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How to Fix the HTTP Image Upload Error in WordPress (Easy)

Last updated on by Editorial Staff | Reviewed by: Syed Balkhi

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Do you need to fix the HTTP image upload error in WordPress?

This error can be particularly frustrating when you are creating content in WordPress. It usually occurs when you are uploading an image or other files to the CMS using the built-in WordPress media library.

In this article, we will show you how to easily fix the HTTP image upload error in WordPress.

How to fix http error when uploading images in WordPress

What Causes the HTTP Error During Media Upload in WordPress?

Many things could lead to an HTTP error when you are trying to upload files to your WordPress website using the WordPress media uploader.

Basically, WordPress is unable to figure out the cause, and that’s why it displays the generic ‘HTTP error’ message.

HTTP Error

The frustrating thing about this WordPress HTTP error is that it doesn’t give you any clue about what may have caused it. This means that you will have to try different solutions to find the cause and fix the error.

That being said, let’s take a look at how to troubleshoot and fix the HTTP error during media upload in WordPress. Feel free to use the links below to skip to a specific method:

Method 1: Make Sure the HTTP Error Is Not Temporary

First, you should wait a few minutes and then try uploading your image file again to your WordPress website. This error is sometimes caused by unusual traffic and low server resources, which are automatically fixed on most WordPress hosting servers.

If that doesn’t work, then you may want to try one or more of the following:

  • Refresh your browser or clear your browser cache.
  • Resize and rename the file and upload it again to the media library. Check out our list of image optimization plugins to reduce your file size.
  • Save the file in a different format. For example, you can change JPEG to PNG using image editing software. After that, retry uploading the file.

If following all these steps still results in the HTTP error, then the error is not caused by a temporary glitch and definitely needs your immediate attention.

Method 2: Deactivate All WordPress Plugins

If you just installed a new WordPress plugin recently, it may be incompatible with your other plugins and disrupt the image upload process. To see if this is the case, you can deactivate all your WordPress plugins.

If the HTTP error disappears after deactivating a WordPress plugin, then that may be the culprit behind the HTTP upload image error. You can install an alternative plugin or contact the developer for support.

For more information, check out our guide on how to easily deactivate all WordPress plugins and how to deactivate plugins when the WordPress dashboard is inaccessible.

Method 3: Increase WordPress Memory Limit

WordPress is written in the PHP programming language. Additionally, the amount of memory allocated for different PHP processes is determined by your web hosting server.

If uploading images requires more PHP memory than is available, you may see the HTTP image upload error in WordPress.

To fix this, you need to increase the memory PHP can use on your server.

You will first need to access your site’s files using an FTP client or the File Manager app in your web hosting dashboard. Next, go to your root directory and find the wp-config.php file.

Edit wp-config file

You will then need to edit the wp-config.php file using a text editor and add the following line of code to it:

define( 'WP_MEMORY_LIMIT', '256M' );
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This code increases the WordPress memory limit to 256MB, which would be enough to fix any memory limit issues.

Finally, you must save and upload the file back to the server.

To learn more, please see our step-by-step guide on how to increase the PHP memory limit in WordPress.

Method 4: Change the Image Editor Library Used by WordPress

WordPress runs on PHP, which uses two modules to handle images. These modules are called GD Library and Imagick. WordPress may use either one of them, depending on which one is available.

However, Imagick often runs into memory issues, causing the HTTP error during image uploads. To fix this, you can make the GD Library your default image editor.

You can do this by simply adding this code to your WordPress theme’s functions.php file or using WPCode (recommended):

function wpb_image_editor_default_to_gd( $editors ) {
	$gd_editor = 'WP_Image_Editor_GD';
	$editors = array_diff( $editors, array( $gd_editor ) );
	array_unshift( $editors, $gd_editor );
	return $editors;
}
add_filter( 'wp_image_editors', 'wpb_image_editor_default_to_gd' );
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For more details, you can see our guide on how to add custom code in WordPress.

After adding this code, you can retry uploading files using the media uploader. If this doesn’t solve the issue, then you can remove this code and try other methods described in this article.

Method 5: Use the .htaccess Method

This method allows you to control how Imagick uses server resources. Many shared hosting providers limit Imagick’s ability to use multiple threads for faster image processing. However, this will result in you seeing the HTTP error when uploading images.

An easy fix is to add the following code in your .htaccess file:

SetEnv MAGICK_THREAD_LIMIT 1
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This code simply limits Imagick to use a single thread to process images.

Method 6: Update Your PHP Version

If your WordPress site is using an outdated version of PHP, then it could trigger the HTTP image upload error. This is because newer PHP versions have performance improvements and generally use less memory.

Luckily, it’s easy to check and update your site’s PHP version. For more details, please see our beginner’s guide on how to update your PHP version in WordPress.

We hope this article helped you fix the HTTP image upload error in WordPress. You may also want to see our ultimate list of the most common WordPress errors and how to fix them, along with our expert picks for the best email marketing services for small businesses.

