A low WordPress upload size limit stops yous from uploading large files, plugins, and themes. If you're building a media-heavy website, that can exist a considerable obstacle. It's necessary to increment the max upload size in WordPress or your server (or both) in such cases.

Depending on your hosting provider and server, there are many means to become about solving this issue. Nosotros'll cover them all in this article and prove you how to increment the maximum upload size in WordPress chop-chop.

Allow's swoop in!

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What Is the Maximum Upload Size in WordPress?

Uploading big files to a server consumes a lot of the server'south resource. To forbid users from causing server timeouts, the default maximum upload size in WordPress typically ranges from 4 MB to 128 MB. Usually, the hosting provider sets this limit at the server level.

WordPress also includes constants that define this limit, simply they cannot override the server-level settings in most cases.

To verify this, go to your WordPress site'due south Media Library. Here, try to upload a file that crosses this maximum upload file size limit. Y'all'll encounter an fault message that looks something like this:

Error while uploading a large file in WordPress
Error while uploading a big file in WordPress

The "exceeds the maximum upload size for this site" error can exist frustrating, but it exists for two main reasons: security and efficiency. It hinders site owners and other users, including malicious actors, from uploading huge files (e.m. high-resolution images, large videos).

Otherwise, it tin can result in incapacitating your website'south server, making your site come up to a crawl. Or worse, information technology can bring your site downward altogether!

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How to Check the Current Maximum Upload Size in WordPress

In that location are many means to check your WordPress site's current max upload size. Permit's go through all of them.

In the Media Library

The quickest fashion to check your site'southward current maximum upload size is to go to your WordPress dashboard, and from there, become to Media > Library. Here, click on the Add together New button to actuate the media uploader tool.

The "Maximum upload size limit" in WordPress
The "Maximum upload size limit" in WordPress

As Kinsta hosts this site, the Maximum upload file size: 128 MB. bulletin displays beneath the Select Files push button. If you're using a different spider web hosting provider, you may see a different limit listed here.

Yous can also go to Media > Add New direct and see the same bulletin displayed at the lesser.

The
The "Maximum upload file size" in WordPress' Media Library

Once again, you lot can see the 128 MB max upload file size here.

In the Site Health Info

WordPress five.ii added the Site Health Info tool to help you lot debug your WordPress site better. Hither, you lot can find nigh all the data nigh your server and WordPress configuration.

Every bit both the server and WordPress handle the max upload file size, there are two ways to notice its value on this screen.

First, you can find it listed under the Media Handling dropdown. Here, look for the value of Max size of an uploaded file constant.

'Media Handling' settings in the 'Site Health Info' panel
'Media Handling' settings in the 'Site Wellness Info' panel

The 2d method is to look under the Server dropdown. You'll find many options related to your webserver's setup under here. Please search for the value for Upload max filesize constant to encounter what it is. On this site, the max upload file size limit is 128 MB.

'Server' settings in the 'Site Health Info' panel
'Server' settings in the 'Site Health Info' panel

You lot can besides come across other PHP constants and their values, such as:

  • PHP mail max size: Defines the maximum upload limit for Mail requests.
  • PHP memory limit: Defines the retentiveness allocated for PHP. It should be gear up equal to or college than the Upload max filesize limit. Or else the upload will fail.

Your web host sets these options. Normally, starter hosting plans will have a bottom upload size limit than enterprise hosting plans. Some hosts may let you to override these limits. But in most cases, you may need your hosting provider'southward assistance (and maybe a plan upgrade) to increase them.

Why Increment the Maximum Upload File Size in WordPress?

At that place are many reasons why you lot may need to increment your WordPress site'due south maximum upload file size. Here are the most common ones:

  • Y'all desire to install a large theme or plugin directly through the WordPress admin dashboard.
  • Updating your WordPress site regularly is a not bad way to keep your readers engaged and return for more than. And that includes uploading new images, videos, audios, and other media regularly. However, that's not always viable when there'due south a file size limit for your uploads.
  • You desire to upload a large video or image as your site's background or header.
  • Yous plan to sell digital files such every bit ebooks, photographs, videos, themes, and plugins straight from your site. Sometimes, these files tin can stitch to hundreds of megabytes (or more).

Now that we've covered the basics of max upload file size in WordPress, let's learn how to increase it.

10 Ways to Increase the Max Upload File Size in WordPress

There are many ways you tin gear up the WordPress maximum upload size issue. We'll start with the easiest ones first, and then we'll motility on to the intermediate-level tutorials.

