changelog gets written.
Questions
Why not just list the numbers?
Because boards publish them in different places, revise them without notice, and a stale number is worse than none. The four checks above catch the failure in under a minute without guessing.
Does the size limit affect staging quality?
Only if the file is downscaled before staging. Upload the largest copy the board accepts, stage it, then let the board downscale — not the other way round.
Is the original photo subject to the same limit?
It is uploaded to the same listing, so yes, unless the board accepts the original through a different field. Check the board’s own guidance for the paired-original rule.
Not legal advice; refer to the official rule text.