File upload limit

Most servers ship with a default upload limit of 2 MB. If you need to raise it, all it takes is a custom php.ini file placed in your /public_html/ directory.

Updating the upload limit

Create a php.ini file in /public_html/ and add the following lines:

• upload_max_filesize = 8M — sets the maximum size of a single file that can be uploaded to the server
• post_max_size = 8M — sets the maximum amount of data that can be sent via POST
• memory_limit = 32M — sets the maximum amount of memory a PHP script is allowed to use

These values allow uploads of up to 8 MB. Need more? Simply swap 8M for a higher value like 16M or 64M.

Applying the settings account-wide

By default, a custom php.ini only applies to the directory it's placed in. To make your settings take effect across your entire account, add the following lines to the beginning of the .htaccess file in /public_html/. If the file doesn't exist yet, create it.

suPHP_ConfigPath /home/user/public_html

<Files php.ini>
order allow,deny
deny from all
</Files>

Replace user with your actual cPanel username.

The <Files> block also protects your php.ini from being accessed directly through a browser.

Verifying your PHP configuration

To confirm your changes are working, create a file called info.php in /public_html/ with the following content:

<?php
phpinfo();
?>

Then open your browser and navigate to:

yourdomain.com/info.php

You'll see a full overview of your current PHP configuration. Search for memory_limit, upload_max_filesize, or any other directive to verify the new values are active.

Remember to delete info.php once you're done — leaving it publicly accessible exposes sensitive server information.