How to change upload size and memory limit in php.ini

Upload size, memory limit and the other everyday php.ini values sit on the PHP page of Server by Zaweba, as plain boxes you fill in. Choose the PHP version, change memory_limit, the upload size, max_execution_time or date.timezone, and Server writes the change into that version's php.ini and restarts Apache gracefully for you.

These are the settings people hit first. A WordPress theme won't upload because it's bigger than the limit, an import script runs out of memory halfway, a long report times out, or dates come out an hour wrong. Each one is a line in php.ini, and the PHP page saves you finding the file and the line.

Finding the right php.ini

Server includes four PHP versions, 5.6, 7.4, 8.2 and 8.3, and each has its own php.ini. That's what lets different sites run different versions side by side, but it also means a change to one version doesn't touch the others. The PHP page edits each version separately, so first pick the version your site uses. You can see each site's version in the sites list.

If you change a limit and nothing seems different, this is the usual reason: the setting went into a version the site isn't using.

The settings and what they do

memory_limit is how much memory one PHP script may use. Raise it when a script stops with an out of memory error, typically while resizing images or processing a large import.

Upload size is one box on the PHP page, but it sets two php.ini values together: upload_max_filesize and post_max_size. They have to agree, because an upload travels inside a form post. Raising only one is a classic reason an upload still fails, and Server avoids it by changing both at once.

max_execution_time is how many seconds a script may run before PHP stops it. Give a slow task more time while you're working on it, then think about whether the task itself could be quicker.

date.timezone sets the time zone PHP uses for dates. Set it to yours so the times your site prints and stores make sense.

How the change is applied

Server makes each change as a single-line edit to php.ini. Anything else in the file, including your own edits and comments, is left as it was. Shortly after your last change, Apache restarts gracefully, so you can adjust two or three values in a row and it restarts once. Refresh your page and the new limit is in use.

A phpinfo page is the quickest way to confirm it. The new-site wizard can make a starter index.php that shows phpinfo, and its output lists the values PHP actually loaded.

When you need more than the boxes

The PHP page can open that version's php.ini in Notepad for anything it doesn't show as a box. Edit, save, and restart Apache from the control panel so it's read again.

If a php.ini has been edited into a muddle, the PHP page can also start a fresh one. The old copy is kept, so you can look back at it and copy across anything you still need.

Sensible habits

Keep your local limits close to what your web host allows. A site that only works because you gave it a huge memory limit on your PC will fail when it goes live, and it's better to find that out now. If your host lets you set these values, note the numbers you settled on so you can match them there.

Change one thing at a time when you're chasing a problem, and check the PHP error log on the Logs page after each try. It usually says plainly which limit was reached.

The same PHP page also has the error display switch and a tick box for every extension, so most of what you'd normally go into php.ini for is in one place in Server by Zaweba.