Contact Your Hosting Provider for Help

If you're facing issues with uploading files and file size limits, reaching out to your hosting provider for help is one of the quickest solutions. Increasing the upload limit is a piddling task for tech back up, and so most hosting companies can help y'all fix this upshot quickly.

Tinkering with your server or site configuration files tin always be a claiming. Hence, nosotros ever recommend you lot try this method kickoff.

If you're hosting your site with Kinsta, our knowledgeable support team is just a click away and available 24/7. To become started, go to your MyKinsta dashboard and click the conversation icon in the bottom right corner.

Contact Kinsta support easily through MyKinsta
Contact Kinsta support easily through MyKinsta

We have representatives to assistance you in many languages, including English language, Spanish, French, German, Italian, and Portuguese.

Increment the Max Upload File Size in WordPress Multisite

If yous're running a WordPress Multisite network, and so you can change the max upload file size for your network.

Showtime, caput to your Network Admin dashboard, and and then become to Settings > Network Settings screen. Here, roll downwards till you find the Upload Settings section. You'll detect the Max upload file size field in this area.

The 'Max upload file size' in 'Network Settings'
The 'Max upload file size' field in 'Network Settings'

The default value of Max upload file size in a WordPress Multisite is 1500 KB (~1.v MB). You can change this to a higher value and click the Save Changes push button.

Note: You cannot circumvent the server-level max upload size limit from here. If the limit you set hither is higher than the server's max upload size limit, the server will ignore it. You lot can employ the methods described in a higher place to find your webserver's configuration.

The new 'Max upload file size' field in 'Network Settings'
The new 'Max upload file size' in 'Network Settings'

Here, we've set the new max upload file size to 131072 KB (~128 MB).

Yous can also limit the total size of files uploaded to an individual site in the Multisite network. All the same, information technology'south disabled by default.

Update Your '.htaccess' File

If your webserver runs on Apache, you tin update your site'due south .htaccess file to increment the max upload size in WordPress. You can find your .htaccess file in the WordPress site'due south root directory.

As per PHP documentation, three PHP directives are responsible for how WordPress handles uploads. They are:

  • upload_max_filesize
  • post_max_size
  • memory_limit

We've already discussed them in the Site Wellness Info department above. Information technology would help if yous modified these 3 directives' values to admit your file sizes. For example, if the largest file you're planning to upload is 32 MB, we recommend the post-obit settings:

  • upload_max_filesize = 32M
  • post_max_size = 64M
  • memory_limit = 128M

Notice, all the values use Thou instead of MB. That's how PHP handles its directives.

Uploads tin can contain extra information in improver to the file itself. So, giving all other upload-related directives some animate space is a proficient idea. Yous can read our in-depth tutorial on how to meliorate PHP memory limit in WordPress for more information.

Admission your .htaccess file via FTP/SFTP or your hosting provider's File Manager.

Finding the '.htaccess' file
Finding the '.htaccess' file

Open up the.htaccess file with a text editor or code editor, and so add the following code:

          php_value upload_max_filesize 32M php_value post_max_size 64M php_value memory_limit 128M php_value max_execution_time 300 php_value max_input_time 300        

You can notice two other PHP directives in the above code: max_execution_time and max_input_time . They define how long a server spends on a single PHP task. The bigger your uploads, the bigger the time spent will be. You demand to set their values to a number that'south appropriate for your use case.

Note: You lot may go a 500 Internal Server Error afterwards using the method above. Most likely, it'due south because your server is running PHP in CGI mode. In such cases, you cannot use the above commands in your .htaccess file.

Create or Alter the 'php.ini' File

The php.ini file is where yous define changes to your default PHP settings. Typically, it contains directives that define file timeouts, max upload size, and resource limits.

Using SSH or FTP, you can find the php.ini file in your WordPress root directory. In some cases, you may not locate it there. Fret not! You can create a new file with the same name in your site's root directory.

How to create a new php.ini file
How to create a new php.ini file

With a code or text editor, add together the following code to your existing or new php.ini file:

          upload_max_filesize = 32M post_max_size = 64M memory_limit = 128M        

Don't forget to salve your file after making the changes. Some hosts don't allow you lot to modify PHP settings via this method. In such a instance, yous can keep to attempt the following solution instead.

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Create or Modify the '.user.ini' File

If your hosting provider has locked downwardly the global PHP settings, they may accept configured the server to work with .user.ini files instead of php.ini files.

