An import didn't work

What each import message means, and how to get the recipe in anyway.

Every import, whether from a link, pasted text or a photo, has the same way out: if one route doesn’t work, try another. Pasting the text works on any page you can read.

When a link won’t import

The message under Recipe URL says what happened.

• “It blocked our request.” Some sites turn away automatic requests. Copy the recipe from the page and use From text instead.
• “This site asks not to be fetched automatically.” The site has asked tools like Platefolio to stay away, and Platefolio respects that. Paste the text instead.
• “We fetched the page but couldn’t find a recipe in it.” The page loaded, but nothing on it looked like ingredients and steps. This happens with pages that need you to sign in, and with recipes tucked inside videos or comments. Paste the text, or take a screenshot and use From photo.
• “That page couldn’t be found.” Check that the whole address was copied. Open it in your browser to make sure it still works.
• “Couldn’t reach that page.” or “The site returned an error.” The site may be down for a moment. Try again later, or paste the text.
• “Too many imports in a short time.” Wait a minute and try again.

When the recipe comes in wrong

Nothing is saved until you choose Save recipe, so fix things in the review form first. The usual problems:

• An ingredient landed in the steps, or a step in the ingredients. Cut it from one box and add it to the other.
• Extra steps from comments, notes or ads. Delete them.
• Missing sections. If a link import found only part of the recipe, paste the text instead. With pasted text, keep the “Ingredients” and “Instructions” headings, which tell Platefolio where each part starts. See Import from pasted text.

For photos, cropping to just the recipe text fixes most problems. See Import from a photo.

Still stuck? Tell us what happened and we'll help.