A download fails or comes out wrong
Last updated: October 12, 2026
A download did not start, failed in the Transfers panel, or the file you got is the wrong format, the wrong size or has lost its transparency. Find what you see below.
Layer has two ways to download. Download in the right-click menu saves each file exactly as it is stored. Download as... opens a dialog where you pick the format, size and processing; it is offered for images, video, 3D models, worlds and playables. Several files arrive as one ZIP either way.
The download fails
Failed to export files. Please try again.
An export from Download as... runs as a job in the Transfers panel, with stages such as Converting format… and Packaging files…. When one fails, the row shows the reason. Click Retry export on the row. If it fails again, try another format, or use Download to get the original.
This file could not be converted for export.
The format you picked cannot be made from this file. For 3D, OBJ and OBJ with textures convert GLB models only, and FBX is offered only for models that support it. Pick Original file, or another format the dialog offers.
The download did not start
The export finished but the download did not start. or The download did not start. The export link may have expired. The file is ready but your browser did not save it. Click the finished row in Transfers to download it again. If the message says This export has expired. Please export again., run Download as... again.
Some files couldn't be downloaded
The message counts the files that couldn't be downloaded. The ZIP is saved with the files that worked. The others were usually deleted or are no longer available. Check them in the library and download them on their own.
The Download button is disabled or the price is red
Most downloads are free. Two options spend Creative Units: Remove background on an image export, and FBX for a 3D model. The dialog shows the cost on the button before you download, in red when your workspace's balance is too low. Turn the option off to download for free, or add Creative Units; see Creative Units.
These files cannot be downloaded in one format together
Download as... works on files of one type at a time. Select only images, or only videos, and run it again, or use Download to get a mixed selection as it is.
The file is not what you expected
The background is black or solid instead of transparent
JPEG has no transparency. When you download an image as JPEG, transparent areas take whatever colour the hidden pixels held, often black. Download it as PNG or PSD instead; both keep transparency.
If the PNG is not transparent either, the image never had a transparent background: most models paint a background. Turn on Remove background under Processing in the dialog, or remove it in Layer first; see Remove an image's background.
The image is the wrong size
Download gives the image at the resolution it was generated or uploaded at. To change it, use Download as... and set Dimensions or pick a Size preset, up to 800%. Scaling up on export only resizes the pixels; for a real increase in detail, upscale the image in Layer first; see Upscale an image.
The video is too large, or its quality dropped
In Download as..., Compression set to Original keeps the quality as stored; Normal and High make a smaller file at some cost to quality. Codec picks H.264 for the widest compatibility or H.265 for smaller files. A GIF is limited by its frame rate and colour depth, so use MP4 or MOV when quality matters.
A PNG sequence or several files arrived as a ZIP
That is expected. A PNG sequence is a ZIP of frames, several selected files arrive as one ZIP, and several images as PSD arrive as separate PSDs in a ZIP unless you turn on Combine into single PSD.
A 3D model is missing textures, rig or animation
OBJ is geometry only. OBJ with textures adds the MTL and every texture map as PNG, but not rigs or animation. To keep a rig and its animation, download Original file (GLB) or FBX where offered.
A playable doesn't run in the ad network
Download saves a playable as it was authored, not packaged for a network. Use Download as... and pick the network it will run on.
Still stuck?
Contact support from Help & Resources > Talk To Us in Layer. Include the session link, the files you were downloading, the format and options you chose, and the message in Transfers exactly as it appears. Contact support with the right details lists everything that helps.