Editing php.ini

WordPress performance and upload behavior often comes down to a few PHP runtime limits. The tricky part is that php.ini location depends on how PHP is installed (CLI vs FPM vs LiteSpeed PHP), and changes only take effect after the correct service reload.

Quick Summary

• Find the active config with php --ini and (for FPM) php-fpm* -i | rg -n 'Loaded Configuration File'.
• Change only a few settings at a time and reload the right service (php-fpm, apache2, or lsws).
• Verify with a small test script and remove it after confirming.

Prerequisites

• SSH access with sudo.
• PHP installed.
• Know which stack you run:
  • Apache + mod_php
  • Nginx/Apache + PHP-FPM
  • OpenLiteSpeed + lsphp

Find the correct php.ini

Start by identifying where PHP is reading configuration.

show-php-cli-ini.sh

php --ini

For WordPress, the important config is usually the one used by the web server, not the CLI. Use the tab that matches your deployment.

Nginx/Apache + PHP-FPM

find-php-fpm-service.sh

systemctl list-units --type=service | rg -n 'php.*fpm'

If your distro provides a versioned binary, this shows the loaded file:

show-php-fpm-loaded-ini.sh

php-fpm -i 2>/dev/null | rg -n 'Loaded Configuration File|Scan this dir for additional .ini'

Common locations:

• /etc/php/<version>/fpm/php.ini (Debian/Ubuntu)
• /etc/php.ini + /etc/php.d/ (RHEL family)

Apache + mod_php

Apache with mod_php typically uses the same php.ini family as CLI, but confirm by checking the loaded modules:

apache-php-module-check.sh

apachectl -M 2>/dev/null | rg -n 'php'

Common locations:

• /etc/php/<version>/apache2/php.ini (Debian/Ubuntu)
• /etc/php.ini + /etc/php.d/ (RHEL family)

OpenLiteSpeed + lsphp

OpenLiteSpeed uses LiteSpeed PHP (lsphp) and supports per-vhost overrides, so confirm which PHP handler you use.

Typical config paths:

• Global: /usr/local/lsws/lsphp*/etc/php/<version>/litespeed/php.ini (varies by package)
• Per-vhost overrides: phpIniOverride inside vhconf.conf

If you are unsure, search for php.ini under LiteSpeed's tree:

find-litespeed-php-ini.sh

sudo ls -1d /usr/local/lsws/lsphp*/etc/php/*/litespeed/php.ini 2>/dev/null || true

Common WordPress-related settings

These values are the most common reasons for WordPress admin issues (uploads failing, timeouts during imports, memory errors).

Setting	Why it matters	Typical starting point
memory_limit	PHP memory per request	256M to 512M
upload_max_filesize	Max single file upload	64M to 256M
post_max_size	Max POST body size	Match or exceed upload_max_filesize
max_execution_time	Script timeout	120 to 300
max_input_time	Input parsing time	120
max_input_vars	Large forms/menus	3000 to 10000

Edit the file

warning

Editing the wrong php.ini can make you think nothing changed. Always re-check php --ini (CLI) and verify from the web server side after reload.

Use your editor of choice. This example uses nano.

edit-php-ini.sh

sudo nano /etc/php/8.2/fpm/php.ini

Example changes:

php-ini-wordpress-snippet.ini

memory_limit = 512M
upload_max_filesize = 256M
post_max_size = 256M
max_execution_time = 300
max_input_vars = 5000

Reload the right service

PHP-FPM

reload-php-fpm.sh

sudo systemctl reload php8.2-fpm

If your service name differs, pick the correct one from systemctl list-units.

Apache

reload-apache.sh

sudo systemctl reload apache2

OpenLiteSpeed

reload-openlitespeed.sh

sudo systemctl reload lsws

Verify from the browser (and remove the test)

Create a temporary PHP file that prints the effective runtime values.

create-php-config-test-file.sh

cat <<'PHP' | sudo tee /var/www/example.com/html/php-settings-test.php >/dev/null
<?php
header('Content-Type: text/plain');
echo "memory_limit=" . ini_get('memory_limit') . "\n";
echo "upload_max_filesize=" . ini_get('upload_max_filesize') . "\n";
echo "post_max_size=" . ini_get('post_max_size') . "\n";
echo "max_execution_time=" . ini_get('max_execution_time') . "\n";
PHP

Visit:

• https://example.com/php-settings-test.php

Then remove the file:

remove-php-config-test-file.sh

sudo rm -f /var/www/example.com/html/php-settings-test.php

Troubleshooting

Symptom	Likely cause	Fix
Changes don't apply	Edited the wrong php.ini	Re-check PHP handler (FPM vs mod_php vs lsphp)
502/504 errors after changes	FPM not running or config invalid	Revert last change, check FPM logs, restart service
Uploads still fail	post_max_size smaller than upload_max_filesize	Increase post_max_size
WordPress shows memory errors	WP memory constants or low memory_limit	Raise memory_limit, validate WP constants