A low WordPress upload size limit stops you from uploading large files, plugins, and themes. If you're building a media-heavy website, that can exist a considerable obstruction. Information technology'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 go about solving this issue. Nosotros'll cover them all in this article and bear witness you how to increase the maximum upload size in WordPress quickly.

Allow'southward dive 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's resources. To preclude users from causing server timeouts, the default maximum upload size in WordPress typically ranges from four MB to 128 MB. Normally, the hosting provider sets this limit at the server level.

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

To verify this, go to your WordPress site's Media Library. Here, attempt to upload a file that crosses this maximum upload file size limit. Yous'll run across an error message that looks something like this:

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

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

Otherwise, it can result in incapacitating your website's server, making your site come to a crawl. Or worse, it can bring your site down altogether!

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How to Check the Current Maximum Upload Size in WordPress

At that place are many ways to bank check your WordPress site's current max upload size. Let's go through all of them.

In the Media Library

The quickest way to check your site'due south current maximum upload size is to go to your WordPress dashboard, and from there, go to Media > Library. Here, click on the Add 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. message displays beneath the Select Files push button. If you're using a dissimilar spider web hosting provider, you lot may see a different limit listed here.

You can besides go to Media > Add New directly and see the same bulletin displayed at the bottom.

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

Once more, yous tin can run across the 128 MB max upload file size here.

In the Site Health Info

WordPress v.two added the Site Health Info tool to help you debug your WordPress site improve. Hither, yous tin can notice almost all the information near your server and WordPress configuration.

Every bit both the server and WordPress handle the max upload file size, there are ii means to detect its value on this screen.

First, you can find it listed under the Media Handling dropdown. Hither, expect 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' console

The 2d method is to look nether the Server dropdown. You'll discover many options related to your webserver's setup nether here. Delight search for the value for Upload max filesize constant to encounter what information technology 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' console

You tin can besides see other PHP constants and their values, such as:

  • PHP mail service max size: Defines the maximum upload limit for POST requests.
  • PHP memory limit: Defines the memory allocated for PHP. It should be set equal to or higher than the Upload max filesize limit. Or else the upload volition neglect.

Your web host sets these options. Usually, starter hosting plans volition have a lesser upload size limit than enterprise hosting plans. Some hosts may allow yous to override these limits. Merely in most cases, you may need your hosting provider's assistance (and maybe a plan upgrade) to increase them.

Why Increment the Maximum Upload File Size in WordPress?

There are many reasons why you may demand to increase your WordPress site's maximum upload file size. Here are the about common ones:

  • You want to install a large theme or plugin straight through the WordPress admin dashboard.
  • Updating your WordPress site regularly is a great way to keep your readers engaged and render for more than. And that includes uploading new images, videos, audios, and other media regularly. However, that'south not e'er feasible when there's a file size limit for your uploads.
  • You lot want to upload a large video or prototype equally your site'south background or header.
  • Y'all plan to sell digital files such as ebooks, photographs, videos, themes, and plugins directly from your site. Sometimes, these files tin can run up to hundreds of megabytes (or more than).

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

10 Ways to Increase the Max Upload File Size in WordPress

There are many ways you tin can prepare the WordPress maximum upload size effect. We'll beginning with the easiest ones start, and then nosotros'll move 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 assistance is one of the quickest solutions. Increasing the upload limit is a fiddling chore for tech support, so most hosting companies can help you set this effect chop-chop.

Tinkering with your server or site configuration files can always be a challenge. Hence, we always recommend you lot attempt this method get-go.

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

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

Nosotros have representatives to assist you in many languages, including English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, and Portuguese.

Increase the Max Upload File Size in WordPress Multisite

If you lot're running a WordPress Multisite network, then you tin alter the max upload file size for your network.

Commencement, head to your Network Admin dashboard, and then go to Settings > Network Settings screen. Here, whorl downwardly till yous find the Upload Settings section. Y'all'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 (~ane.5 MB). Y'all can alter this to a higher value and click the Save Changes push.

