Are you trying to upload a file to your WordPress website and are not allowed to because of the size? Then you should increase your WordPress upload limit!
Instead of a successful upload, you receive the error message "File name" exceeds the upload limit for this website". This means that the file you uploaded is larger than the specified file size limit.
You can adjust this limit in various ways. You can also upload your desired file 🚀
We support as WordPress hoster regularly help our customers adjust their WordPress upload limits. I've summarized this knowledge for you here in a step-by-step guide. This way, you'll know how to increase your WordPress upload limit afterwards.
Simple explanation of the "WordPress upload limit"
The Upload limit in WordPress is the maximum file size you can upload to your website. The limit is set by your host - not WordPress itself. At WPspace, we have a default upload limit of 2 GB on the server side in each of our WordPress Hosting Tariffs configured. Other hosters also set higher upload limits of 10 GB, 20 GB or even 50 GB.
To give you a feeling, I would like to give you a few average file sizes:
- Normal photo: Around 13 MB
- Photo from the photographer: 30 MB
- PDF with 2 pages: 25 KB
- Logo (SVG): 15 KB
As you can see, the 2 GB limit is usually more than sufficient. There can always be exceptions, such as videos or music files.
With a lower limit, you create more security on your website. This prevents large amounts of malicious code from being uploaded to your website. Remember: The higher the value, the higher the security risk for the WordPress website.
So if you adjust your value, choose it carefully and reset it if necessary. This will prevent malicious code from being uploaded to your website in large quantities.
Tip 💡: In general, I recommend that you keep the files you upload as small as possible. This will save you storage space and won't impact the performance of your website. There are various free tools for compressing images, such as squoosh.app or TinyPNG.
Find out the current upload limit in WordPress
If you are unsure how high the upload limit is in your WordPress instance, you can find out quickly and easily.
The upload limit information is always displayed in the media library when you upload a new file.
To do this, navigate to your WordPress dashboard > "Media library" > "Add new media file". There you will find the information "Maximum file size for uploads: 2 GB". This information corresponds to the upload limit in your WordPress instance.
Increase WordPress upload limit: 5 options
The WordPress upload limit You can increase your upload limit in various ways. I recommend that you choose one of the first 4 options. This way you avoid installing an additional plugin.
Important tips and information:
There is a server-side global limit for the upload limit on your website. You cannot override this limit, which is determined by your hoster, with your individual limits.
For example: Your host sets the global limit to 5 GB. You adjust your WordPress upload limit to 10 GB via wp-config.php. Your limit remains at 5 GB, as 10 GB would exceed the limit set by your host.
Keep this in mind when adjusting your upload limit! The easiest way is to contact your hoster directly, as described in option 1 below.
Option 1: Contact your hoster
As a first step, you can simply contact the host of your website. Ask them - preferably in writing - to increase your WordPress upload limit. The host's technical support will then make the settings for you on the server side.
The following information is important for the hoster for your request:
- The upload limit is to be increased
- The value to which it should be increased
- Which website is involved
So you can simply write the following:
"Hello everyone, can you please increase the WordPress upload limit of my WordPress instance "yourdomain.com" to X GB? Thanks in advance."
Your host can usually adjust the upload limit for you in just a few minutes.
Option 2: customize wp-config.php
The wp-config.php is a standard file that you can find in the root directory of your website. You can access the root directory with FTP access and a free tool such as Filezilla access.
With WPspace, customers can access the file directory of their website via the hosting interface. This saves you the detour via an FTP tool.
So first navigate to your root directory either via FTP access or directly via the hosting interface.
Your wp-config.php is usually located in the "httpdocs" folder.
Open the wp-config.php to edit it.
Insert the following line of code here:
define('WP_MEMORY_LIMIT', '500M');In the example, "500M" stands for 500 MB. Adjust the number to your desired WordPress upload limit.
Note 💡: You can place the line of code anywhere between the very top to "/* That's all, stop editing! Happy publishing. */".
Option 3: Customize .htaccess
Another way to increase the WordPress upload limit is via .htaccess. You can also find the .htaccess file in the root directory of your website. You can access it either via FTP access or via the hosting interface of your hoster.
Open the root directory of your website, which is usually called httpdocs. You will find the .htaccess file there.
Open this file to edit it.
Add the following two lines of code to the .htaccess:
php_value upload_max_filesize 500M
php_value post_max_size 25MNote 💡: Paste the lines of code at the end of the file.
Option 4: Customize php.ini
Hosts that grant you access to all data also give you access to your php.ini file. Here you have another option to adjust your WordPress upload limit.
