How to Fix the 413 Request Entity Too Large Error in WordPress

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Introduction

You try to upload a theme, a plugin’s ZIP file, or a large image — and instead of success you get “413 Request Entity Too Large.” It’s a blunt message with a simple meaning: the file you’re uploading is bigger than your server is configured to accept. The fix is to raise that limit, and this guide shows you the main ways to do it.

What Causes the 413 Error

Every server sets a maximum size for incoming requests, including file uploads. When your upload exceeds that cap, the server rejects it outright with a 413 error — often before WordPress even gets involved. A few separate limits can be responsible:

• PHP limits — upload_max_filesize and post_max_size.
• Web server limits — client_max_body_size on Nginx, or LimitRequestBody on Apache.

Because more than one setting can cause it, the fix sometimes takes a couple of tries — and on some hosts, the real cap is at the web-server level, which only your host can change.

Step 1: Raise the PHP Upload Limits

Start with the PHP settings. Depending on what your host allows, use one of these methods:

Via php.ini (or your host’s PHP settings panel):

upload_max_filesize = 64M
post_max_size = 64M

Via .htaccess (on Apache setups that allow it), add to the top of the file:

php_value upload_max_filesize 64M
php_value post_max_size 64M

Note that post_max_size should be equal to or larger than upload_max_filesize, or uploads will still fail. After saving, check Media → Add New in WordPress — it shows your current maximum upload size.

Step 2: Check Your Hosting Control Panel

Many hosts make this easy with a dedicated PHP settings page in cPanel, Plesk, or their custom dashboard, where you can change upload_max_filesize and post_max_size with a dropdown — no file editing required. This is often the cleanest route on managed hosting.

Step 3: The Web-Server Limit (When PHP Changes Don’t Help)

If you’ve raised the PHP limits and still hit a 413, the cap is almost certainly at the web-server level — and that’s not something you can change from inside WordPress:

• On Nginx, the client_max_body_size directive needs to be increased in the server configuration.
• On Apache, LimitRequestBody may be set low.

On shared hosting you don’t have access to these files, so a quick support ticket asking your host to raise the request-body limit is the fastest fix.

A Reliable Workaround: Upload via FTP

If you just need to get a large file onto your site now and can’t change the limits, skip the browser uploader entirely:

• For a theme or plugin, extract the ZIP and upload the folder directly into /wp-content/themes or /wp-content/plugins via FTP — WordPress will detect it automatically.
• For media, upload the files into your /wp-content/uploads folder via FTP.

FTP isn’t subject to the same request-size limit as a browser upload, so it sidesteps the 413 error completely.

Frequently Asked Questions

What size should I set the limit to?
64 MB is comfortable for most themes, plugins, and images. If you regularly upload large videos, you may want more — but very large media is often better hosted on a dedicated video platform.

I increased the PHP limits but nothing changed — why?
The cap is likely at the web-server level (Nginx client_max_body_size or Apache LimitRequestBody), which overrides PHP. Ask your host to raise it.

Is raising the upload limit a security risk?
Not meaningfully. It only allows larger files through. Keep it reasonable rather than unlimited, and you’re fine.

Will editing .htaccess break my site?
It can if a directive isn’t supported on your server (you’d see a 500 error). Back up the file first so you can revert instantly — see how a corrupted .htaccess causes a 500 error.

Conclusion

The 413 Request Entity Too Large error simply means your upload is bigger than the server allows. Raise the PHP upload_max_filesize and post_max_size, check your hosting panel, and if those don’t do it, ask your host to lift the web-server limit. And when you just need the file uploaded right away, FTP bypasses the limit entirely.