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

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

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

Yous can also limit the full size of files uploaded to an private site in the Multisite network. However, it's disabled by default.

Update Your '.htaccess' File

If your webserver runs on Apache, you tin can update your site'southward .htaccess file to increase the max upload size in WordPress. You tin notice your .htaccess file in the WordPress site's root directory.

Equally 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 section above. It would assistance if y'all modified these three directives' values to admit your file sizes. For instance, if the largest file you lot're planning to upload is 32 MB, we recommend the following settings:

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

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

Uploads tin can comprise extra information in addition to the file itself. So, giving all other upload-related directives some breathing space is a good idea. Y'all tin read our in-depth tutorial on how to better 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 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 ii other PHP directives in the above code: max_execution_time and max_input_time . They define how long a server spends on a unmarried PHP task. The bigger your uploads, the bigger the time spent will exist. You demand to set their values to a number that's appropriate for your use case.

Note: Yous may get a 500 Internal Server Fault after using the method above. Almost likely, it's because your server is running PHP in CGI fashion. In such cases, you lot cannot use the higher up commands in your .htaccess file.

Create or Modify the 'php.ini' File

The php.ini file is where you define changes to your default PHP settings. Typically, it contains directives that define file timeouts, max upload size, and resources 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 tin 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 the following lawmaking to your existing or new php.ini file:

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

Don't forget to relieve your file later making the changes. Some hosts don't allow you lot to modify PHP settings via this method. In such a case, you tin can proceed to try the following solution instead.

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Create or Modify the '.user.ini' File

If your hosting provider has locked downward the global PHP settings, they may have 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'due south root directory. If you lot can't detect information technology, so you can create a new .user.ini file in the aforementioned location. Follow the same procedure described in the previous method to create a newphp.ini file.

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

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

Y'all'll observe that it's a repeat of the previous method, except with a dissimilar filename.

Change PHP Options via cPanel

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

To get 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 can change your server'due south electric current PHP version and enable/disable many PHP extensions. Click on the Options link in the navigation menu to go to the PHP Options console.

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

Roll down hither to modify the values of PHP directives such as upload_max_filesize , post_max_size , memory_limit , max_execution_time , and max_input_time . The max values you can set here depend on your current hosting plan.

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

If you take whatsoever doubts about these values, we suggest you lot contact your hosting provider. The latest cPanel dashboard saves changes automatically, so you don't have to click anything. But if you're using an older cPanel version, brand certain to click the Save Changes button.

Increase the Max Upload File Size in Nginx

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

If you're running your WordPress site on Nginx, you'll need to alter both your php.ini and nginx.conf files. We've dealt with the former file before. The latter one is called an Nginx config file.

On an Nginx server, you tin can discover the php.ini file at /etc/php/7.four/fpm/php.ini . Depending on which PHP version y'all've installed, the exact path may vary slightly.

          upload_max_filesize = 64M post_max_size = 128M        

You don't have to gear up the memory_limit in the above file as Nginx handles it differently. For more, you tin can check out this Stack Overflow thread. After saving your php.ini file, enable the changes by restarting PHP-FPM using the below code in your final:

          sudo service php7.4-fpm restart        

Again, the exact 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 gear up the new max upload size limit. You need to declare this directive in the nginx.conf file, which you lot can detect at /etc/nginx/nginx.conf .

You lot can declare this directive inside the http {...} block, the server {...} block, or the location {...} block.

Setting it in the http block will affect all the sites/apps hosted on this server.

          http {     ...     client_max_body_size 128M; }        

Defining it in the server block will simply affect a specific site/app hosted by this server.

          server {     ...     client_max_body_size 128M; }        

The location block just affects the specified directory (e.1000. files, uploads) inside a site/app.

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

Don't forget to salve the file and restart Nginx to apply the changes. To do that, y'all can use the following command in your final:

          sudo service nginx reload        

If yous're a Kinsta client, you can't admission your Nginx config direct. However, you tin achieve out to our support squad, and they can quickly make the changes for you.

