Sometimes when working in wordpress admin tools and trying to upload a file, you may run across a page refresh with the dreaded “Are you sure you want to do this? Please try again” message. This can happen for various reasons. We will cover the most common and how to resolve them.
File Upload Size
The most common reason this occurs is because a plugin or theme you are trying to upload is beyond the upload_max_filesize limit, which is typically set on the server to 8MB by default. Ways to resolve this include:
A. CHANGE UPLOAD SETTINGS:
– First determine the size of the file you are attempting to upload by right clicking on it and selecting “properties”. You will need this.
– Next, contact your hosting provider to see if they can change your hosting settings to allow for larger uploads. We recommend at least 5MB larger than what you need.
In some cases hosting providers may not be able to do so if it is a global setting. As an example we have our servers set to allow up to 50MB file upload at maximum.
B. FTP UPLOAD:
If you are unable to get your hosting provider to change the max upload size, then your next step is manual upload:
– Unzip the theme or plugin on your local computer.
– Login to your website via your favorite FTP program.
– Upload your file: For themes upload to /wp-content/themes/ folder. For plugins upload to /wp-content/plugins/ folder.
Plugin conflict
On rare occasion the second reason this may happen is due to a conflict with one of your plugins. Try these steps:
1. From admin tools click PLUGINS.
2. Check all plugins and from the drop down menu select “deactivate” (this is only temporary and your settings are still saved).
3. Try the file upload again.
If you are able to successfully upload, then one or more plugins caused this issue. If you wish to find out specifically which offending plugin caused this, you can delete your file upload and systemtically turn on a plugin then retry your upload. Repeat until you get that error again, then you can troubleshoot further.
I hope this helps some users and happy WordPressing!
