How to Change the WordPress Upload Limit

Check the current limit

The WordPress admin shows "Maximum upload file size" on Media → Add New, and the Info tab of Site Health lists the underlying PHP values. Out of the box, WordPress usually inherits a PHP limit somewhere between 2 MB and 10 MB.

The effective limit is the smallest of these three settings.

• upload_max_filesize — the maximum size of a single file
• post_max_size — the maximum size of the whole POST request; it must exceed upload_max_filesize
• memory_limit — the memory ceiling available to PHP

Method 1: edit wp-config.php

The quickest option: add this single line to wp-config.php in the WordPress root.

@ini_set('upload_max_filesize', '64M');

This has no effect if the host has disabled ini_set; in that case try another method. For something more dependable you can also use define as shown below.

define('WP_MEMORY_LIMIT', '256M');

That raises the WordPress memory ceiling but does not by itself change the upload limit. Combine it with one of the methods below.

Method 2: edit .htaccess (Apache)

On an Apache server running mod_php, add the following to .htaccess in the WordPress root.

php_value upload_max_filesize 64M
php_value post_max_size 128M
php_value memory_limit 256M
php_value max_execution_time 300
php_value max_input_time 300

Note: where PHP runs as CGI or FastCGI — which covers most shared hosting — .htaccess cannot change PHP settings, so this method does not apply. If you get a 500 error, remove the lines you added.

Method 3: edit php.ini or .user.ini

Editing the PHP configuration directly is the most reliable way to change these values, provided you have the access to do it.

In php.ini

upload_max_filesize = 64M
post_max_size = 128M
memory_limit = 256M
max_execution_time = 300
max_input_time = 300

In .user.ini (for shared hosting)

If your host does not let you edit php.ini directly, create a .user.ini file in the WordPress root with the same contents. It can take minutes to hours to take effect.

upload_max_filesize = 64M
post_max_size = 128M
memory_limit = 256M

Method 4: add a filter in functions.php

Add a filter hook to the theme's functions.php. It helps when you cannot change PHP itself, but it can never exceed the server-side PHP settings.

@ini_set('upload_max_filesize', '64M');
@ini_set('post_max_size', '128M');
@ini_set('memory_limit', '256M');
@ini_set('max_execution_time', '300');
@ini_set('max_input_time', '300');

Alternatively, set the limit through a WordPress filter.

add_filter('upload_size_limit', function($size) {
    return 64 * 1024 * 1024; // 64MB
});

Note: this only changes the WordPress-side limit. If PHP's own upload_max_filesize is smaller, PHP wins.

Method 5: change it in your host's control panel

Most Japanese hosting providers let you change PHP settings from their control panel. This is the safest and most dependable route.

Xserver

1. Sign in to the server panel
2. Choose PHP → php.ini settings
3. Select the domain
4. Open the php.ini settings tab
5. Set upload_max_filesize and post_max_size to the values you want
6. Click through the confirmation and apply the change

ConoHa WING

1. Sign in to the control panel
2. Site management → Site settings → Advanced settings
3. Change upload_max_filesize under PHP settings

Sakura Internet

1. Sign in to the control panel
2. Script settings → php.ini settings
3. Change the values and save

Testing after the change

Once you have changed the settings, upload a genuinely large file and confirm the behaviour. DevLab's threshold test files let you test the exact boundary of the limit you configured.

Troubleshooting

• The change does not take effect: you may need to restart the web server (Apache or Nginx) and the PHP process.
• You get a 500 error: check .htaccess for typos or directives the server does not support.
• You get a 413 error: on Nginx, check client_max_body_size as well — it lives in nginx.conf.
• Timeouts: large uploads also need higher max_execution_time and max_input_time.