Like php.ini and .htaccess files, you can find the .user.ini in your site's root directory. If you can't find information technology, and so you can create a new .user.ini file in the same location. Follow the same procedure described in the previous method to create a newphp.ini file.

Next, add together the following code to your .user.ini file:

          upload_max_filesize = 32M post_max_size = 64M memory_limit = 128M        

You'll notice that information technology's a repeat of the previous method, except with a different filename.

Alter PHP Options via cPanel

If your hosting provider uses the cPanel dashboard to aid you manage your server and site configuration, you can modify the max upload file size through its interface.

To become started, go to your cPanel dashboard, and select the Select PHP Version under the Software section.

Click 'Select PHP Version' in cPanel dashboard
Click 'Select PHP Version' in the cPanel dashboard

Here, you tin can change your server's current PHP version and enable/disable many PHP extensions. Click on the Options link in the navigation menu to become to the PHP Options panel.

Go to the 'PHP Options' settings in cPanel
Go to the 'PHP Options' settings in cPanel

Coil down hither to modify the values of PHP directives such every bit upload_max_filesize , post_max_size , memory_limit , max_execution_time , and max_input_time . The max values you can gear up here depend on your current hosting plan.

The 'PHP Options' screen in cPanel
The 'PHP Options' screen in cPanel

If you have any doubts well-nigh these values, nosotros suggest y'all contact your hosting provider. The latest cPanel dashboard saves changes automatically, and so you don't take to click anything. Simply if y'all're using an older cPanel version, make sure to click the Save Changes button.

Increase the Max Upload File Size in Nginx

Nginx is another webserver like Apache, but it's likewise a lot more than. Typically, Nginx can handle more concurrent requests than Apache, making it a lot faster. Kinsta uses Nginx to power its operation-optimized hosting solutions for WordPress.

If you lot're running your WordPress site on Nginx, y'all'll demand to change both your php.ini and nginx.conf files. We've dealt with the former file before. The latter i is chosen an Nginx config file.

On an Nginx server, yous can observe the php.ini file at /etc/php/seven.4/fpm/php.ini . Depending on which PHP version yous've installed, the exact path may vary slightly.

          upload_max_filesize = 64M post_max_size = 128M        

Y'all don't take to set the memory_limit in the above file as Nginx handles information technology differently. For more, yous tin can check out this Stack Overflow thread. Afterwards saving your php.ini file, enable the changes past restarting PHP-FPM using the below code in your terminal:

          sudo service php7.4-fpm restart        

Again, the verbal lawmaking may vary slightly depending on the PHP version installed on your server.

Side by side, use Nginx's client_max_body_size directive to set the new max upload size limit. You demand to declare this directive in the nginx.conf file, which you can find at /etc/nginx/nginx.conf .

Y'all can declare this directive inside the http {...} cake, the server {...} block, or the location {...} cake.

Setting it in the http cake volition affect all the sites/apps hosted on this server.

          http {     ...     client_max_body_size 128M; }        

Defining information technology in the server block will just affect a specific site/app hosted by this server.

          server {     ...     client_max_body_size 128M; }        

The location block only affects the specified directory (e.g. files, uploads) inside a site/app.

          location /files {     ...     client_max_body_size 128M; }        

Don't forget to salvage the file and restart Nginx to utilize the changes. To do that, you tin use the following control in your terminal:

          sudo service nginx reload        

If you lot're a Kinsta customer, you tin't access your Nginx config direct. Withal, y'all tin can achieve out to our support team, and they can quickly make the changes for you.

Employ the WordPress 'upload_size_limit' Filter

WordPress 2.5 introduced the upload_size_limit filter, which filters the maximum upload size immune in php.ini. Even WordPress uses this filter to show yous the max upload size immune, like in the Media Library and Site Health Info screens.

Below is an example of this filter in action from WordPress contributor Drew Jaynes. It defines the upload size limit for all not-admin roles.

          /** * Filter the upload size limit for non-administrators. * * @param cord $size Upload size limit (in bytes). * @render int (mayhap) Filtered size limit. */ function filter_site_upload_size_limit( $size ) { // Set the upload size limit to 10 MB for users lacking the 'manage_options' capability. if ( ! current_user_can( 'manage_options' ) ) { // 10 MB. $size = 1024 * 10000; } return $size; } add_filter( 'upload_size_limit', 'filter_site_upload_size_limit', 20 );        

The to a higher place code uses WordPress' manage_options capability to set this limit only for non-admins. You can alter the code to target specific user roles or user ids. Read our in-depth WordPress roles and capabilities article for more than information.

