Web Technician OnlineWhat does this mean?
The maximum upload size can be constrained by PHP, the web server, a proxy or the application. The value displayed in WordPress is useful but may not describe every upstream limit. A rejected request can also reflect a forbidden file type or security rule rather than size.
What should I check first?
Record the file’s size and type, the visible error and whether a smaller file of the same type succeeds. Check WordPress Site Health and the hosting panel’s PHP settings. Test with nonconfidential sample files; do not upload a production database backup just to probe a limit.
How can I diagnose the cause?
Compare upload_max_filesize with post_max_size and any documented proxy request-body limit. An entire multipart request includes more than the raw file payload. Check execution time and temporary storage when uploads begin but fail during processing.
How do I fix it safely?
Use the host’s supported configuration method after copying existing settings. Increase only the required limit within the plan’s allowance, and keep the total request limit large enough for the permitted upload. Do not disable file validation or security controls merely to allow an executable or unsupported file type.
Verify the fix and know when to contact your provider
Test a modestly larger permitted file and remove sample uploads afterward. Ask the host for the responsible layer if WordPress shows a higher limit but the request still fails. Supply size, type, timestamp and HTTP error, with cookies and credentials removed from any shared request capture.
Work through these checks in order
- Try a small permitted image and a larger image of the same type, then record the sizes and error. This helps distinguish a size boundary from a blocked extension or upload permission problem.
- Compare upload_max_filesize, post_max_size and documented proxy limits in the host’s controls. A request body includes form overhead as well as the file, so identical raw limits can still reject an upload.
- After a supported configuration change, test a permitted file near the intended limit and remove the sample. If it still fails, give the host the timestamp and HTTP response to locate the remaining limit.
Which tool can help?
Page weight calculator · Hosting storage calculator
DNS tools show one resolver’s public answers. Record explainers do not authenticate a message, and calculators do not monitor a server. Use the evidence alongside your provider’s logs.