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

Depending on your hosting provider and server, in that location are many ways to get almost solving this effect. Nosotros'll comprehend them all in this article and show you lot how to increase the maximum upload size in WordPress apace.

Let's dive in!

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What Is the Maximum Upload Size in WordPress?

Uploading large files to a server consumes a lot of the server's resource. To preclude 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 as well includes constants that ascertain 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, try to upload a file that crosses this maximum upload file size limit. You lot'll run across an error bulletin that looks something like this:

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

The "exceeds the maximum upload size for this site" error tin be 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 (due east.g. high-resolution images, large videos).

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

Want to upload a big file, plugin, or theme... but limited past the max upload size?🗂 Learn how to resolve this common effect quickly & easily right here ⬇️ Click to Tweet

How to Check the Current Maximum Upload Size in WordPress

There are many ways to 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's current maximum upload size is to go to your WordPress dashboard, and from in that location, go to Media > Library. Here, click on the Add together New button to activate the media uploader tool.

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

Every bit Kinsta hosts this site, the Maximum upload file size: 128 MB. bulletin displays beneath the Select Files push button. If yous're using a different web hosting provider, y'all may encounter a different limit listed here.

Yous can too get to Media > Add New directly and run into the aforementioned message displayed at the bottom.

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

Again, you can see the 128 MB max upload file size here.

In the Site Health Info

WordPress 5.2 added the Site Health Info tool to assistance you debug your WordPress site better. Hither, yous can find about all the information almost your server and WordPress configuration.

As both the server and WordPress handle the max upload file size, at that place are two ways to find its value on this screen.

Get-go, 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 second method is to wait nether the Server dropdown. You lot'll detect many options related to your webserver's setup under here. Delight search for the value for Upload max filesize abiding to see 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' console

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

  • PHP mail max size: Defines the maximum upload limit for Post requests.
  • PHP memory limit: Defines the retentiveness allocated for PHP. It should be prepare equal to or higher than the Upload max filesize limit. Or else the upload will neglect.

Your spider web host sets these options. Usually, starter hosting plans will accept a bottom upload size limit than enterprise hosting plans. Some hosts may allow you to override these limits. Just in most cases, you may need your hosting provider's assistance (and peradventure a plan upgrade) to increase them.

Why Increase the Maximum Upload File Size in WordPress?

There are many reasons why you may need to increase your WordPress site's maximum upload file size. Hither are the nearly mutual ones:

  • You want to install a large theme or plugin straight through the WordPress admin dashboard.
  • Updating your WordPress site regularly is a smashing way to keep your readers engaged and render for more. And that includes uploading new images, videos, audios, and other media regularly. However, that'due south not always viable when at that place's a file size limit for your uploads.
  • You desire to upload a large video or image as your site's 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 upwardly to hundreds of megabytes (or more).

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

x Ways to Increase the Max Upload File Size in WordPress

There are many ways you tin can ready the WordPress maximum upload size effect. Nosotros'll start with the easiest ones first, and then we'll move on to the intermediate-level tutorials.

Contact Your Hosting Provider for Aid

If you lot're facing issues with uploading files and file size limits, reaching out to your hosting provider for assistance is i of the quickest solutions. Increasing the upload limit is a petty task for tech support, so most hosting companies can assistance you lot gear up this event quickly.

Tinkering with your server or site configuration files can always be a challenge. Hence, we e'er recommend y'all endeavour this method first.

If you're hosting your site with Kinsta, our knowledgeable back up squad is just a click away and bachelor 24/seven. To get started, get to your MyKinsta dashboard and click the chat icon in the lesser correct corner.

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

We take representatives to assist you lot in many languages, including English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, and Portuguese.

Increase the Max Upload File Size in WordPress Multisite

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

First, head to your Network Admin dashboard, and then go to Settings > Network Settings screen. Hither, scroll down till y'all observe the Upload Settings section. Y'all'll find 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.five MB). You tin change this to a higher value and click the Save Changes push button.

Annotation: You cannot circumvent the server-level max upload size limit from here. If the limit you prepare hither is higher than the server'southward max upload size limit, the server will ignore it. You tin can employ the methods described above to detect your webserver's configuration.

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

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

You lot can also limit the total size of files uploaded to an individual site in the Multisite network. Nevertheless, it'south disabled by default.

Update Your '.htaccess' File

If your webserver runs on Apache, you can update your site'due south .htaccess file to increase the max upload size in WordPress. Y'all 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. It would help if you lot modified these three directives' values to acknowledge your file sizes. For instance, 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 apply K instead of MB. That'south how PHP handles its directives.

Uploads can comprise extra information in addition to the file itself. Then, giving all other upload-related directives some animate space is a good idea. You tin read our in-depth tutorial on how to ameliorate PHP memory limit in WordPress for more data.

Access your .htaccess file via FTP/SFTP or your hosting provider'south File Managing director.

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

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

          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 discover two other PHP directives in the above code: max_execution_time and max_input_time . They ascertain how long a server spends on a unmarried PHP chore. The bigger your uploads, the bigger the time spent will be. You need to ready their values to a number that'southward advisable for your utilize case.

