Most “my wrap doesn’t show up” problems come down to one file rule. Here is every rule Tesla Paint Shop applies to a custom wrap, why each one trips people up, and how to fix it. If you would rather not check by hand, drop the file into our free Tesla wrap PNG checker: it tests all of them, previews the file on a 3D car and can compress or rename it for you.
The rules at a glance
| Rule | Requirement | Common mistake |
|---|---|---|
| Format | PNG only | A JPG or WebP renamed to .png |
| Dimensions | 512–1024 px per side; use your template size | A 2048 px export, or a square image on a Cybertruck |
| File size | 1 MB or smaller | Photo-heavy designs saved at full quality |
| Filename | Up to 30 characters: letters, numbers, spaces, - and _ | Emoji, accents or long names like “my-final-final-wrap-v3 (1).png” |
| USB folder | A folder named Wraps at the root of the drive | Files inside a subfolder or a folder called “wraps” |
| USB format | exFAT, FAT32 / MS-DOS FAT, ext3 or ext4 | NTFS, which Paint Shop cannot read |
| How many | Up to 10 via the Tesla app and up to 10 via USB | Adding more and expecting all of them to appear |
1. PNG only
Paint Shop reads PNG files. Changing the extension of a JPG does not convert it, and the car will ignore it. Export as PNG from your editor, or open the file in any image app and use “Save as PNG”. Every design you export from the wrap editor is already a PNG.
2. Dimensions: match your model’s template
Each side has to be between 512 and 1024 pixels. In practice, use the exact size of your model’s official template from Tesla’s custom-wraps repository:
- 1024×1024: Model 3, Model Y (including Model Y L), Model S and Model X templates.
- 1024×768: Cybertruck.
The size alone does not make a design fit. Each template places the hood, doors and bumpers in different spots, so a Model Y image on a Model 3 lands on the wrong panels. Not sure which template your car uses? See our guides for Model Y and Model 3.
3. 1 MB or smaller
This is the rule that catches photo-based designs. A 1024×1024 PNG with lots of gradients or photographic texture can easily reach 2–3 MB. Ways to get under the limit:
- Reduce the colors (PNG-8 or “indexed color”) for flat, graphic designs.
- Use a lossless PNG compressor, or the compress button in our PNG checker, which keeps the same dimensions.
- Avoid fine noise and grain across the whole body; it compresses badly.
4. Filename: 30 characters, plain characters
Keep names short and plain, such as Ocean Grid.png or matte_black_v2.png. Spaces, hyphens and underscores are fine; emoji, accented letters, brackets and long download names are not.
5. Getting the file to the car
Tesla app (4.59.0 or later): open Creations → Wrap → Upload and pick the PNG from your phone. Step-by-step: upload a wrap from the Tesla app.
USB drive: format the drive as exFAT or FAT32, create a folder named exactly Wraps at the root, copy the PNGs into it (not into subfolders), and plug the drive into the car. Don’t use a drive that also holds map or firmware updates.
Then open Toybox → Paint Shop → Wraps and choose your design.
Still not showing?
If every file rule passes, the cause is usually the software or the drive. Work through our Paint Shop troubleshooting guide, or read the full Tesla Paint Shop guide.
