WordPress Memory Limit: What It Is and How to Increase Memory Limit in WordPress for Peak Performance

Are your client sites throwing error messages? Are plugins failing to activate? Media uploads timing out? You might be encountering a low WordPress memory limit. Yes, if your WordPress memory limit exceeds, tons of web development aspects can go south. This is why understanding how to increase memory limit in WordPress is a crucial skill for any WordPress expert.

This isn’t just a setting; it’s a governor of your WordPress site’s resource usage. For agencies managing multiple WordPress installations, knowing how to increase WordPress memory limit efficiently and effectively is paramount for client satisfaction and scalable site management.

WordPress Memory Limit: What It Is and Why It Matters

Let’s clarify what we’re dealing with. Think of your server as a computer with RAM – memory for running applications. The WordPress memory limit is a PHP directive setting the maximum RAM your WordPress site can utilize on that server at any moment. For WordPress agencies and freelancers, grasping this concept is key for multiple reasons. 

• Performance Bottlenecks Due to Memory Limit in WordPress: When site operations demand more RAM than allocated by the WordPress memory limit, performance suffers. Slow loading times and frustrated users are guaranteed. For agency reputation, this is unacceptable.
• The White Screen of Death and Memory Limit in WordPress: Exceeding the memory limit in WordPress often leads to PHP errors, including the dreaded “White Screen of Death” or Fatal error: Allowed memory size…exhausted. These errors are client-facing issues you need to prevent.
• Plugin and Theme Conflicts and the Memory Limit in WordPress: A low WordPress memory limit can trigger conflicts between plugins and themes, causing site instability and functionality breakdowns. Reliability is key for client retention.
• Process Failures Due to Insufficient WordPress Memory Limit: Memory-intensive tasks, such as large data imports or complex plugin operations, will fail if the WordPress memory limit is insufficient. Functionality will be broken.

In essence, a correctly configured WordPress memory limit is foundational for a healthy and performant website. Understanding how to increase memory limit in WordPress is part of proactive site maintenance. 

How to Check Your Current WordPress Memory Limit

Before you increase the WordPress memory limit, you need to know the current setting. Here’s how to check the memory limit in WordPress:

Use The WordPress Site Health Tool (Recommended for Quick Checks)

WordPress includes a Site Health tool that often displays the WordPress memory limit.

1. Log into the WordPress dashboard.
2. Go to Tools → Site Health.

3. Navigate to the Info tab.
4. Expand the Server section.
5. Find PHP memory limit.

For this staging site, the WordPress PHP memory limit is 128M. 

Alternatively, you can also use phpinfo()function or inspect the wp-config.php file to check the current PHP memory limit. 

Why Increase WordPress Memory Limit? Common Agency Scenarios

Understanding why you’d increase WordPress memory limit is as crucial as how. Agencies often encounter these situations:

1. Plugin-Heavy WordPress Sites Exceeding Memory Limit: Client sites loaded with plugins – e-commerce (WooCommerce), membership, and page builders – are memory-intensive. They frequently require you to increase memory limit WordPress to function correctly.
2. Media-Rich Websites and Memory Limit in WordPress: Image and video-heavy sites (portfolios, magazines) demand more RAM. To ensure smooth media handling, you’ll likely need to increase WordPress memory limit.
3. Complex Themes and WordPress Memory Limit: Feature-rich premium themes can be more memory-hungry than simpler designs. A higher WordPress memory limit can be necessary.
4. Large Data Imports and Exports and WordPress Memory Limit: Importing databases or migrating large sites requires temporary RAM spikes. Increasing WordPress memory limit can prevent import failures.
5. Server-Side Processes and Memory Limit in WordPress: Background tasks and server operations also consume memory. Insufficient memory limit in WordPress can impact these processes.
6. Hosting Environment Restraints on WordPress Memory Limit: Budget hosting plans often set low default WordPress memory limits, necessitating you to increase memory limit of WordPress for even moderate complexity. This is why agencies should opt for managed WordPress hosting offering scalable PHP memory. 
   

How to Increase Memory Limit in WordPress: 5 Methods Explained 

If you’ve exhausted the WordPress PHP memory limit for clients’ sites, fret not as we’re going to discuss five methods to increase WordPress memory limit, from agency-wide scalable solutions to manual adjustments. 

Method 1 – Site Management Services

Agencies handling multiple client sites need a comprehensive and fully centralized method to increase memory limit WordPress and reliable WordPress site management services deliver the same. 

For instance, the InstaWP site management service provides a centralized platform to manage and optimize WordPress memory limit and other site aspects across numerous client sites. 

It streamlines checking, managing, and often implementing changes to increase memory limit WordPress efficiently, though the actual increase still involves server configuration.

By choosing this method to increase memory limit WordPress, agencies can: 

• Manage WordPress memory limit across all client sites centrally
• Avoid manual logins to each site to increase memory limit WordPress
• Get an overview of WordPress memory limit settings across your client portfolio in one dashboard
• Proactively perform site maintenance. 

How to Increase WordPress Memory Limit via InstaWP 

You don’t have to be a tech Ninza to check and increase WordPress memory limit using InstaWP. Simply, connect client sites to your InstaWP dashboard, go to PHP Config section and increase the WordPress PHP limit from there. 

No coding hassle!

