Sitemap too large or empty: how to fix it

One sitemap can hold up to 50,000 URLs and 50MB uncompressed. Split a larger one into several files and list them in a sitemap index.

Where you see it

On a sitemap's details page in Indexing > Sitemaps, under Sitemap can be read, but has errors.

What it means

Every sitemap format has the same limits: 50MB uncompressed, or 50,000 URLs, per file.

A sitemap index can list up to 50,000 sitemaps. You can submit up to 500 sitemap index files per site.

Common causes

The site grew past 50,000 pages and the sitemap was never split.
Long image or video entries push the file past 50MB before it reaches 50,000 URLs.
A .gz file was compressed wrong, or the server compresses it twice.
The sitemap has no URLs, such as a category sitemap for a category with no posts.

Find the cause

Open the sitemap and count the <url> entries, or check the file size.
For a .gz sitemap, download it and check that it opens with gzip.

How to fix it

Split the sitemap into files of up to 50,000 URLs each.
List the files in a sitemap index, and submit only the index.
Recompress a .gz sitemap with gzip, upload it, and resubmit.
Remove empty sitemaps from the index, or turn off the empty type in your plugin.

Each message and its fix

"Too many URLs"

The sitemap lists more than 50,000 URLs.

Split it into several sitemaps of up to 50,000 URLs each, and use a sitemap index.

"Sitemap file size error: Your sitemap exceeds the maximum file size limit."

The sitemap is larger than 50MB when uncompressed.

Split it into smaller sitemaps and list them in a sitemap index.

"Too many sitemaps"

The sitemap index lists more than 50,000 sitemaps.

Split the index into several index files, each with up to 50,000 sitemaps.

"Compression error"

Google could not uncompress the compressed sitemap.

Recompress it with gzip, upload it, and resubmit.

"Empty sitemap"

The sitemap does not contain any URLs.

Check that the sitemap lists pages. If a section has no pages yet, leave its sitemap out.

See which of your pages Google skipped, and why. Free for up to 500 pages.

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On your platform

Shopify

Shopify splits its sitemap for you and links the parts from /sitemap.xml. Submit only that file. Shopify pages not indexed

WordPress

Yoast SEO, Rank Math, and the WordPress sitemap all split large sitemaps for you. An Empty sitemap usually comes from a post type or taxonomy with no published content. Yoast suggests excluding it until it has content. WordPress pages not indexed

Catch sitemap problems before they cost you pages

On paid plans, CrawlCoach downloads your sitemaps every day and reads Search Console's sitemap data for each fix list. When a sitemap stops loading, Search Console reports errors in it, or Google stops reading it, the fix goes in your fix list with the steps and a link to the right guide. See plans and prices.

Questions

How many URLs can one sitemap have?

Up to 50,000 URLs, and up to 50MB uncompressed. For more, split the sitemap and list the parts in a sitemap index file.

Does a compressed sitemap get a higher size limit?

No. The 50MB limit is for the uncompressed file. Compression only saves bandwidth.

Sources

Checked on October 8, 2026. Search Console's wording can change after that date.

Sitemap too large, too many URLs, or empty: how to fix it