Use a WordPress Plugin

Messing with lawmaking using SSH or FTP/SFTP is non for everyone. If you're non comfortable with writing or editing lawmaking, y'all tin employ a WordPress plugin instead.

WP Maximum Upload File Size plugin
WP Maximum Upload File Size plugin

We'll exist using the WP Maximum Upload File Size plugin hither. As of writing this, it'southward the only up-to-appointment plugin on the WordPress plugin repository that helps y'all get this washed.

To get started, install and activate the WP Maximum Upload File Size plugin. Next, go to its settings screen in your WordPress dashboard. Here, you can run into the maximum upload file size set by both your hosting provider and WordPress.

WP Maximum Upload File Size settings screen
WP Maximum Upload File Size settings screen

Here, you tin see that the maximum upload file size gear up by WordPress is bottom than that set past your hosting provider. Hence, yous can crank it up by choosing the Maximum Upload File Size with the dropdown presented.

Note: If y'all want to fix a max upload file size limit that's larger than the i set by your hosting provider, it's not possible to do it via this plugin. For that, you need to contact your hosting provider.

Upload Files via FTP/SFTP

Are you lot however struggling with all the to a higher place methods? Or with your hosting provider to have them raise the upload file size limit? You tin can always upload large files via FTP/SFTP.

FileZilla window with a site connected
Elevate and driblet files to and for your server and computer with SFTP

If you have a lot of large files to upload, this is the fastest method. Y'all can read our in-depth tutorial on how to majority upload files to the WordPress media library for more information.

Sometimes, WordPress doesn't recognize files uploaded via FTP/SFTP. If that's the case, you tin employ the free Add From Server plugin to import the uploaded files into WordPress.

Alternatively, you can do the same straight from the command line by importing images using WP-CLI. The wp media import command allows you lot to create attachments from local files or URLs.

Don't Edit the 'wp-config.php' File

Editing the wp-config.php file doesn't work anymore. We're calculation it here because we've found many spider web tutorials that list information technology as a legitimate way to increase the max upload size in WordPress.

It involves going to your site'due south root directory via FTP/SFTP or SSH and so editing the wp-config.php file.

Finding the 'wp-config.php' file
Finding the 'wp-config.php' file

You're suggested to add the following code to the wp-config.php file:

          @ini_set( 'upload_max_size' , '64M' ); @ini_set( 'post_max_size', '128M'); @ini_set( 'memory_limit', '256M' );        

Information technology fails to work considering yous can only use the ini_set() function to set PHP directives that belong to the PHP_INI_ALL child-bearing mode.

As upload_max_size and post_max_size belong to the PHP_INI_PERDIR changeable mode. Yous tin merely set them via php.ini, .htaccess, http.conf, or .user.ini.

If you've tried this method before without seeing whatever results, now you know why it fails.

Verify Your WordPress Site's New Max Upload File Size

Finally, it's time to verify whether the new max upload file size limit is implemented in your WordPress site. To do this, follow the same process we discussed higher up to check the max upload file size in WordPress.

Go to your Media Library in the WordPress dashboard and check whether the max upload file size limit has changed.

Verifying the new max upload file size limit
Verifying the new max upload file size in 'Media Library'

Aye, it has changed. That's a success!

Yous can too get to the Site Health Info panel and check for the same under Media Treatment and Server dropdowns.

Verifying the new max upload file size limit in 'Site Health Info'
Verifying the new max upload file size in 'Site Health Info > Media Library'
Verifying the new max upload file size limit in 'Site Health Info'
Verifying the new max upload file size in 'Site Health Info > Server'

Don't let the maximum upload size in WordPress hold you dorsum! 🙅‍♂️ This guide will evidence you how you can easily increment the limit to adjust your larger files 👇 Click to Tweet

Summary

As you've seen, increasing the maximum upload file size in WordPress isn't too circuitous. Whether you lot're building a media-heavy portfolio site or installing a large theme, it'southward but a affair of knowing where to wait for and what commands or tools to use.

In most cases, reaching out to your hosting provider should be enough. Nevertheless, if yous're stuck with a troublesome host, we've shown you some alternative methods you tin can try before migrating to better hosting.

Get uploading!

Did we cover it all? If you've experienced a stubborn example of upload file size limits, let usa know how yous managed to fix it.


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