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How to Fix the HTTP Image Upload Error in WordPress

By Editorial Staff | | Reader Disclosure

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You’re uploading an image to WordPress like usual, and suddenly you get an HTTP error with no explanation. It interrupts your flow and leaves you wondering what just happened.

We’ve run into this issue while adding featured images, updating tutorials, and even just tweaking a blog post. It’s frustrating when there’s no clear reason behind the error.

In this guide, we’ll walk you through the steps we use to fix the HTTP image upload error, starting with the easiest solutions first.

Whether you’re working on a personal blog or managing a client site, these tips will help you get things back on track quickly.

How to fix http error when uploading images in WordPress

What Causes the HTTP Error During Media Upload in WordPress?

The HTTP error in WordPress usually shows up when you’re uploading an image through the media library, but it doesn’t say what actually went wrong.

We’ve seen this happen for all kinds of reasons: server timeouts, plugin conflicts, low memory, or even a temporary glitch. But instead of telling you what caused it, WordPress just gives you a vague ‘HTTP error’ message.

HTTP Error

That’s what makes it tricky, there’s no single fix. You often have to try a few different things to figure out what’s blocking the upload.

Below, we’ll walk you through the most reliable ways to troubleshoot and fix the problem. You can also use the links below to jump to any specific method.

  1. 1. Try Uploading the Image Again
  2. Deactivate All Plugins and Your Current Theme
  3. Increase WordPress Memory Limit
  4. Change the Image Editor Library From Imagick to GD Library
  5. Limit Imagick by Editing .htaccess
  6. Update Your PHP Version
  7. Check File and Folder Permissions
  8. Enable Debug Mode
  9. Check Your Hosting Resources
  10. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
  11. More Help With WordPress Errors and Images

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1. Try Uploading the Image Again

Sometimes, the HTTP error is just a temporary hiccup. That’s why our first approach is simply to wait a few minutes and then try uploading the image again like you normally would.

We’ve seen this happen during brief spikes in traffic or when server resources are stretched. Most good hosting providers resolve these issues in the background automatically.

If the error still shows up, here are a few quick things you can try:

If none of these help, then the issue likely isn’t temporary, and you’ll want to move on to the next solution.

2. Deactivate All Plugins and Your Current Theme

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.

Bulk deactivate all WordPress plugins

Similarly, sometimes theme conflicts can also disrupt the image upload process. Themes can include functionalities that might interfere with how WordPress handles media uploads.

Luckily, identifying a theme conflict is relatively straightforward. You can temporarily switch to a default WordPress theme. For more information, check out our guide on how to properly change WordPress themes.

Activating a default WordPress theme

Once the default theme is active, try uploading an image again. If the error disappears, then the issue likely lies with your current theme. In this case, you can check if a theme update is available. Often, updates fix compatibility issues and bugs.

Or, you can reach out to the theme developer for support. They might be able to provide a patch or offer guidance on resolving the conflict.

3. Increase PHP 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.

4. Change the Image Editor Library From Imagick to GD Library

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.

5. Limit Imagick by Editing .htaccess

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.

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

7. Check File and Folder Permissions

WordPress relies on specific file and folder permissions to function properly. Incorrect permissions can prevent WordPress from accessing or modifying files, leading to upload errors.

For instance, if the upload directory lacks proper write permissions, WordPress won’t be able to save uploaded images.

To ensure correct file permissions, check out our guide on how to fix the file and folder permissions error in WordPress.

8. Enable Debug Mode

Sometimes, underlying PHP errors can manifest as the HTTP image upload error, making troubleshooting difficult.

Enabling debug mode in your WordPress configuration will reveal any PHP errors in the debug log, providing valuable clues about the root cause of the upload issue.

For instructions on enabling WP_DEBUG mode, refer to our article on how to enable WordPress debug mode. This guide will provide step-by-step instructions on adding the necessary code to your wp-config.php file.

9. Check Your Hosting Resources

If your website reaches its storage quota or encounters limitations on server resources, you might experience upload errors. For instance, insufficient disk space can prevent WordPress from creating new files or folders needed for image uploads.

Most web hosting providers offer a control panel where you can view your website’s resource usage, including disk space. If you’re unable to see it, contact your hosting provider’s support team for assistance.

If you’re nearing your storage limit, consider optimizing your resources. For example, large image files can consume significant storage. You can optimize your images to reduce their file size before uploading.

If optimizing resources isn’t enough, consider upgrading to a hosting plan with more storage space. This will provide the additional capacity needed for your website’s files.

If you’re looking for a reliable WordPress hosting provider with generous storage space, Bluehost is a popular option. They offer various plans to suit different website needs.

Bluehost website

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. What causes the HTTP error when uploading images in WordPress?

This error can happen for several reasons, like low PHP memory, plugin conflicts, or temporary server issues. WordPress doesn’t show a specific cause, so you may need to try different solutions to fix it.

2. Is it safe to switch from Imagick to GD Library?

Yes, switching to GD Library is safe. We’ve done this on several sites to fix image upload issues, and WordPress will fall back to Imagick if needed.

3. Will increasing the PHP memory limit affect my site performance?

It won’t harm performance. In fact, increasing the memory limit can help prevent other issues, especially if your site is running multiple plugins or handling large files.

