Increasing the maximum file upload size

By default, our hosting limits PHP file uploads to 64MB — fine for most uploads, but tight for large media or backup imports. You can raise it from the portal.

Where the limit comes from

Two PHP settings control upload size:

• upload_max_filesize — max size of a single uploaded file.
• post_max_size — max size of an entire POST request (must be larger than upload_max_filesize since the request includes form data plus the file).

Default: 64MB for both.

Raising the limit

1. Go to Services → click your hosting → PHP tile.
2. Find the PHP options section (or "Edit php.ini").
3. Increase upload_max_filesize and post_max_size. Both should be the same value (or post_max_size slightly higher).
4. Save.

The change applies within seconds. No restart needed.

How high can I go?

Plan caps:

• Shared / WordPress hosting: up to 256MB typically.
• VPS: whatever you configure (constrained by available memory).

If you need to upload single files larger than 256MB on shared hosting:

• Use FTP/SFTP instead — no PHP-level limit. See Uploading files to your hosting.
• Chunk the upload at the application level. WordPress media library handles this poorly; some plugins handle it better.
• Upgrade to VPS if huge uploads are routine.

Other related limits

While you're tuning PHP options, two more matter for large uploads:

• max_execution_time — how long a script can run before being killed. Large uploads + processing (e.g., resizing images on upload) can exceed the default 30 seconds. Raise to 120–300 if needed.
• memory_limit — how much RAM a single PHP request can use. Large image processing during upload can hit this. Default is 256MB; raise to 512MB if needed.

All three are on the same PHP options page.

WordPress-specific

WordPress respects PHP's settings, but it also displays the upload limit in the Media Library. If you raise PHP's limit and WordPress still shows the old number, refresh the wp-admin page or open a new browser tab — WordPress reads the value once per page load.

Some plugins (especially security plugins) impose their own additional upload limits. Check plugin settings if you've raised PHP's limit but uploads still fail.

"Upload failed" troubleshooting

If a large upload fails:

• Check file size against the limit — file must be smaller than upload_max_filesize.
• Check execution time — if the upload itself completes but processing fails, raise max_execution_time.
• Check disk quota — you may have hit your account's storage limit.
• Check for client-side timeout — some browsers/networks time out long uploads. Try FTP for big files.
• Check error logs — cPanel → Error Log shows PHP errors that might explain the failure.

Power-user note

The PHP options page lets you set per-domain values — useful when one app needs huge uploads but you don't want to globally raise the limit. The settings are written to .user.ini in the relevant document root and apply within the next request cycle.