BugWP logo BugWP
Back to Community
Home / Community / Plugin → All-in-one wp migration and backup

Understanding and Fixing All-in-One WP Migration File Size and Upload Limits

22 threads Sep 7, 2025 Plugin → All-in-one wp migration and backup

Content

If you're using the All-in-One WP Migration plugin, you've likely encountered a common hurdle: your backup file is too large to upload to your new hosting environment. This is a frequent point of confusion, as the plugin itself is incredibly powerful but is often constrained by external server settings.

This guide will explain why this happens and walk you through the most effective solutions to get your site migrated successfully.

Why Do Upload Limits Block My Migration?

It's a critical distinction to understand: the All-in-One WP Migration plugin does not impose a file size limit. The developers state it can handle sites up to several petabytes. The bottleneck is almost always your web hosting provider.

Most shared hosting plans have strict PHP configuration limits to ensure server stability and fair resource usage for all customers. The main settings that affect your ability to upload a large .wpress file are:

  • upload_max_filesize: The maximum size of a single file that can be uploaded.
  • post_max_size: The maximum size of entire POST data (which includes your file). This must be larger than upload_max_filesize.
  • memory_limit: The amount of memory a PHP script is allowed to consume.
  • max_execution_time: The maximum time a script is allowed to run before it is terminated.

When your backup file exceeds any of these values, the upload will fail.

How to Resolve Upload Size Limit Issues

Here are the most common and effective solutions, starting with the simplest.

1. Request an Increase from Your Hosting Provider

The most straightforward approach is to contact your hosting provider's support team. Explain that you are trying to migrate your WordPress site and need a temporary increase to your upload_max_filesize and post_max_size limits. Many reputable hosts will accommodate this request.

2. Modify PHP Settings Yourself (If You Have Access)

If you have access to your server's control panel (like cPanel) or can edit PHP configuration files, you can try to adjust these settings yourself. You will need to create or modify a php.ini or .user.ini file in your website's root directory (usually where wp-config.php is located).

Add or update the following lines, replacing the values with numbers larger than your backup file size (e.g., for a 300MB backup, use 512M):

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

Save the file and restart your PHP service or wait for the changes to take effect. The exact method varies by host.

3. Use the "Upload from" Method (e.g., FTP)

Some hosting environments, especially managed WordPress hosts, may have hard limits that cannot be changed. In these cases, a common workaround is to bypass the HTTP upload process entirely.

This typically involves:

  1. Using an FTP client (like FileZilla) or your host's file manager to upload the large .wpress file directly to a specific folder on your server (often wp-content/ai1wm-backups).
  2. Once the file is on the server, you can go to the All-in-One WP Migration import screen, and it should appear in a list for you to select and restore.

Note: The availability of this feature can depend on your hosting environment and the specific extensions you have.

4. Restore Locally, Then Migrate Again

If you cannot change your live server's limits, a highly effective technique is to restore the backup on a local computer where you have full control.

  1. Install a local server environment on your computer using software like Local by Flywheel, XAMPP, or MAMP.
  2. Install WordPress and the All-in-One WP Migration plugin on this local site.
  3. Since you control the local PHP settings, you can increase the limits to any value to easily import your large backup.
  4. Once the site is restored locally, you can use your hosting provider's preferred method (e.g., their own migration tool, a manual migration via FTP/SFTP) to move the now-smaller, active local site to your live server. This often bypasses the single large file upload limit.

5. Extract Specific Content Using Traktor

If you only need to retrieve specific content (like posts or a few files) from a large backup, you may not need to import the entire file. You can use a tool called Traktor to open and extract files directly from the .wpress archive. This can be useful if the client only needs old posts or specific media files and a full migration is not necessary.

Important Considerations on Hosting Providers

Based on community reports, some hosting providers are known to have restrictive environments that are incompatible with the plugin's operation. It is always recommended to check if a host is on the list of unsupported providers before purchasing a plan for migration purposes.

Remember, the All-in-One WP Migration team has designed a robust plugin, but its success depends on a server environment that allows it to function. By understanding these common constraints and solutions, you can successfully migrate your website of any size.

Related Support Threads Support