How to Increase the PHP Memory Limit in cPanel

How to Increase the PHP Memory Limit in cPanel

The PHP memory limit controls how much RAM a single PHP script is allowed to use. If WordPress shows "Allowed memory size of X bytes exhausted" or your site crashes during large operations (importing, exporting, running page builders), increasing this limit usually resolves it.

Method 1 — via cPanel MultiPHP INI Editor (Recommended)

1. Log in to cPanel.
2. Go to Software → MultiPHP INI Editor.
3. Select the Basic Mode tab.
4. Choose your domain from the dropdown at the top.
5. Find memory_limit and set it to 256M (or higher if needed — 512M for heavy WooCommerce stores).
6. Click Apply.

This is the most reliable method as it uses cPanel's built-in PHP configuration tools and survives server updates.

Method 2 — via wp-config.php (WordPress Only)

1. In cPanel File Manager, navigate to public_html and open wp-config.php.
2. Add the following line before the line that says /* That's all, stop editing! */:

define( 'WP_MEMORY_LIMIT', '256M' );

3. Save the file.

This sets WordPress's own memory allocation, which may be lower than the PHP limit even if the PHP limit is already high.

Method 3 — via .htaccess

1. In File Manager, open public_html/.htaccess (enable Show Hidden Files if needed).
2. Add this line at the top of the file:

php_value memory_limit 256M

3. Save the file.

Note: This method only works on Apache servers with PHP running as a module. It will show a 500 error on LiteSpeed or Nginx servers — if that happens, remove the line and use Method 1 instead.

How to Verify the New Limit

1. Create a temporary file in your public_html folder called phpinfo.php.
2. Add this content: <?php phpinfo(); ?>
3. Visit yourdomain.co.uk/phpinfo.php in your browser.
4. Search for memory_limit — the value shown should match what you set.
5. Delete the file after checking — leaving phpinfo.php publicly accessible is a security risk.

Recommended Memory Limits

• Standard WordPress site: 128M–256M
• WooCommerce store: 256M–512M
• Heavy page builders (Elementor, Divi): 512M
• Large imports / database operations: 512M–1024M (temporary)

Related Articles

• PHP Error: Allowed Memory Size Exhausted
• How to Change PHP Version in cPanel
• How to Fix Common WordPress Errors