How to Increase the Upload Limit in All-in-One WP Migration on MacBook (2026 Guide)

Are you trying to import a large WordPress backup on your MacBook but seeing an upload limit in the All-in-One WP Migration plugin? You are not alone. This is a common issue when migrating a WordPress website from one hosting provider to another or restoring a website from a .wpress backup file.

The good news is that you can often increase the upload limit by changing your server’s PHP configuration. Your MacBook does not usually control the upload limit because WordPress runs on your web hosting server or local development environment.

In this guide, you will learn how to increase the All-in-One WP Migration upload limit, identify the correct PHP settings, and troubleshoot upload errors on a MacBook.

Why Does All-in-One WP Migration Show an Upload Limit?

The All-in-One WP Migration plugin displays the maximum upload size permitted by your WordPress site’s PHP configuration.

The displayed limit is determined by the smaller of these two PHP settings:

• upload_max_filesize: The maximum size of an individual uploaded file.
• post_max_size: The maximum size of the entire HTTP POST request.

For example, if your server has the following configuration:

PHP setting	Current value
upload_max_filesize	128M
post_max_size	64M
memory_limit	256M

Your WordPress import screen will typically display an upload limit of 64 MB, because post_max_size is lower than upload_max_filesize.

Other server restrictions, such as Nginx request limits, a web application firewall, or a hosting provider’s upload restrictions, can also prevent large imports.

Step 1: Check Your Current WordPress Upload Limit

Before changing any settings, verify your current PHP configuration.

1. Log in to your WordPress dashboard.
2. Navigate to Tools → Site Health.
3. Open the Info tab.
4. Expand the Server section.
5. Find upload_max_filesize and post_max_size.
6. Open All-in-One WP Migration → Import in another tab.
7. Compare the import limit with the smaller of the two PHP values.

If the import limit is too low, continue to the next step.

Important: These instructions apply to the server or local PHP environment running WordPress, not to macOS’s own file upload settings.

Step 2: Increase the PHP Upload Limit

The correct method depends on your hosting provider and server configuration. Choose the method supported by your environment instead of applying every method.

Method 1: Increase the limit using .htaccess (Apache)

If your hosting environment supports PHP directives in .htaccess, follow these steps:

1. Open your hosting control panel or connect to your server using SFTP.
2. Navigate to your WordPress installation’s root directory.
3. Locate the .htaccess file.
4. Download a backup before editing it.
5. Add the following directives to the file:

php_value upload_max_filesize 512M
php_value post_max_size 512M
php_value memory_limit 256M
php_value max_execution_time 300
php_value max_input_time 300

6. Save the file and reload your WordPress dashboard.
7. Check Site Health and the Import screen again.

Note: These directives work only on compatible Apache/PHP configurations. On some servers, particularly PHP-FPM setups, they may cause an HTTP 500 error. If that happens, restore your backup and use a supported configuration method instead.

Method 2: Increase the limit using .user.ini

This method may work on hosting environments using PHP CGI or PHP-FPM, including some LiteSpeed and Nginx setups.

1. Open your WordPress root directory using your hosting file manager or SFTP.
2. Locate or create a file named .user.ini.
3. Add the following configuration:

upload_max_filesize = 512M
post_max_size = 512M
memory_limit = 256M
max_execution_time = 300
max_input_time = 300

4. Save the file.
5. Wait for your server to reload the PHP configuration. Some environments cache .user.ini settings for several minutes.
6. Recheck the upload limit in WordPress.

The file may not be supported by every hosting provider, so verify the change through Site Health.

Method 3: Edit php.ini

If your hosting provider allows you to edit the PHP configuration file, update the relevant settings in php.ini:

upload_max_filesize = 512M
post_max_size = 512M
memory_limit = 256M
max_execution_time = 300
max_input_time = 300

Save the file and reload or restart PHP only if your hosting environment requires it and gives you permission to do so.

The location of php.ini depends on your hosting configuration. If you cannot find it, contact your hosting provider.

Method 4: Change PHP settings through your hosting control panel

For many website owners, this is the easiest and safest approach.

Depending on your hosting provider, look for the following options:

• cPanel: Software → Select PHP Version → Options, or the equivalent PHP INI editor.
• Plesk: Websites & Domains → PHP Settings.
• SiteGround: Site Tools → Devs → PHP Manager.
• Hostinger: Advanced → PHP Configuration, or the equivalent PHP settings page.

Increase upload_max_filesize and post_max_size to a value large enough for your backup file.

For example, if your .wpress file is 300 MB, you could request a 512 MB upload limit, provided your hosting plan supports it.

Keep post_max_size at least as large as upload_max_filesize. Also check the PHP memory and execution-time settings if the import fails during processing.

Remember: The exact menu names and available settings may vary by hosting plan.

Step 3: Increase the Upload Limit on a Local WordPress Site on MacBook

If you are running WordPress locally on macOS, you must change the PHP settings used by your local development environment.

The correct instructions depend on how you installed WordPress.

If you use Local

If you use Local to run WordPress on your MacBook:

1. Open the Local application.
2. Select your WordPress website.
3. Open the site’s environment or PHP configuration options.
4. Locate the active PHP configuration file, if the environment allows you to edit it.
5. Update the upload-related PHP directives.
6. Restart the local site’s services.
7. Recheck the import limit in WordPress.

The precise configuration path depends on your Local version and site environment. Avoid editing a random php.ini file on macOS because it may not be the file used by your WordPress site.

