How to fix "The uploaded file exceeds upload_max_filesize"

The uploaded file exceeds the upload_max_filesize directive in php.ini.

Common causes

• upload_max_filesize is still at the 2M default
• post_max_size is lower than or equal to upload_max_filesize
• Nginx client_max_body_size is smaller than the file (returns 413 before PHP)
• Settings changed in the wrong php.ini or PHP-FPM was not restarted
• Shared hosting caps the value at the account level
• A .htaccess php_value line on a server running PHP-FPM, where it is ignored or causes a 500 error

How to fix it

1. Check the active values. Open phpinfo() and look for upload_max_filesize, post_max_size and Loaded Configuration File. Edit that exact file or add a .user.ini in your web root.
2. Raise both PHP limits. Set upload_max_filesize = 64M and post_max_size = 72M. post_max_size must be larger than upload_max_filesize because the request also contains other form data.
3. Restart PHP. Run sudo systemctl restart php8.3-fpm (or restart Apache for mod_php). .user.ini changes are picked up after user_ini.cache_ttl, 5 minutes by default.
4. Raise the Nginx limit. Add client_max_body_size 72M; to the http, server or location block, then run nginx -t and reload. Without this Nginx returns 413 before PHP sees the file.
5. Use the host's control panel. On cPanel use MultiPHP INI Editor or Select PHP Version > Options. Some hosts set a maximum you cannot exceed; ask support or upload large files by SFTP instead.

php.ini and Nginx settings for 64 MB uploads

; php.ini or .user.ini
upload_max_filesize = 64M
post_max_size = 72M
memory_limit = 256M

# nginx server block
client_max_body_size 72M;

How to stop it happening again

• Keep post_max_size slightly larger than upload_max_filesize
• Document upload limits for every layer (CDN, Nginx, PHP, app)
• Use chunked uploads for very large files
• Re-check limits after PHP version upgrades, which use a new php.ini