Change Your PHP Max File Upload Size in GoDaddy Shared Linux Hosting

If you look up how to increase your PHP max file size, most sources will tell you to change the upload_max_filesize setting in your php.ini file.  Well, I did that and it still wasn’t working for me on my client’s shared GoDaddy Linux hosting.  So, I called them up and found the un-publicized “secret” way to do it in their control panel. It’s definitely not obvious or intuitive.  Here it is!

Changing the Setting in the GoDaddy cPanel

1. Log into your GoDaddy account.

2. In the “My Products” section, click “Manage” in the Web Hosting area to get to the cPanel.

3. In the cPanel, scroll down to the Software area. If you don’t see this, then your hosting is an older version, and you should try using the php.ini method to change your upload limits.

4. Here’s where it starts to get unintuitive.  Click “Select PHP Version”:

5. In the upper right corner, click “Switch to PHP Options” (if you don’t see it, skip to the next method below):

6. You’ll see a list of your PHP options, including upload_max_filesize.  Click on the value and Save it.  If you are running WordPress and want to change this value for your Media Library uploads, you’ll also need to set the value of post_max_size accordingly.

7. Voila! The value should be updated! You can check it by running phpinfo(); in a dummy file on the server, or if you’re running WordPress, by going into the Media Library and clicking “Add New”.

8. If it hasn’t changed, go back to cPanel in GoDaddy and click PHP Processes.  Once there, click the Kill Processes button (I know it sounds scary, but it will just halt currently viewed sites; it won’t do permanent damage).  Changes should appear after that.

Or, Your cPanel Might Look Like This

If you have a more modern cPanel hosting plan, your pages will look different. Here are the steps:

1. Log into your GoDaddy account
2. Go to My Products
3. In the Web Hosting section, find your hosting plan and click Manage
4. Click cPanel Admin
5. Click Select PHP version

6. Click Options at the top:

7. You’ll see all of the PHP settings on this page!

Still Not Seeing It? Try This

I have a client with GoDaddy Business Enterprise shared hosting for which the above procedure did not work.  Also, older accounts don’t have the option to change the upload size in cPanel at all.

For these accounts, you’ll have to manually add a php.ini file to your hosting directory’s root. I’m referring to the very top level, not your site’s directory.  You can create the file using the file manager or a client like Filezilla.

Once you create it (or if it is already there),  add “upload_max_filesize=12M” (or whatever you want it to be) on a new line in the file. Most likely you’ll also want to set “post_max_size = 12M” as well.

Let me know if either of these worked for you! – Brian

Brian Shim

I am a freelance web developer and consultant based in Santa Monica, CA. I’ve been designing websites using WordPress and from scratch using HTML, CSS, PHP, and JavaScript since 2010. I create websites and web applications for businesses, nonprofits, and other organizations. I have a degree in Electrical Engineering (BSEE) from California Institute of Technology and a degree in Engineering Management (MSEM) from Stanford University.

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