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

Are you seeing the 413 Request entity too large error in WordPress? This error usually occurs when you are trying to upload a theme or plugin file in WordPress. In this article, we will show you how to easily fix the 413: request entity too large error in WordPress.

WordPress 413 error - Request entity too large

What Causes WordPress 413 Request Entity Too Large Error?

This error usually happens when you are trying to upload a file that exceeds the maximum file upload limit on your WordPress site.

Your web server will fail to upload the file, and you will see the 413 request entity too large error page.

413 request entity too large error example

Normally, most WordPress hosting companies have their servers configured, so that WordPress users can easily upload large images and other media.

However, sometimes this setting is not high enough to upload large theme or plugin files.

It would also stop you from uploading large files in media library. In that case, you will see a different message, clearly stating that the file size exceeds maximum allowed limit.

File size exceeds maximum upload size limit

That being said, let’s take a look at how to fix the the WordPress 413 request entity too large error.

Fixing 413 Request Entity Too Large Error in WordPress

There are multiple ways to fix the request entity too large error in WordPress. We will cover all these methods, and you can try the one that works best for you.

Method 1. Increase Upload File Size Limit via Functions File

Simply add the following code to your theme’s functions.php file or a site-specific plugin.

@ini_set( 'upload_max_size' , '64M' );
@ini_set( 'post_max_size', '64M');
@ini_set( 'max_execution_time', '300' );

You can increase the values in upload_max_size and post_max_size to be more than the file you are trying to upload. You will also need to increase the max_execution_time to the time you think it would take for the file to upload. If you are unsure, then you can try doubling this value.

Method 2. Increase Upload File Size Limit via .htacces File

For this method, you will need to edit the .htaccess file and add the following code at the bottom:

php_value upload_max_filesize 64M
php_value post_max_size 64M
php_value max_execution_time 300
php_value max_input_time 300

To learn more about increasing file upload size limit, see our guide on how to increase the maximum file upload size in WordPress.

Method 3. Manually Upload File via FTP

If the 413 error only occurs when you are uploading one particular file, then you may want to consider uploading the file manually via FTP.

If you are trying to upload a WordPress theme, then see our guide on how to install a WordPress theme and jump to the ‘Installing a WordPress theme using FTP’ section.

If you are trying to upload a plugin, then see our guide how to install a WordPress plugin and jump to ‘Manually install a WordPress plugin using FTP’ section.

For other files, see our guide on how to manually upload WordPress files using FTP.

We hope this article helped you learn how to fix the WordPress 413 request entity too large error. You may also want to see our list of the most common WordPress errors and how to fix them.

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16 CommentsLeave a Reply

  1. In instances where you get an immediate 413 response and you are certain the PHP file upload limits are set appropriately, check the web server (Apache or Nginx) settings on max allowed body size.

    • Thank you for sharing another option to try, for most beginner users we would recommend reaching out to your host for checking if this can help!

      Admin

    • If you continue to receive the error after trying our recommendations, we would recommend reaching out to your hosting provider and they can normally assist.

      Admin

  2. This is so frustrating. I’ve done the functions.php and amended and it still isn’t working.

    I’ve never had an issue uploading this theme anywhere else

    • Your host may be overriding any changes. If you reach out to your hosting provider they should be able to assist

      Admin

  3. Hi, I think the code in Method 1 should go in the wp-config.php file, not the functions.php file as you suggested – could you check this? I think it would break functions.php and cause white screen…

    • The code should still go in the functions.php and would not cause a while screen error.

      Admin

  4. Hello,

    I´m not that much into coding..

    Where exactly should i put the code in the functions.php file, recommendod in the first solution? and are there any special signs needed? to start / end it f.e.?

    Thanks

  5. Since this is one of the first hits on Google, I will add this-

    If you are using a CDN like Cloudflare and continue to receive error 413 after making the adjustments, bypass your CDN, either by turning it off, or adding an entry to your hosts file to bypass the CDN. Sometimes the CDN has a limit set below what you have and you are just ramming your head against a wall needlessly.

  6. I have tried even I have changed the limit and clearly showing the limit upto 5GB but couldn’t be uploaded ?? said same error ?? please help?

  7. I got the following message while updating menu in WordPress dashboar.

    [Request Entity Too Large
    The requested resource
    /wp-admin/nav-menus.php
    does not allow request data with POST requests, or the amount of data provided in the request exceeds the capacity limit.]

    Could you please tell me the solution for it.

      • The 413 error is a response from the web server, so you need to add a line to the configuration file. In my case it was nginx, so I added the following to nginx.conf in the html section of the file…

        client_max_body_size 32m;

        After that I restarted nginx and the upload worked.

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