If you use MAMP

If your local WordPress site runs through MAMP:

1. Open MAMP on your MacBook.
2. Check the PHP version configured for your website.
3. Locate the php.ini file associated with that PHP version.
4. Update the following settings:

upload_max_filesize = 512M
post_max_size = 512M
memory_limit = 256M
max_execution_time = 300
max_input_time = 300

5. Save the changes.
6. Restart the relevant MAMP services.
7. Open your WordPress dashboard and check the import limit.

Do not assume that the system-wide PHP configuration is used by MAMP. Local development applications can use their own PHP installations and configuration files.

If you use XAMPP

If your WordPress installation runs through XAMPP on macOS:

1. Open the XAMPP installation directory.
2. Find the php.ini file associated with the active PHP installation.
3. Edit the upload and execution-time directives shown above.
4. Save the file.
5. Restart Apache from the XAMPP control panel.
6. Check the updated values in WordPress Site Health.

If you use Docker, a custom PHP installation, or another local development tool, change the configuration inside the environment running WordPress.

Step 4: Do Not Change These PHP Settings in wp-config.php

You may find tutorials recommending that you add the following code to wp-config.php:

@ini_set('upload_max_filesize', '512M');
@ini_set('post_max_size', '512M');

This approach will not reliably increase the upload limit.

These settings are PHP configuration directives that cannot normally be changed at runtime using ini_set(). Configure them through a supported PHP configuration file or your hosting control panel instead.

Step 5: What If the Upload Limit Is Still Too Low?

If you have updated the PHP configuration but All-in-One WP Migration still displays the old limit, check the following:

1. The PHP configuration has not updated

Your hosting environment may cache PHP configuration settings. Wait a few minutes, restart the relevant PHP service if permitted, and check Site Health again.

2. You edited the wrong configuration file

Your server may use a different PHP version or configuration file than the one you edited.

Verify the active PHP settings through WordPress Site Health or ask your hosting provider to confirm them.

3. Nginx or another server layer is blocking the upload

Nginx may impose a request-size restriction through client_max_body_size. Web application firewalls, security rules, and reverse proxies can also block large requests.

These restrictions do not necessarily appear in the All-in-One WP Migration upload-limit display.

Ask your hosting provider to check the applicable server-level request-size limits.

4. Your hosting provider imposes a separate restriction

Some shared hosting plans limit upload sizes or prevent customers from changing certain PHP settings.

Contact your hosting support team and explain that you need to import a large WordPress backup using All-in-One WP Migration.

You can use this message:

Hello Support Team,

I am trying to import a WordPress backup using the All-in-One WP Migration plugin, but the upload limit is too low.

Could you please increase upload_max_filesize and post_max_size to at least 512M, or to a value suitable for my backup file? Please also check whether Nginx, a web application firewall, or any other server-level restriction is blocking large uploads.

Please let me know which settings are supported by my hosting plan.

Thank you.

Step 6: Do You Need All-in-One WP Migration Unlimited?

If your hosting provider allows you to increase the PHP upload limit, you may not need an extension to solve this particular problem.

However, changing PHP settings will not remove every restriction. Some import limits or compatibility restrictions may depend on your plugin version, hosting environment, or the applicable extension’s licensing and functionality.

Before purchasing an extension, confirm whether the restriction comes from PHP, your web server, your hosting provider, or the plugin itself.

Always use official plugin downloads and extensions, and check the current product documentation for supported import sizes and requirements.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I increase the All-in-One WP Migration upload limit on MacBook?

If WordPress runs on a hosting provider, change the PHP settings on the hosting server. If WordPress runs locally on your MacBook, edit the PHP configuration used by your local development environment, such as Local, MAMP, or XAMPP.

What is the recommended upload limit for All-in-One WP Migration?

Choose a limit larger than your .wpress backup file. A 512 MB limit may be sufficient for a backup of approximately 300 MB, but larger backups may require higher limits. Your hosting provider must support the requested values.

Why does All-in-One WP Migration show a 64 MB upload limit?

The plugin typically reports the smaller of upload_max_filesize and post_max_size. For example, if the first value is 128 MB and the second is 64 MB, WordPress generally reports 64 MB.

Can I increase the upload limit through wp-config.php?

Not reliably by using ini_set() for upload_max_filesize or post_max_size. Configure these directives through your supported PHP configuration method instead.

Why does my WordPress upload fail even when the PHP limit is high?

The upload may be blocked by Nginx, a proxy, a firewall, a security rule, a hosting restriction, or a timeout. Ask your host to check the full upload path rather than relying only on the PHP upload limit.

Does increasing the upload limit affect my MacBook’s storage?

Not directly. The upload limit controls the size of requests accepted by your PHP/WordPress environment. Your MacBook still needs sufficient local disk space to store the backup file, and a local development environment also needs enough disk space and resources to extract and import the website.

Final Thoughts

Increasing the All-in-One WP Migration upload limit is usually straightforward once you identify which PHP configuration your WordPress site actually uses.

Start by checking Tools → Site Health → Info → Server, compare the PHP values with the plugin’s Import screen, and update the correct configuration through your hosting panel or local development environment.

If the displayed PHP limit is already high enough but the upload still fails, investigate server-level restrictions before purchasing an extension.

With the correct settings in place, you can make importing large WordPress backups on your MacBook or hosting server much smoother.

Have questions about your WordPress setup? Leave a comment explaining your hosting provider, local development tool, and current upload limit, and we can narrow down the appropriate fix.

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