Method 2 – Edit wp-config.php to Increase WordPress Memory Limit

If you’re a coding pro, you can directly modify wp-config.php to define WP_MEMORY_LIMIT and WP_MAX_MEMORY_LIMIT. This is a common way to increase memory limit WordPress and is useful as it:

• Targets WordPress directly, ensuring the setting applies to your WordPress site specifically when you increase memory limit WordPress.
• Includes simple code edits in wp-config.php, accessible via FTP/file manager, to increase memory limit WordPress.
• Is a widely recognized and documented method to increase memory limit WordPress.

However, editing wp-config.php to increase WordPress memory limit requires manual file editing per website to increase memory limit WordPress, which needs to be done with utmost care. 

Goof up things a little and you can create a huge mess. Also. wp-config.php settings might be overridden by server-level PHP settings if php.ini has a lower limit, hindering your attempt to increase memory limit WordPress.

How to Increase WordPress Memory Limit via wp-config.php

If you’ve decided to go for this method to increase WordPress PHP memory limit, follow the below-mentioned steps.

Step 1: Create a backup of the wp-config.php file along with the entire site before you increase memory limit WordPress as a safety measure.
Step 2: Use FTP or hosting file manager to access site files and locate wp-config.php.
Step 3: Open wp-config.php for editing.
Insert these lines above /* That’s all, stop editing! Happy blogging. */:

define( ‘WP_MEMORY_LIMIT’, ‘256M’ );

define( 'WP_MAX_MEMORY_LIMIT', '512M' );

Step 4: Save the modified wp-config.php file.

Caution: Double-check code snippets and values. Syntax errors in wp-config.php can break your site. Backups are essential before you increase memory limit WordPress.

Method 3 – Using .htaccess to Increase WordPress Memory Limit

You can also modify .htaccess (for Apache servers) to attempt to set PHP directives, including memory_limit, to increase memory limit WordPress.

But not every hosting provider allows you to do so. Some WordPress hosting providers may restrict or disable .htaccess PHP setting modification for security, making this method to increase memory limit WordPress unreliable.

Also, .htaccess is for Apache servers only. Not applicable for Nginx servers. So, if your client sites are hosted on Nginx servers, you won’t be able to use this method to boost WordPress memory limit. 

How to Increase WordPress Memory Limit via .htaccess

If you have  .htaccess, here is how you can use it to increase memory limit in WordPress. 

• Use FTP or a hosting file manager. Locate .htaccess in the WordPress root. Ensure hidden files are shown.
• Open .htaccess for editing.
• Add this line:  php_value memory_limit 256M. Adjust ‘256M’ as needed when you increase the memory limit WordPress.
• Save the modified .htaccess file.
  

Caution: If .htaccess doesn’t work, don’t troubleshoot extensively. It’s likely hosting-related. Try other methods to increase memory limit WordPress.

Method 4 – Editing php.ini to Increase WordPress Memory Limit

It involves directly editing php.ini, PHP’s main configuration file, for the most direct control over PHP settings, including WordPress memory limit.
Editing php.ini is the most reliable way to increase memory limit WordPress as it configures PHP server-wide.

This method also provides the highest level of control over PHP configuration, including WordPress memory limit.

But it might not always work as it requires server file system access, often unavailable on shared hosting. Typically needs VPS, Dedicated Server, or Cloud Hosting. Also, editing php.ini requires server admin knowledge. Incorrect changes can destabilize the server.

How to Increase WordPress Memory Limit via php.ini

Here is how you can use this method to increase WordPress memory limit.

1. Start with locating php.ini file. Its location varies by OS, PHP version, and hosting. Common locations are:  

1. /etc/php.ini
2. /etc/php/[PHP_VERSION]/php.ini
3. /usr/local/lib/php.ini
4. /usr/php/[PHP_VERSION]/php.ini. 

2. Once you have found the file, use a text editor (nano, vim, vi via SSH or control panel editor) to open php.ini.

3. Search for ;memory_limit = 128M in the file. 

4. Modify memory_limit to increase WordPress Memory Limit:

1. Uncomment (If Needed): Remove ; if present.
2. Set New WordPress Memory Limit Value: Change to desired limit (e.g., memory_limit = 256M, memory_limit = 512M, memory_limit = 1G).

5. Save the modified php.ini file.

6. Restart Apache or Nginx and/or PHP-FPM for changes to take effect. Restart commands vary by server setup (e.g., sudo systemctl restart apache2, sudo systemctl restart httpd, sudo systemctl restart nginx, sudo systemctl restart php[PHP_VERSION]-fpm).

Method 5 – Contact Support to Increase WordPress Memory Limit

If you choose managed WordPress hosting with best customer support, you can request priority support to increase WordPress memory limit for your account, the easiest method for non-technical users.

No code editing or server access is needed to increase memory limit WordPress. As support teams are familiar with server configurations, they can quickly increase memory limit in WordPress correctly.

Mastering WordPress Memory Limit for Client Website Excellence

For WordPress agencies and freelancers, website stability and performance are paramount. The WordPress memory limit, though seemingly minor, is foundational for achieving this.

By understanding the memory limit in WordPress, how to check it, its importance, and mastering these five methods to increase WordPress memory limit (especially using scalable tools like InstaWP Site Management), you’ll be able to address potential bottlenecks before any serious concern raises its head. So, get started with this amazing platform today!

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