# Compatibility and GIF fallback
Understand Canva insertion limits and use GIF when direct Lottie insertion is not available.

The LottieFiles app checks an animation before direct insertion. A compatible animation must meet Canva's duration, dimensions, file-size, and feature requirements.

## Direct-insertion requirements

The current app checks for:

- A duration of 10 seconds or less.
- Dimensions no larger than 2048 px.
- Lottie JSON no larger than 500 KB.
- Features supported by Canva's animation insertion pipeline.

An animation that passes these numeric limits can still require fallback when it uses an unsupported Lottie feature.

## Use GIF fallback

When direct insertion is not available, choose one of the offered GIF widths:

- **150 px** for a small icon or compact decorative element.
- **500 px** for common presentation and social layouts.
- **1200 px** for a larger canvas result.

{/* [screenshot:C13] Capture the compatibility message and GIF fallback size choices in one state. */}

Larger GIFs can look sharper but take more space and longer to prepare. A GIF is a rendered result, so it does not preserve Lottie-specific recoloring, scalability, themes, or interactivity after insertion.

## Import limitations

Import can also fail before preview when:

- A file exceeds the current import-size limit.
- JSON is invalid or is not a Lottie animation.
- The animation uses expressions that the workflow does not support.
- An SVG contains embedded `<image>` elements or unsupported external content.
- A URL does not point directly to an accessible animation file.

## Troubleshooting table

| Symptom                         | What to try                                                      |
| ------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Direct insertion is unavailable | Use GIF fallback or choose a simpler animation                   |
| GIF looks soft                  | Choose a larger offered width and scale it down in Canva         |
| Import stops before preview     | Validate the file, remove expressions, or simplify the SVG       |
| Add to design stalls            | Reopen the preview and retry in a stable desktop browser session |
| Expected animation is missing   | Recheck the selected child in a multi-animation file             |

Plan, Premium, and guest-use behavior can change independently from these compatibility rules. Follow the account or upgrade message shown in the app.

## Related

- [Adding an animation to your design](/en/integrations/canva/04_add-to-design/adding-an-animation-to-your-design)
- [Animating an SVG](/en/integrations/canva/03_customize/animating-an-svg)