Knowledge Base

Uploading of big file on website hosted in Plesk fails: client intended to send too large body

Symptoms

Unable to upload a file using an web application or webmail, the following error is shown:

An error occurred!
File upload failed
On uploading a big file via WordPress administrator interface, the following error is shown:

Unexpected response from the server. The file may have been uploaded successfully. Check in the Media Library or reload the page.
The following error can be seen in the browser’s console:

413 Request Entity Too Large

Cause

Webserver limits maximum filesize to be uploaded.

Resolution

Log into Plesk
Adjust the following settings of PHP handler assigned to the domain in Tools & Settings > PHP Settings > X.X.XX FPM application in php.ini tab:

post_max_size 2000m
upload_max_filesize 2000m
Perform the following steps depending on the webserver serving PHP handler in Tools & Settings > example.com > PHP Settings
For case PHP is served by nginx
1. Connect to the server via SSH.
2. Add the following directives to /usr/local/psa/admin/conf/panel.ini file using ‘vi’ utility to customize Plesk defaults:
  
  [webserver]
  nginxClientMaxBodySize = 2000m
  
  If there is no /usr/local/psa/admin/conf/panel.ini file, create it from the sample file:
  
  # cp /usr/local/psa/admin/conf/panel.ini.sample /usr/local/psa/admin/conf/panel.ini
3. Rebuild web server configuration files:
  
  # plesk repair web -server
4. Reload nginx:
  
  # service nginx reload
For case PHP is served by Apache
1. Backup the main Apache configuration file:
  - On RedHat/CentOS/CloudLinux operating systems:
    
    # cp /etc/httpd/conf/httpd.conf{,.orig}
  - On Debian/Ubuntu operating systems:
    
    # cp /etc/apache2/apache2.conf{,.orig}
2. Open the file from step 2. and add or modify the parameter LimitRequestBody to the required value in bytes, for example:
  
  LimitRequestBody 2147483647
  
  Note: The maximum value of the parameter LimitRequestBody is 2147483647 (2 gigabytes).
3. Reload Apache configuration to apply changes:
  - On RedHat/CentOS/CloudLinux operating systems:
    
    # service httpd reload
  - On Ubuntu/Debian operating systems:
    
    # service apache2 restart