WordPress uploads are limited to a maximum size. Many find it set to 2MB by default. It is straightforward to increase this. If you are using Multisite then go to Network Settings and at the bottom you will find the max upload size permitted. Set that to what you want. Don’t be surprised if the upload limit on the actual upload doesn’t increase to the specified amount.

This is because PHP has an inbuilt limit which cannot be exceeded. This is specified in the php.ini file. If, like us, you use WHM/cPanel you can change this number using WHM at Home/Service Configuration/PHP Configuration Editor. Simply set upload_max_filesize to the required amount.

All working – or no matter what you do – it sticks at 8MB?

Don’t panic – there is another control on maximum upload hidden in php.ini. For this you are going to directly edit the php.ini file. For WHM/cPanel users this is located at /usr/local/lib/php.ini – other configurations may be different. Just Google how to find php.ini.

Open php.ini with your favourite editor (nano for me) and look for
; Maximum size of POST data that PHP will accept.
post_max_size =

Simply change the post_max_size to an increased value and save. Some people say you may have to reboot your webserver (Apache in our case). But Bob’s your uncle and you can now upload those high resolution photos without loss.

Cheers!

Howto: Breaking the WordPress upload barrier
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