Note: You lot may get a 500 Internal Server Mistake after using the method above. Well-nigh probable, it'due south considering your server is running PHP in CGI way. In such cases, you cannot use the above 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, information technology contains directives that define file timeouts, max upload size, and resource limits.

Using SSH or FTP, you can observe the php.ini file in your WordPress root directory. In some cases, you may not locate information technology there. Fret not! Yous tin create a new file with the aforementioned proper 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 code to your existing or new php.ini file:

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

Don't forget to save your file after making the changes. Some hosts don't allow you to modify PHP settings via this method. In such a case, you can go on to endeavour the following solution instead.

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Create or Change the '.user.ini' File

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

Similar php.ini and .htaccess files, you can notice the .user.ini in your site's root directory. If y'all tin't notice it, then 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 the post-obit lawmaking to your .user.ini file:

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

Yous'll detect that information technology'southward a repeat of the previous method, except with a different filename.

Change PHP Options via cPanel

If your hosting provider uses the cPanel dashboard to help yous manage your server and site configuration, you tin 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

Hither, you 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
Get to the 'PHP Options' settings in cPanel

Scroll down here to change 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 yous can ready here depend on your current hosting plan.

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

If y'all accept whatsoever doubts most these values, we suggest yous contact your hosting provider. The latest cPanel dashboard saves changes automatically, so y'all don't have to click anything. Simply if you lot're using an older cPanel version, make sure to click the Save Changes push.

Increase the Max Upload File Size in Nginx

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

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

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

          upload_max_filesize = 64M post_max_size = 128M        

Y'all don't have to ready the memory_limit in the to a higher place file equally Nginx handles it differently. For more, you tin can bank check out this Stack Overflow thread. Afterwards saving your php.ini file, enable the changes by restarting PHP-FPM using the below code in your terminal:

          sudo service php7.4-fpm restart        

Once again, the exact code may vary slightly depending on the PHP version installed on your server.

Adjacent, utilize Nginx'due south client_max_body_size directive to set the new max upload size limit. You need to declare this directive in the nginx.conf file, which you lot can find at /etc/nginx/nginx.conf .

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

Setting information technology in the http block volition affect all the sites/apps hosted on this server.

          http {     ...     client_max_body_size 128M; }        

Defining it in the server block will only bear on a specific site/app hosted by this server.

          server {     ...     client_max_body_size 128M; }        

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

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

Don't forget to save the file and restart Nginx to utilize the changes. To do that, you can utilise the following command in your terminal:

          sudo service nginx reload        

If you're a Kinsta client, you can't access your Nginx config directly. Still, you lot tin can reach out to our support team, and they can quickly make the changes for you lot.

Employ the WordPress 'upload_size_limit' Filter

WordPress two.5 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 allowed, like in the Media Library and Site Health Info screens.

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

          /** * Filter the upload size limit for non-administrators. * * @param cord $size Upload size limit (in bytes). * @render int (maybe) 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' ) ) { // ten MB. $size = 1024 * 10000; } return $size; } add_filter( 'upload_size_limit', 'filter_site_upload_size_limit', 20 );        

The above code uses WordPress' manage_options capability to set up 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 information.

Utilise a WordPress Plugin

Messing with code using SSH or FTP/SFTP is not for anybody. If you're not comfortable with writing or editing code, you tin utilize a WordPress plugin instead.

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

We'll be using the WP Maximum Upload File Size plugin here. Every bit of writing this, information technology'southward the but upward-to-date plugin on the WordPress plugin repository that helps you get this done.

To get started, install and actuate the WP Maximum Upload File Size plugin. Next, go to its settings screen in your WordPress dashboard. Here, y'all 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 can see that the maximum upload file size set by WordPress is bottom than that set past your hosting provider. Hence, y'all tin crank it up by choosing the Maximum Upload File Size with the dropdown presented.

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

Upload Files via FTP/SFTP

Are you still struggling with all the in a higher place methods? Or with your hosting provider to have them heighten the upload file size limit? Y'all can e'er upload large files via FTP/SFTP.

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

If you have a lot of large files to upload, this is the fastest method. You 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 can utilize the gratis Add From Server plugin to import the uploaded files into WordPress.

Alternatively, you tin do the same directly 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 adding it hither because nosotros've found many spider web tutorials that listing it as a legitimate style to increase the max upload size in WordPress.

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

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

You're suggested to add the post-obit 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 you can but utilize the ini_set() function to set up 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 fashion. You can merely set them via php.ini, .htaccess, http.conf, or .user.ini.

If you've tried this method earlier without seeing any results, at present yous know why it fails.

Verify Your WordPress Site's 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 practice this, follow the aforementioned 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'

Yeah, it has changed. That'south a success!

You can too get to the Site Wellness 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 Wellness Info > Server'

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

Summary

Every bit you lot've seen, increasing the maximum upload file size in WordPress isn't likewise complex. Whether you're building a media-heavy portfolio site or installing a large theme, information technology's just 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 exist plenty. Still, if you're stuck with a troublesome host, we've shown you some culling methods you tin can try before migrating to improve hosting.

Get uploading!

Did we cover information technology all? If you've experienced a stubborn instance of upload file size limits, let united states of america know how you managed to fix it.


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