4. What should I do if none of the methods work?

If you’ve tried everything and still see the error, it’s best to reach out to your hosting provider. They can check server logs or permissions and help you fix the root cause.

More Help With WordPress Errors and Images

If you’re still running into trouble or want to prevent other image-related issues, these guides can help. We’ve used many of these ourselves while troubleshooting similar problems for our sites and clients.

We hope this guide helped you fix the HTTP image upload error in WordPress. It can take a few tries to find the solution that works, but once it’s sorted, you’ll be back to uploading and publishing without interruptions.

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

  2. 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

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

      Reply

      Admin

  7. Hello,
    I have tried all of them steps, and none has worked, I am not sure what else to do at this point , as i’m on limited time and would need this fixed , if any other ideas please do help. Thank you so much

    Reply

    • You may want to reach out to your hosting provider to see if they see any errors on their end that could be causing the issue.

      Reply

      Admin

  12. Hi,

    thanks for this guide. Unfortunately, all these ideas did not work for me. Today, in an attempt to remove the “website is on partially safe” SSL certificate message, I used “Search and Replace” plugin to search my databases for “http” and changed those to “https”. That’s the only thing I could relate to this error, but since I am no expert on this, I don’t know how and if I can fix this or how I can undo these changes. Any help?

    Reply

  13. Hi i get the http error everytime i upload an image over 4mbs. I have contacted my web designer and host and they have both tried to load images over 15mbs and it is working for them. However, i have tried mulitple computers on different internet connections and i still get the http error. Can u please help?

    Reply

  14. I just wanted to comment, #3 definitely helped with 503 error/http error when uploading pictures sometime. Other time, upload pictures fine.

    Reply

    • You would normally want to put added code at the end in case you need to edit or remove the code later

      Reply

      Admin

  17. In my case, I simply logged out of the dashboard and right back in and the problem was cleared.

    Reply

    • Thanks for sharing that, it sounds like either your caching had a hiccup or you ran into one of the server issues :)

      Reply

      Admin

  18. You can’t imagine the level stress of this HTTP thing has created on me. Number 3 is my lifesaver. Thank you for posting this.

    Reply

  21. I had about 10 pictures to upload and repeatedly got the HTTP error for 3 of them. I finally sussed that those three had an apostrophe in the file name!!! Doh! Removing the apostrophe was the solution.

    Reply

  29. Before I tried any of these solutions. I tried logging out of Wordpress and logging back in, and suddenly I stopped getting the error message. So, you might want to try that first.

    Reply

  30. I’ve noticed that this keeps happening to me with files that contain apostrophes in the filename. When I remove it, they upload fine

    Perhaps try to remove the ‘ ?

    Reply

  33. None of these worked for me. After some more researching, I found that putting this bit of code at the bottom of the .htaccess worked for me:

    # Exclude the file upload and WP CRON scripts from authentication

    Satisfy Any
    Order allow,deny
    Allow from all
    Deny from none

    Don’t forget to back up your .htaccess file first just in case!

    Reply

    • These methods should work with localhost, the memory limit may need to be modified using the program for your server such as MAMP or WAMP

      Reply

      Admin

  38. Option number three fixed my problem guys, thank you. Have a great day.
    3. Change Image Editor Library Used by WordPress.

    Reply

  40. My blog shows me “An error occurred in the upload. Please try again later.”. Please what should I do?

    Reply

  43. i did all the above changes in my site still image is not uploading, please help me to resolve this issue (http error)

    Reply

  45. For me, the issue was a series of pictures with an apostrophe in the title. Renamed and it worked fine.

    Reply

  46. I need help resolving the HTTP error when uploading large files. Someone else created my site with an upload size limit of 64Mb. I am trying to upload audio files that are sometimes larger than 64Mb. I added a plug-in (Upload Max File Size) to change my max upload size to 128Mb. I changed memory_limit in PHP.ini to 256M. I change max_execution_time in PHP.ini to 300. I set memory_limit in wp-config to 256M. I changed memory_limit in .htaccess to 256M. I tried adding the code to .htaccess to force it to use the GD Library instead of Imagick. It didn’t work, so I remove that code and then added the line to limit Imagick to 1 thread. In spite of all of these changes, I still get the HTTP error when loading a file larger than 64Mb.
    Any more ideas?
    Thanks!

    Reply

  47. thanks a lot, I was trying to fix this from last 2 hour and after reading this article did it in just few sec and already tested thanks a lot

    Reply

  48. As a side note, another thing that can be giving you HTTP errors while uploading images is a configuration in you php.ini file, specifically the line “max_execution_time=30;”.

    Some shared hosting providers limit PHP execution to a single core of the server, increasing the time it takes for PHP Imagick to get the image, process it and create thumbnails. So the suggestion is to increase max_execution_time to 120 seconds instead of the default 30 seconds.

    Reply

  49. Hello
    In my case

    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’ );

    worked fine thanks

    Php Memory limit 128Mo v 7.13 apache 2.4

    Reply

  50. One of the causes of an upload error is the fact that there is an apostrophe in the name of the file that you try to upload. For instance a picture called ‘Let’s_dance.jpg’ will give an error, while ‘Lets_dance.jpg’ can be uploaded without any problems.

    Reply

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