{"id":5063,"date":"2026-06-25T13:10:47","date_gmt":"2026-06-25T13:10:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.copahost.com\/blog\/?p=5063"},"modified":"2026-06-25T13:26:04","modified_gmt":"2026-06-25T13:26:04","slug":"fatal-error-allowed-memory-size-exhausted","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.copahost.com\/blog\/fatal-error-allowed-memory-size-exhausted\/","title":{"rendered":"Fatal Error: Allowed Memory Size Exhausted \u2014 How to Increase the WordPress Memory Limit"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The error “Fatal error: Allowed memory size of X bytes exhausted” means a PHP script tried to use more memory than your server’s memory_limit<\/code> allows, so PHP stopped it. The byte numbers in the message vary from site to site, but the fix is always the same: raise the PHP memory limit \u2014 through wp-config.php, php.ini, your control panel, or by asking your host. WordPress’s default is often just 40\u201364 MB; 256 MB is the recommended target for a modern site.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"allowed-memory-size-exhausted-cover.png\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

If your site shows “Allowed memory size of 33554432 bytes exhausted” (or any other byte value), don’t worry about the exact number \u2014 it’s simply your current limit, and the cause is the same: something on your site needed more memory than PHP was allowed to give it. This guide explains what the limit is, the three different memory settings that confuse most people, and how to raise it the right way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What does “allowed memory size exhausted” mean?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

WordPress runs on PHP, and every PHP script gets a fixed memory budget \u2014 the memory_limit<\/code><\/strong>. Your host sets this so that one site (or one runaway script) can’t consume all the server’s memory and crash everything else. When a script needs more than its budget, PHP terminates it and throws the fatal error.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The full message looks like this, with the specific numbers and file path varying each time:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n Fatal error: Allowed memory size of 33554432 bytes\nexhausted (tried to allocate 2348617 bytes) in\n\/home\/user\/public_html\/wp-includes\/plugin.php on line 260<\/code>\n <\/div>\n
The byte values and file path vary every time \u2014 it’s still the same error, with the same fix.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

The first number is your current limit<\/strong> (in bytes \u2014 33554432 is 32 MB, 67108864 is 64 MB, and so on); the second is what the script tried<\/em> to use. The exact figures don’t change the fix<\/strong> \u2014 you raise the limit either way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You might be seeing it as a blank screen or “critical error”<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Because this is a fatal error, how it appears depends on your WordPress version. On older versions you’d see the raw message; since WordPress 5.2, you’ll often see a generic critical error<\/a> message instead, or \u2014 if PHP died before WordPress could respond \u2014 a plain white screen of death<\/a>. In those cases, enable debugging to reveal the actual “allowed memory size exhausted” line in your error log<\/a>; that confirms it’s a memory problem rather than something else.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The three memory settings (this is what confuses people)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Here’s the part most guides skip, and it’s why people raise a limit and nothing changes. There are three<\/strong> different memory settings:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n \n \n \n \n
Setting<\/th>\n Where it lives<\/th>\n What it controls<\/th>\n <\/tr>\n <\/thead>\n
memory_limit<\/code><\/td>Server (php.ini) \u2014 set by your host.<\/td>The true ceiling. Nothing can exceed it.<\/td><\/tr>\n
WP_MEMORY_LIMIT<\/code><\/td>WordPress (wp-config.php).<\/td>Front-end limit \u2014 up to the server ceiling.<\/td><\/tr>\n
WP_MAX_MEMORY_LIMIT<\/code><\/td>WordPress (wp-config.php).<\/td>Admin (wp-admin) limit \u2014 often 256\u2013512M.<\/td><\/tr>\n <\/tbody>\n <\/table>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

The critical rule: WP_MEMORY_LIMIT<\/code> can never exceed the server’s memory_limit<\/code>.<\/strong> If your host caps PHP at 128 MB, setting 256 MB in wp-config.php does nothing \u2014 you’d need to raise the server limit (php.ini) or ask your host. This is the single most common reason a fix “doesn’t work.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It’s also worth knowing that WordPress tries to raise the limit on its own \u2014 to 40 MB<\/strong> for a single site and 64 MB<\/strong> for multisite \u2014 so the error usually only appears when a task needs more than that automatic floor. Going higher is where the settings above come in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Check your current limit first<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Go to Tools \u2192 Site Health \u2192 Info \u2192 Server<\/strong> and find PHP memory limit<\/strong> \u2014 that’s your real server-side ceiling. You can also upload a file with <?php phpinfo(); ?><\/code> and search for memory_limit<\/code>. Note it before changing anything.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"PHP<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

How to increase the memory limit<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Use whichever method your hosting allows, from easiest to most technical.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Method 1 \u2014 wp-config.php (the WordPress way)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The standard fix. Edit wp-config.php<\/strong> and, above the line \/* That's all, stop editing! *\/<\/code>, add:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n define( 'WP_MEMORY_LIMIT', '256M' );\ndefine( 'WP_MAX_MEMORY_LIMIT', '512M' );<\/code>\n <\/div>\n
First line: front-end limit. Second line: the higher admin-area limit.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

The first line raises the front-end limit; the second raises the admin limit (useful when the error happens in wp-admin). Save and reload. Remember: this only works up to your server’s cap.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Method 2 \u2014 Your hosting control panel<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

If your host uses cPanel<\/strong>, go to Select PHP Version \u2192 Options<\/strong> (or MultiPHP INI Editor<\/strong> under Software), find memory_limit<\/code><\/strong>, set it to 256M or higher, and save. This changes the server-side limit directly \u2014 the most reliable route on most hosts, and the one Copahost lets you do yourself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Method 3 \u2014 Edit php.ini<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

On a VPS or where per-site php.ini is allowed, edit php.ini<\/strong> and set:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n memory_limit = 256M<\/code>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Save and restart PHP (or wait for it to reload).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Method 4 \u2014 Edit the .htaccess file<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

On Apache<\/strong>, add to the .htaccess<\/a> file in your site’s root:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n php_value memory_limit 256M<\/code>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n <\/path><\/line><\/line><\/svg>\n
Heads up:<\/strong> if you get a 500 Internal Server Error after adding this line, your server runs PHP as CGI or FPM, where php_value<\/code> in .htaccess isn’t allowed. Remove the line and use Method 1, 2, or 3 instead. Nginx servers don’t use .htaccess<\/strong>, so this method is Apache-only.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Method 5 \u2014 Ask your host<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Since the server’s memory_limit<\/code> is the true ceiling \u2014 and many shared plans lock it \u2014 your host may need to raise it. It’s a routine request: ask them to increase your PHP memory limit to 256 MB (or higher). On a good host this takes minutes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you raise the limit and the error comes back<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

This is important: if you increase the memory limit and the error returns<\/em>, you probably have a memory leak<\/strong> \u2014 a poorly coded plugin or theme consuming memory until it hits even the new ceiling. Raising the limit further just delays it. The real fix is to find the culprit:<\/p>\n\n\n\n