Change Max File Upload Size in WordPress

We ran into an issue where we needed to be able to upload large files to our site. After much searching around, we found tips for modifying certain .ini files (namely, php.ini) but those only crashed our site. Eventually, we stumbled on a fix that did work and thought we would share that here:

You will have to access your site using cPanel or something similar in order to be able to create/edit system files. Alternately, you can create the file on your computer and ftp it to your site.

First, navigate to your wp_admin folder.

Next, CREATE a new file called “.user.ini” – NOTE: There is a leading “.” there!

Inside the file, put only these two lines:

1. upload_max_filesize = 100M

2. post_max_size = 100M

Change the “100M” to whatever size you want/need, noting that this number cannot exceed your provider’s single file upload size limit (if there is one with your host).

Finally, save the file.

NOTE: If you created the text file on your computer, be sure you upload it (ftp) to your wp_admin folder.