There are pros and cons to using an open-source platform like WordPress. It’s flexible and infinitely scalable, but it also requires you to be comfortable with a certain amount of technical work. This is especially relevant when it comes to troubleshooting and resolving some of the errors that frequently arise when using the platform.
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Occasionally, you will encounter an error informing you that you have reached your site’s “PHP memory limit”. It can be confusing at first, especially since you don’t know what caused the problem or how to fix it. Fortunately, this problem is one of the easiest to fix and should be achievable even for relatively new WordPress users.
In this Knowledge Base article, we’ll explain what an increase wp memory limit error is, explain why it can occur on your WordPress site, and then walk you through some of the options to fix it.
Let’s get to work!
An introduction to WordPress memory limit errors
WordPress is a fairly stable platform, but it’s not immune to errors. You may experience a number of common issues, such as the infamous “White Screen of Death” or a site stuck in “maintenance mode”.
The better news is that most WordPress errors are not too difficult to troubleshoot and fix. Nonetheless, they can be intimidating for newcomers, especially since they offer little information about what is wrong and how to go about solving the problem.
This brings us to one of the most frequently encountered issues – the WordPress memory limit error. This can also be called a “PHP memory limit error” and often looks like this:
| fatal error: the authorized memory size of 67108864 bytes exhausted |
The error can occur under a number of different circumstances. However, it is more likely to occur when you take specific types of actions on your site, such as:
- Install and activate a new theme or plugin.
- Uploading images and other media to your site.
If you are experiencing this error on your own WordPress site, don’t worry. The reasons behind this are simple – let’s talk a little more about why this is happening.
Why you are seeing a WordPress memory limit error on your site
The clue of the cause of the “memory limit” error is right there in the name. Like anything else, your website requires a certain amount of memory to store all of its data. This includes its database and files, all your content, code added by plugins and themes, etc.
This memory is provided by your hosting server. When you purchase a hosting plan, your site is allocated a specific amount of resources, including memory used to store your site and keep it running properly for visitors.
Naturally, purchasing a higher level hosting plan provides more space and memory for your website. Many first-time site owners start out with basic shared hosting plans, which isn’t necessarily a problem. However, this means that your allocated memory will below.
As your site grows or you start using more complex plugins and scripts, you may eventually hit your memory limit.
As far as WordPress is concerned, this means that eventually you will see a PHP memory limit error and you will not be able to complete the action you were trying to perform.
How to check your current PHP memory limit
If you are using WordPress 5.2 or later, you can use the Site Health tool to check the current PHP memory limit on your site. In your WordPress dashboard, go to “Tools” → “Site health” → “Info” and scroll down to the server section. Here you can watch that the PHP memory limit is on your server.
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