Use the WordPress 'upload_size_limit' Filter

WordPress ii.v introduced the upload_size_limit filter, which filters the maximum upload size allowed in php.ini. Fifty-fifty WordPress uses this filter to show you the max upload size immune, like in the Media Library and Site Health Info screens.

Below is an example of this filter in activeness from WordPress contributor Drew Jaynes. It defines the upload size limit for all non-admin roles.

          /** * Filter the upload size limit for not-administrators. * * @param cord $size Upload size limit (in bytes). * @return int (possibly) Filtered size limit. */ role filter_site_upload_size_limit( $size ) { // Set the upload size limit to ten MB for users lacking the 'manage_options' capability. if ( ! current_user_can( 'manage_options' ) ) { // x MB. $size = 1024 * 10000; } return $size; } add_filter( 'upload_size_limit', 'filter_site_upload_size_limit', twenty );        

The above code uses WordPress' manage_options adequacy to set this limit just for non-admins. You can modify the lawmaking to target specific user roles or user ids. Read our in-depth WordPress roles and capabilities article for more data.

Use a WordPress Plugin

Messing with code using SSH or FTP/SFTP is non for everyone. If y'all're not comfortable with writing or editing lawmaking, you tin use a WordPress plugin instead.

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

Nosotros'll be using the WP Maximum Upload File Size plugin here. As of writing this, it'southward the only upwardly-to-date plugin on the WordPress plugin repository that helps you lot get this washed.

To get started, install and activate the WP Maximum Upload File Size plugin. Next, get to its settings screen in your WordPress dashboard. Hither, y'all tin can see the maximum upload file size ready by both your hosting provider and WordPress.

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

Here, you lot can see that the maximum upload file size set by WordPress is lesser than that set up past your hosting provider. Hence, y'all can crank it upward past choosing the Maximum Upload File Size with the dropdown presented.

Note: If you want to ready a max upload file size limit that's larger than the one set past your hosting provider, it'southward not possible to do it via this plugin. For that, you demand to contact your hosting provider.

Upload Files via FTP/SFTP

Are yous still struggling with all the higher up methods? Or with your hosting provider to have them heighten the upload file size limit? You can always upload big files via FTP/SFTP.

FileZilla window with a site connected
Drag and drop files to and for your server and figurer with SFTP

If you take a lot of large files to upload, this is the fastest method. Yous can read our in-depth tutorial on how to bulk upload files to the WordPress media library for more data.

Sometimes, WordPress doesn't recognize files uploaded via FTP/SFTP. If that's the example, you lot tin apply the gratuitous Add From Server plugin to import the uploaded files into WordPress.

Alternatively, you tin can practise the same straight from the command line by importing images using WP-CLI. The wp media import control allows you 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 adding information technology here considering nosotros've found many web tutorials that list it as a legitimate way to increase the max upload size in WordPress.

It involves going to your site's root directory via FTP/SFTP or SSH and 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' );        

It fails to work considering y'all can only use the ini_set() function to set PHP directives that belong to the PHP_INI_ALL changeable mode.

As upload_max_size and post_max_size belong to the PHP_INI_PERDIR changeable mode. You lot tin can only fix them via php.ini, .htaccess, http.conf, or .user.ini.

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

Verify Your WordPress Site'south New Max Upload File Size

Finally, it'due south time to verify whether the new max upload file size limit is implemented in your WordPress site. To do this, follow the same procedure nosotros discussed above 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'

Yes, it has inverse. That'due south a success!

You tin likewise go to the Site Health Info panel and check for the same under Media Handling 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'

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Summary

As yous've seen, increasing the maximum upload file size in WordPress isn't also complex. Whether you're building a media-heavy portfolio site or installing a large theme, information technology'southward just a matter of knowing where to await for and what commands or tools to use.

In near cases, reaching out to your hosting provider should be enough. Nevertheless, if you're stuck with a troublesome host, we've shown you some culling methods you tin endeavor before migrating to ameliorate hosting.

Go uploading!

Did nosotros comprehend it all? If yous've experienced a stubborn case of upload file size limits, let united states of america know how you managed to fix it.


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