In this tutorial, you will learn how to increase maximum upload file size in WordPress.
But why should you increase maximum upload file size in WordPress?
If you've been using WordPress for some time, you may have encountered the frustration of trying to upload a file to your WordPress website, only to be met with an error message stating that the file size exceeds the maximum upload limit?
If so, you're not alone. Many WordPress users have encountered this issue, and it can be incredibly frustrating, especially if you're trying to upload large media files or documents.
By default, WordPress sets a maximum upload file size limit, which can be a hindrance when trying to upload large files such as images, videos, or audio files.
In this tutorial, I am going to cover a method using which you can easily increase the upload file size limit.
Let's get started.
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How to Check the Maximum Upload File Size?
Before we start to learn how to increase the maximum upload file size, you must first check the current upload file size to ensure that you actually needed to increase the file size.
To check it, you can follow the steps as mentioned below:
- Log in to your WordPress Dashboard.
- Navigate to Media and click on Add New. You'll see a screen as shown in the image.
In the above screenshot, you can see that the maximum upload file size for my WordPress website is 128 MB.
Now, if I will try to upload a file whose size is greater than 128 MB, it will not be uploaded.
Let's see an example.
In the below screenshot, you can see that I am trying to upload a file (files.zip) to my site which is 349 MB in size. I will drag and drop this file under this area - Drop files to upload.
However, in the below screenshot, you can see that the file is not uploaded. The error message says - files.zip exceeds the maximum upload size for this site.
Thus, to upload a file which is greater in size than the default file size, we will need to increase the maximum upload file size.
And to do that, we will use a WordPress plugin named CodePopular.
In the next section, we will learn how to use this plugin to increase the upload file size limit.
How to Increase the Maximum Upload File Size?
Continuing with the last section, we will first install the plugin CodePopular from the WordPress Dashboard.
Thus, first we will log in to the WordPress Dashboard. Now, go to Plugins and click on Add New.
Type CodePopular in the Search Bar. It will show the plugin. Now, click Install Now and after installation, click on Activate to start using the plugin (see the below screenshot).
After activating the CodePopular plugin, go to Media and click on Increase Upload Limit.
You'll see a page like this (see the below screenshot).
From the drop down under - Choose Maximum Upload File Size, select the size you like to increase. You'll find the following sizes under this option - 128 MB, 256 MB, 512 MB, 1 GB, 2 GB, 3 GB, 4 GB and 5 GB.
So, if you want to increase the limit to 512 MB, select it from the drop down and click on Save Changes.
To check if the limit has actually increase, you can again go to Media and click on Add New. Here, you can see that the maximum upload file size has increased to 512 MB (see the below screenshot).
Thus, using a simple WordPress plugin, you can easily increase the file upload size on your site.
Why There is Limit on Maximum Upload File Size?
Let's understand why there is a maximum upload file size limit in WordPress.
This limit is in place to prevent the website from being overwhelmed with large files, which can slow down the site's performance. Additionally, hosting providers often set file size limits to manage server resources effectively.
Let's check out these reasons in more detail.
1. Server Restrictions
The maximum upload file size limit in WordPress is often set by the server configuration. Servers have certain limitations on the amount of data that can be processed and stored.
These restrictions are in place to ensure the optimal performance of the server and to prevent abuse or overloading.
By imposing a limit on the maximum upload file size, servers can effectively manage resources and maintain stability.
2. Storage Space Constraints
Every file uploaded to a WordPress website requires storage space. Websites are hosted on servers, and these servers have limited storage capacities.
Allowing users to upload large files without any restrictions could quickly deplete the available storage space, leaving little room for other essential website components.
By imposing a maximum upload file size limit, WordPress ensures that websites can maintain a balanced allocation of storage space for different site elements.
3. Resource Allocation
When you upload a file to your WordPress website, it requires server resources to process and store the file.
Large files consume more server resources, such as processing power and storage space.
To prevent one user from monopolizing server resources, WordPress sets a limit on the maximum file size that can be uploaded, ensuring fair resource allocation among all website users.
Wrapping Up
I hope by following this easy tutorial, now, you know how to increase maximum upload file size in WordPress.
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For more tutorials, you can follow this link - WordPress tutorials.