To do this, navigate to the base directory of your website. This is one level higher than your root directory "httpdocs".
Here you will find the .php-ini file. Open this file to edit it below.
Note 💡: Make sure that there is only one .php-ini file in your base directory. You can test this using the search function.
Insert the following lines of code into this file, adapted to your desired upload limit:
upload_max_filesize = 50M
post_max_size = 25MYou have inserted the lines of code and the WordPress upload limit has not been increased? Then it may help to add the following line of code:
file_uploads = OnOption 5: Use plugin
Note 💡: I recommend that you take an alternative approach and do without an additional plugin. If you don't have the confidence to adjust the upload limit by inserting lines of code, contact your hoster. If they do not support you, use a plugin.
The plugins write the necessary lines of code for you in the respective file to adjust the limit. If you only want to increase the limit temporarily, you can deactivate and delete the plugin afterwards. Please note that your limit will then be reset.
If you search for "Increase Maximum Upload File Size" in the plugin repository, a few plugins will already be suggested. I recommend the following WordPress plugin:
Increase Maximum Upload File Size from Imagify
The plugin currently has 70,000 active installations (as of June, 2024) and is from the well-known plugin manufacturer "Imagify". With just three clicks, you can adjust your WordPress upload limit intuitively, quickly and easily:
- Install and activate the "Increase Maximum Upload File Size" plugin from Imagify
- In your WordPress dashboard, navigate to "Settings" > "Increase Maximum File Size"
- Select your desired upload limit next to "Choose Maximum Upload File Size". You can choose between 16MB, 32MB, 64MB, 128MB, 256MB, 512MB and 1GB.
- Confirm your customization by clicking the "Save changes" button
- Now you can also find the adjusted limit in the media library
In addition to the plugin described above, there are other alternatives that you can use. Here are two more examples that are used by many WordPress users:
- Increase Maximum Upload File Size | Increase Execution Time from CodePopular
- Big File Uploads - Increase Maximum File Upload Size from Infinite Uploads
Adjust upload limit in a multisite
Is your WordPress instance a multisite? Then the easiest way to adjust the WordPress upload limit for your multisite is via the network settings.
Log into the network administration with your admin user and go to "Settings" > "Network settings".
You can adjust the upload limit for your multisite in the "Maximum file size of an upload" field.
Note 💡: The limit is specified here in KB not MB. 1000 KB correspond to 1 MB. So to adjust your limit to 500 MB, you must enter 500000.
Frequently asked questions about the WordPress upload limit:
The upload limit adjustment did not work - what can I do?
There are various methods to increase the upload limit. If you have already tested the various options via wp-config.php, php.ini and .htaccess, I recommend that you contact your host.
The fact that you cannot adjust the limit any further may also be due to the global limits of the hoster. Your hoster's support team can answer this and help you further.
How large can a video upload in WordPress be?
The size of the video upload is limited by the WordPress upload limit, which is determined by your hoster. You can view this limit when uploading a file in the media library. If the video file is larger than the existing limit, you cannot upload it without adjusting the limit.
In general, I recommend that you do not embed videos directly on your WordPress website. Instead, upload the videos to external platforms such as YouTube or Vimeo. You can then easily embed the videos on your website using HTML code.
This gives you the advantage that the memory of your hosting tariff is not unnecessarily utilized, the performance of your website is better and you can attract visitors via YouTube at the same time.
What should the maximum upload limit be?
I recommend that you keep the upload limit as low as possible. This will prevent large quantities of malicious files from being uploaded to your website in the event of an attack on your website.
Specifically, I recommend that you leave the limit between 200 MB and a maximum of 2 GB. This is definitely sufficient for uploading graphics, photos and even high-resolution images.
Can a high upload limit lead to problems?
Yes, it can indirectly lead to problems.
The WordPress upload limit is restricted by default to protect your website from dangers. On the one hand, this prevents your hosting or server from being overloaded so quickly. On the other hand, smaller amounts of malicious files can be uploaded in the event of an attack on your website.
Conclusion on the WordPress upload limit
Your WordPress upload limit is an important setting. If you want to upload larger photos or files, the limit may be too low.
To be able to upload the files anyway, you can increase the upload limit in the following different ways:
- Request from your hoster (recommended method)
- Add a line of code to wp-config.php
- Insert a line of code in the .htaccess
- Insert a line of code in php.ini
- Use WordPress plugin
If you have opted for a service-oriented hoster, they will support you in increasing the limit. Otherwise, you can use the other options.
I recommend that you lower the limit again as soon as you have uploaded your desired file. This is because a higher limit poses a greater security risk for your website.
