What File Types Does Turnitin Accept? Supported Formats and the Ones It Won't Check

Turnitin accepts two kinds of files: anything under 100MB and 800 pages when the assignment allows any type, and — when the assignment only accepts files that can be checked — files under 100MB and 800 pages with at least 20 words in one of the supported formats: Microsoft Word (DOC/DOCX), WordPerfect, HTML, PostScript, plain text (TXT), RTF, PDF, OpenOffice (ODT), Hangul (HWP/HWPX), PowerPoint (PPTX), and Google Docs via Google Drive. Turnitin will not generate a Similarity Report for password-protected files, Apple Pages documents, or PDFs that are images in disguise (scanned files).

Turnitin's official "Allowed file types and sizes" page describes both modes:

"If an assignment is set to allow any file type, Turnitin will accept any file that: is less than 100MB / is less than 800 pages"

"If an assignment is set to allow only files that Turnitin can check for similarity, Turnitin will only accept files that can generate Similarity Reports. This includes: files less than 100MB, files with a minimum of 20 words, files less than 800 pages"

The acceptance bar is set by your instructor, not by the file itself. A 40MB Apple Pages file sails through the size check and is still rejected by the similarity-mode whitelist. That is why the error message alone rarely explains the failure — the real question is which rule set this assignment runs under.

The same official page gives the full list of formats that can generate a Similarity Report:

"Microsoft Word (DOC and DOCX), Corel WordPerfect, HTML, Adobe PostScript, Plain text (TXT), Rich Text Format (RTF), Portable Document Format (PDF), OpenOffice (ODT), Hangul (HWP and HWPX), PowerPoint (PPTX), Google Docs via Google Drive"

Two practical notes: Hangul (.hwp/.hwpx) and WordPerfect (.wpd) files must be submitted through a web browser, and PowerPoint files via Turnitin.com or an LTI integration — the iOS submission path has its own narrower list (25-word minimum, 40MB). Check the channel you are using, not just the file.

Turnitin's page is explicit about what it will not accept for similarity checking:

"Turnitin will not accept the following to generate Similarity Reports: Password protected files, Microsoft Works (.wps) files, Microsoft Word 2007 macros-enabled .docm files, OpenOffice Text (.odt) files created and downloaded from Google Docs online, Document (.doc) files created using OpenOffice (not 100% Microsoft Word equivalent), Apple Pages, Spreadsheets created outside of Microsoft Excel (e.g. .ods), Text with visual effects"

Two of these catch students every semester: Apple Pages (macOS users upload it directly and wonder why nothing happens) and password-protected files (the check is skipped silently). Also note the format trap — a .doc file written in OpenOffice is not the same as a .doc file from Microsoft Word, and the submission may be accepted while the report stays empty.

Turnitin's file-requirements page spells out the PDF edge cases:

"Turnitin will not accept PDF image files, forms, or portfolios, files that do not contain highlightable text (e.g. a scanned file — usually an image), documents containing multiple files or files created with software other than Adobe Acrobat."

How to tell if a PDF is really text:

"To determine if a document contains actual text, copy and paste a section or all of the text into a plain-text editor such as Microsoft Notepad or Apple TextEdit. If no text is copied over, the selection is not actual text."

This is the same "select and copy" test covered in our scanned-PDF troubleshooting guide — the difference is the angle: that article diagnoses a rejection, this one maps which files are checkable at all.

If your file type is not accepted, Turnitin's page gives the conversion path:

"If you are using an unsupported word processor, you may need to save your plain text file as .txt or .rtf in order to upload to Turnitin."

Why those two: "Rich Text Format and Plain Text file types are nearly universally available in word processing software." The trade-off is real: "Neither file type will support images or non-text data within the file. Plain text format does not support any formatting, and rich text format supports only limited formatting options."

One more habit the page recommends: "When converting a file to a new file format, users should rename their file with a name other than that of the original file" — so the conversion never overwrites your real document.

PowerPoint and Excel files are checkable, but the report shows a converted version:

"Turnitin converts the PowerPoint slide deck into a static PDF, leaving all text and images in their original format but leaving out features such as presenter notes, embedded video, and animations."

"Text with visual effects is not supported, and it is recommended that any visual effects such as shadows and 3D be removed prior to submitting to Turnitin."

"The version of the file that can be viewed in the Document Viewer will look the same as it would if the Excel file had been saved as a PDF and submitted to Turnitin."

So a slides deck with animations loses them in the converted PDF, and an Excel workbook displays as if printed to PDF — set the print area before submitting if the layout matters.

Whether Turnitin accepts your file depends on two rule sets: "any type" (100MB / 800 pages) or "checkable type" (100MB / 800 pages / 20+ words / whitelist format). The whitelist covers main writing formats but not Apple Pages, Works, macros-enabled DOCM, OpenOffice-made DOC/ODT, non-Excel spreadsheets, or password-protected files. PDFs must contain real text — a scanned image fails even though the extension is right. When a file is rejected, convert to TXT/DOCX (renaming the file), remove passwords and visual effects, and if you are on macOS double-check that you are not sending .pages. The format map answers most "why did my upload fail" questions before you ever reach the network.