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3 easy ways to increase WordPress upload size limit

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You know that situation where you’re trying to upload a file or an audio/video format, and you get the “Exceeds the maximum upload size for this site” message? Annoying, right? The same thing used to happen to me too many times. And, just because I haven’t been able to call my developer all the time and, moreover, was angry at myself for not knowing how to do it myself, I decided to change that. Yes, you’re right, I thought myself to shift WordPress upload size all by myself 🙂

Thanks to Google and WordPress forums, I found out and used several ways that worked like a charm! And, if you ever happen to be in the same situation, I’m sharing my knowledge and teaching you how to do it for yourselves, too. No more annoying max upload size issues for you, right? 🙂

3 ways to increase WordPress upload size

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Now, before I start describing, I should tell you that there will be some coding steps you’ll need to take in order to make things happen. But, rest assured that even with no coding experience you will be able to change WordPress upload size limit just as I did. So, let’s go!

#1 Increase WordPress upload size with a plugin

In case you don’t want to mess with codes, cPanels, FTP’s and other stuff, you can change the upload size in WordPress with the use of a plugin. Increase Max Upload Filesize is a free WordPress plugin that helps you change the upload size limit up to 250Mb and more. Just install it and go to its dashboard, enter a desired value in number, click Save Changes and it’s done. Just be sure hat the number you enter is in bytes value, because it’s how this plugin works. For example:

1024000 bytes=1MB
1024000*250MB=262144000 bytes

increase-wordpress-upload-size-with-plugin-screenshot

#2 Increase WordPress upload size in cPanel

Two ways to do it and I’ll describe both of them.

Sounds scarier than it is, believe me 🙂 Still if you’re not sure, you can always check out how to work your way in cPanel in this article about WordPress tutorials we wrote about earlier. Once you finish that, just login into the cPanel of your site and go over Software section:

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then click on Select PHP Version where you’ll get this bit confusing dashboard:

change WordPress upload size in cPanel screenshot

Fear not, just go over to Switch To PHP Options and click on it, find the upload_max_filesize and click on the value number to change it.
Once you choose the desired value, click Apply, and you’re done! Congrats on increasing the upload size in your WordPress blog or site.

The second way to increase WordPress upload limit is through MultiPHP INI Editor. Just click on it and do the next steps.

change wordpress upload size example

Inside MultiPHP INI Editor and Basic Mode, select a location where you want to make a change – kickstart.rs in my case, find upload_max_filesize and change it to the maximum size of an uploaded file. I wanted to increase the value to 512M, so I did, then clicked Apply and voila! I’ve successfully increased file/image size on my WordPress site and now, you can, too 🙂

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Also, you can change the memory limit as well as set the max size of post data allowed here.

#3 Increase WordPress upload size via FTP/SFTP Client

For changing the maximum upload size in this option, you’ll need an FTP or SFTP Client. It’s a file transfer protocol tool that lets you go inside and through your site files remotely. The most common one to use is FileZilla, and you can download it for free from here. Or WinSCP that is also free and the one I used (download it here).

change wordpress upload size through ftp client

To log in, you’ll need to type your domain name as Host, the same Username and Password as the ones for cPanel login. Once you get in, look for the Public_html folder. Inside you’ll find many other folders and files, but you need only one: wp-config.php.

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Bear in mind that this is the most important file within your WordPress and be sure to make a backup before you edit anything. Just in case. Once you do that, this is what you add to the end of the file:

ini_set( ‘upload_max_size’ , ‘256M’ );
ini_set( ‘post_max_size’, ‘256M’);

Save the file and you changed the limit size. And in case thanothing has changed, contact your hosting provider for assistance.

Double checking your upload size in WordPress

Very easy. Go to your Dashboard and Media section, click on Add new and below the space you’ll see the original upload size limit. If you did everything right, you should see the new value you added.

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Wrapping up

There you have it. The next time you find yourselves in this annoying situation, you’ll know what to do and how to get out of one. See, who would have known you could do such a thing with no coding experience whatsoever, right? 🙂 Feel free to share this how-to and help others learn this useful tip too.

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Ivana Cirkovic

Ivana is a Digital Marketing, PR and Social Media consultant with over nine years experience in the field. She is also a WordPress enthusiast and an active member of WordPress community who lives online almost 24/7. In love with Twitter, WP, photography and NYC.

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