If you liked this article, then please subscribe to our YouTube Channel for WordPress video tutorials. You can also find us on Twitter and Facebook.

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Reader Interactions

175 CommentsLeave a Reply

  1. Hey WPBeginner readers,
    Did you know you can win exciting prizes by commenting on WPBeginner?
    Every month, our top blog commenters will win HUGE rewards, including premium WordPress plugin licenses and cash prizes.
    You can get more details about the contest from here.
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    Admin

  2. FANTASTIC!!! Every other search I did yielded nothing.

    Godaddy hosting with wordpress installed. Killing imagick did the trick. My lightroom plugin is functioning like a trooper now.

    Thank you so much, just had to share with you.

    Reply

  4. Hi,
    I started having this HTTP uploading error for images that are larger than 600x900px . The size in KB doesn’t matter – 100KB or 300KB – they are uploading just fine if they are less then 600×900.

    I have tried all the methods you described without success.

    Do you think that changing the theme can help?

    Reply

    • You would first want to reach out to your hosting provider to ensure you are not running into a safety measure from their end that would cause the error.

      Reply

      Admin

      • Thanks!
        I called them before posting my question – they told me to contact WP support. To me, it also looks like they installed something on their server but are not willing to admit it.
        I’ll call again.

        Reply

  9. The functions.php method worked for me. I’ve been trying to fix that for months! You saved me a lot of time. Thank you!!!

    Reply

    • You would likely need to reach out to your hosting provider and they should be able to help solve the issue

      Reply

      Admin

  14. Tried all the above and no luck. My issue is only mp3 files, I get the http error. Contacted my hosting provider and they could find nothing wrong. Images upload fine. What am I missing?

    Reply

    • For MP3 files you may need to increase the memory limit to 512 in case it is due to how large the files are

      Reply

      Admin

  15. Number 3 worked for me! Thank-you so much, that was so frustrating before. You’re site is always so helpful :)

    Reply

  16. Thank you so much, I went through all four steps but nothing worked. I went back to step 1 and increased it from 256mb to 512mb which solved the problem.

    Reply

    • Glad our guide could help be a part of the solution and you were able to get it resolved :)

      Reply

      Admin

  17. Option #3 worked for me to resolve the HTTP error.

    I installed the code snippets plugin and copied the code from here. It worked perfectly the first attempt.

    Thank you!

    Reply

  18. Also just check the name of your image you want to upload.
    Make it simple as this has done the trick for me on multiple occasions.

    Reply

    • Have you reached out to your hosting provider to see if there are any errors on their end?

      Reply

      Admin

  25. None worked above and then we realize our dev site needed to change the Home and Site URL in General Settings in WP Admin from http:// to https:// then it worked! :D

    Reply

  28. None of these worked in my case. Mod security was the cause. I had to temporarily disable mod security on my web server.

    Reply

    • Thanks for sharing what worked for you if other users run into this problem. For most users, they will need to reach our to their hosting provider for assistance in editing mod security

      Reply

      Admin

  30. SOLVED: my pdf files that would not upload into the Word Press media library with HTTP Error had file names with a semi-colon in them. I deleted the semi-colon and it uploaded just fine. Semi-colons are legal characters in Word docs and pdf files, but apparently won’t upload to Word Press for reasons beyond my knowledge. ; ; ; ;

    Reply

    • Thanks for sharing that solution for anyone else running into that problem :)

      Reply

      Admin

    • If none of these methods worked, have you tried reaching out to your hosting provider to see if they can see an error on their end?

      Reply

      Admin

  37. Method #4 worked for me. It seems my host was limiting the plugins processing power. Thanks for sharing these solutions.

    Reply

  38. Another common problem for this is that you used an apostrophe in the file name. I just encountered this problem :)

    Reply

  42. I have tried all the methods as mentioned above but none of these worked for me. So I contacted the service provider. They resolve the issue.
    They have refreshed and whitelist another IP for me and it works.
    Hope this may help for you too.

    Reply

    • Have you reached out to your hosting provider to ensure they don’t see any errors on their end?

      Reply

      Admin

  46. don’t need to follow all step you just need to re-login your website and clear your temp files, that ok

    Reply

    • For some people maybe, for others, they do require all of the steps in the article. :)

      Reply

      Admin

  50. I tried Option 3. Now my entire home page is blank. Individual pages are still there. The Sidebar is still visible, but the rest of the home page is blank.

    Please help if possible.

    Thank you,
    Sandy

    Reply

    • You may want to ensure you didn’t change your homepage settings while troubleshooting and have you removed the code to see if that solved the missing content?

      Reply

      Admin

  51. Worked like charm Option 3.

    While My wordpress admin panel is slow.. Working on it. Any guide?

    Reply

    • You may want to try disabling your plugins to see if one of your plugins could be slowing the admin area.

      Reply

      Admin

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