Most common causes
Missing required fields. Indeed's application form often includes required fields that aren't visually obvious — things like a phone number, work authorisation question, or years of experience input. Scroll through the entire form and look for any field marked with an asterisk or shown in red after you tried to submit.
File size or format issue. Indeed accepts PDF and DOCX files up to 5MB. Files larger than this, or files in formats like .pages, .odt, or scanned image PDFs, will fail silently or with a vague error. Convert your resume to a clean PDF under 2MB.
Browser compatibility. Indeed's application flow works best in Chrome and Firefox. Safari and Edge occasionally have JavaScript issues that prevent form submission. Switch browsers before trying more complex fixes.
Network timeout. If your connection is unstable, the form data may not reach Indeed's servers before the session times out. This is more common on mobile networks or slow WiFi.
Indeed mobile app vs desktop. The mobile app occasionally has submission bugs that don't appear on the desktop site. If you're on the app, try the same application through a browser.
Step-by-step fix
1. Start by copying all your answers from the current form to a text document so you don't lose them.
2. Hard-refresh the page (Ctrl+Shift+R / Cmd+Shift+R) to clear any stale session data.
3. Scroll through the entire form and look for any unfilled required fields — especially at the bottom of the form where they're easy to miss.
4. Check your resume file: convert it to PDF, keep it under 2MB, and ensure it's not a scanned image.
5. If the above doesn't work, try a different browser.
6. If problems persist, try applying from a desktop computer rather than mobile.
How to check if your application actually went through
Go to your Indeed profile → "My Jobs" → "Applied." If the job appears there with an "Applied" status and the date, your application went through despite any errors you saw.
If the job doesn't appear in your applied list, your application did not submit successfully. Try again using the steps above. If Indeed continues to fail for a particular job, click "Apply on company site" if that option is available — many roles on Indeed also accept direct applications through the employer's own careers page.