File upload size
Probably the most frequently asked question in the Moodle.org Using Moodle forums is "How do I increase the upload file size limit?" The changes that need be made are the same in all versions of Moodle, just in different OS' they need be made in different places. Upload file sizes are restricted in a number of ways and each one in this list restricts the following ones:
Server level Moodle site level Course level Activity level
This is a contentious issue, mainly because you might think that it should be set inside the Moodle. Unfortunately, this is not so, these are environment issues that need to be set in the server and PHP folders, Moodle cannot work outside itself.
Physical access to Server
These instructions assume you have full physical and administrative access to your server. If you are using a hosted server then you will probably need to look into other ways to increase your file upload size.
There are positives and negatives to both methods below. If you modify the pnp.ini file then the changes will effect all php applications on your server. Since PHP5 you can only have one php.ini file on your server. The php.ini method will work with all web servers though. The .htaccess method will only effect the folder and all subfolders that it is placed in, but you must have certain settings enabled in Apache.
Modifying the php.ini file
These instructions show you how to change the file upload size by editing your php.ini file.
Ubuntu Linux Instructions
These instructions assume that you have installed the standard Moodle package, PHP 5 and Apache 2 via apt-get and left it all as a default install. If you have compiled yourself I presume that you will know where your php.ini files are!
You need to edit the following three settings in your php.ini file located at: /etc/php5/apache2/
- Type "sudo nano /etc/php5/apache2/php.ini"
- Press Ctrl and W and type "post_max_size"
- Change the value to the number of Mb you want your site to accept as uploads
- Press Ctrl and W and type "upload_max_filesize"
- Change the value to the number of Mb you want your site to accept as uploads
- Press Ctrl and W and type "max_execution_time"
- Change the value to 600
- Press Ctrl and O
- Press Ctrl and X
- Type sudo /etc/init.d/apache2 restart
Your new file size limit should now appear in Administration > Security > Site Policies > Maximum uploaded file size
Windows XP and Server 2003 Instructions
These instructions presume that you have downloaded the latest PHP 5.2.x Windows zip package and extracted it to C:\PHP. If you have installed PHP to another location then change all references to "C:\PHP" to the location you installed PHP too.
- Open C:\PHP
- Right Click the php.ini file in this folder and choose "Open with..."
- Choose "Wordpad" not "Notepad" to open the file with (Notepad does not properly use the UTF-8 Character set and it's carriage returns can cause problems)
- Better still download and install any text editor that can save the file in a UTF-8 format, Crimson Editor is one such, and use that instead of either Wordpad or Notepad!
- Press Ctrl and F and type "post_max_size"
- Change the value to the number of Mb you want your site to accept as uploads
- Press Ctrl and F and type "upload_max_filesize"
- Change the value to the number of Mb you want your site to accept as uploads
- Press Ctrl and F and type "max_execution_time"
- Change the value to 600
- Press Ctrl and S
- Exit Wordpad
- Restart your webserver
- For IIS
- Open your Start Menu on your server and select "Run"
- Type "iisreset /RESTART"
- For Apache 2
- The following command will work as long as you have installed Apache 2 as a service on your Windows Server
- Open your Start Menu on your server and select "Run"
- Type "httpd -k restart"
Your new file size limit should now appear in Administration > Security > Site Policies > Maximum uploaded file size
NOTE: These instructions should also cover the Xampp Windows installer. Just replace C:\PHP with C:\Moodle\server\php and to restart your Moode with a normal stop-start.
Modifying the apache config file
Ubuntu Linux Instructions
You may also need to edit the config.php file in the moodle directory:
- Type "gksudo nautilus" to get root permissions
- Navigate to /etc/moodle
- Open apache.conf
- Go to the "<IfModule mod_php5.c>" section
- Change "php_value upload_max_filesize = 2M" to a higher value
- Change "php_value post_max_size = 2M" to a higher value
- Go to the "<IfModule mod_php4.c>" section
- Change "php_value upload_max_filesize = 2M" to a higher value
- Change "php_value post_max_size = 2M" to a higher value
- Save file
- Type sudo /etc/init.d/apache2 restart
Modifying the .htaccess file
The following instructions will only work on an Apache web server, and also the Apache server must have Overrides allowed. Additionally php must be running as an apache module, not as a cgi program.
Create a file called .htaccess in Moodle's main directory (where 'index.php' is located, not the 'moodledata' directory) that contains the following information:
php_value upload_max_filesize 20971520 php_value post_max_size 20971520 php_value max_execution_time 600
20971520 is the integer value for 20Mb. You can use the following site to convert MegaBytes to Bytes.
Modifying the IIS 7.0/7.5 configuration (Windows Server 2008, Windows Server 2008 R2)
First increase activity and request time outs (allows large files to succeed on slow connections)
FastCGI Settings > Edit (Right-click on PHP application) Set Process Model > Activity Timeout to '3600' (one hour) Set Process Model > Request Timeout to '3600' (one hour)
Next set 'Maximum allowed content length'
Request Filtering > Edit Feature Settings: Set 'Maximum allowed content length' to your desired file size (in bytes) e.g. '536870912' for 512MB (default is approximately 28.6MB)
Hosted Server
Things can be a little different with a hosted server for uploaded and downloaded file size. You are probably going to to be told to create or change a .htaccess file, or to modify a php.ini file.
- It might be a good idea to talk to with your service provider before you attempt anything. They probably have instructions on "how to" and may have their own limits for uploaded file size. Some hosts measure the file size in gigabytes and others in megabytes. If you are unhappy with their limits, then check your contract and consider changing your provider to one that has a limit and price that you like.
.htaccess with hosted server
The one purpose of an .htaccess file is to override the the current limitations of both the server and the php.ini file. Your hosted server should inform you where that file needs be placed in your Moodle, but generally in the root is sufficient. They may already have a standard file you can use, if so, use it - but perhaps not.
To the .htaccess file add the lines:
php_value upload_max_filesize 128M php_value post_max_size 128M
This will limit uploads to 128MB, but you can make it any size you agree with your provider. The wording may vary slightly, according to the demands of the server.
php.ini with hosted server
Some servers will not allow you to change the moodle root .htaccess file and tell you to use a php.ini file for php directives. Here you can use the instruction located in the section above called Modifying the php.ini file.
Find the php.ini file in your moodle subfolder on your hosted server. You might want to copy the file as a backup just in case. Edit php.ini, find "upload_max_filesize" and post_max_size in the code. After the = change the number. Here the max filesize is 20 megabytes.
upload_max_filesize = 20M post_max_size = 20M
- Tip: Still not changed? Some hosts using cpanel have a php config program under services/software. Use the "Single php.ini" option and make sure you note the location of the php.ini file to modify. This changes the .htaccess file in the same area and thus the server limit for all programs using php.
See Also
- Administration FAQ Doc page
- Site Policies Doc page
- Creating custom php.ini files Doc Page
- Using Moodle Detailed instructions to increase the maximum allowed size for uploaded files forum discussion
- Using Moodle Instructions to increase maximum allowed size on hosted servers forum discussion
- Using Moodle Help on changing the maximum upload size when installing Moodle via apt-get forum discussion