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Troubleshoot a media upload error in WordPress

The WordPress Dashboard can give several errors when trying to upload media files, and there are multiple possible causes of these errors. You may need to try a few fixes before you can upload images and media again.

  1. Confirm your file does not exceed the maximum upload limit for your shared hosting plan.
    1. If so, you will need to reduce the size of the file before uploading it again.
    2. If not, but the file size exceeds the default PHP limit, then you can increase it.
  2. If the issue persists, then increase your php memory limit to 256M.

If your php settings are not the issue, then the next step is to confirm WordPress is trying to upload media to the proper folder and that folder has the correct permissions.

  1. Sign in to WordPress.
  2. On the left navigation bar, click Settings.
  3. Under Settings, click Media.
  4. Confirm the path in the "Store uploads in this folder" area is correct for your WordPress site. For example: 
    /AbsoluteHostingPath/SubFolder/wp-content/uploads
    • AbsoluteHostingPath is the absolute path for your hosting account. (cPanel / Plesk)
    • SubFolder is only necessary if you have installed WordPress to a sub folder.
  5. Confirm the /SubFolder/wp-content/uploads folders all have "Write" permissions. (cPanel / Plesk)

    Note: On cPanel Hosting only the User group should have Write permissions.

If you are still unable to upload media through the WordPress Dashboard, the next step is to determine if one of your plugins is causing the problem.

  1. Sign in to WordPress.
  2. Deactivate all of your plugins.
  3. Trying uploading your media file again.
  4. If you can successfully upload a file, then activate your plugins one at a time until you find the one causing the issue.

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