Uploading big files > 512MB

The default maximum file size for uploads, in ownCloud, is 512MB. You can increase this limit up to the maximum file size which your filesystem, operating system, or other software allows, for example:

  • < 2GB on a 32Bit OS-architecture
  • < 2GB with IE6 - IE8
  • < 4GB with IE9 - IE11

64-bit filesystems have much higher limits. Please consult the documentation for your filesystem.

Note

The ownCloud sync client itself however is able to upload files of any size, as it uploads files by transmitting them in small chunks. But, it can never exceed the maximum file size limits of the remote host.

System Configuration

  • Make sure that the latest version of PHP (at least 5.6) is installed
  • Disable user quotas, which makes them unlimited
  • Your temp file or partition has to be big enough to hold multiple parallel uploads from multiple users; e.g. if the max upload size is 10GB and the average number of users uploading at the same time is 100: temp space has to hold at least 10x100 GB

Configuring Your Web server

Note

ownCloud comes with its own owncloud/.htaccess file. Because php-fpm can’t read PHP settings in .htaccess these settings must be set in the owncloud/.user.ini file.

Set the following two parameters inside the corresponding php.ini file (see the Loaded Configuration File section of PHP Version and Information to find your relevant php.ini files)

php_value upload_max_filesize = 16G
php_value post_max_size = 16G

Adjust these values for your needs. If you see PHP timeouts in your logfiles, increase the timeout values, which are in seconds:

php_value max_input_time 3600
php_value max_execution_time 3600

The mod_reqtimeout Apache module could also stop large uploads from completing. If you’re using this module and getting failed uploads of large files either disable it in your Apache config or raise the configured RequestReadTimeout timeouts.

There are also several other configuration options in your Web server config which could prevent the upload of larger files. Please see the manual of your Web server for how to configure those values correctly:

Apache with mod_fcgid

Note

If you are using Apache/2.4 with mod_fcgid, as of February/March 2016, FcgidMaxRequestInMem still needs to be significantly increased from its default value to avoid the occurence of segmentation faults when uploading big files. This is not a regular setting but serves as a workaround for Apache with mod_fcgid bug #51747.

Setting FcgidMaxRequestInMem significantly higher than normal may no longer be necessary, once bug #51747 is fixed.

NGINX

Since NGINX 1.7.11 a new config option fastcgi_request_buffering is availabe. Setting this option to fastcgi_request_buffering off; in your NGINX config might help with timeouts during the upload. Furthermore it helps if you’re running out of disc space on the /tmp partition of your system.

For more info how to configure NGINX to raise the upload limits see also this wiki entry.

Note

Make sure that client_body_temp_path points to a partition with adequate space for your upload file size, and on the same partition as the upload_tmp_dir or tempdirectory (see below). For optimal performance, place these on a separate hard drive that is dedicated to swap and temp storage.

If your site is behind a NGINX frontend (for example a loadbalancer):

By default, downloads will be limited to 1GB due to proxy_buffering and proxy_max_temp_file_size on the frontend.

Configuring PHP

If you don’t want to use the ownCloud .htaccess or .user.ini file, you may configure PHP instead. Make sure to comment out any lines .htaccess pertaining to upload size, if you entered any.

If you are running ownCloud on a 32-bit system, any open_basedir directive in your php.ini file needs to be commented out.

Set the following two parameters inside php.ini, using your own desired file size values:

upload_max_filesize = 16G
post_max_size = 16G

Tell PHP which temp file you want it to use:

upload_tmp_dir = /var/big_temp_file/

Output Buffering must be turned off in .htaccess or .user.ini or php.ini, or PHP will return memory-related errors:

  • output_buffering = 0

Configuring ownCloud

As an alternative to the upload_tmp_dir of PHP (e.g., if you don’t have access to your php.ini) you can also configure a temporary location for uploaded files by using the tempdirectory setting in your config.php (See Config.php Parameters).

If you have configured the session_lifetime setting in your config.php (See Config.php Parameters) file then make sure it is not too low. This setting needs to be configured to at least the time (in seconds) that the longest upload will take. If unsure remove this completely from your configuration to reset it to the default shown in the config.sample.php.

Configuring upload limits within the GUI

If all prerequisites described in this documentation are in place an admin can change the upload limits on demand by using the File handling input box within the administrative backend of ownCloud.

../../_images/admin_filehandling-1.png

Depending on your environment you might get an insufficient permissions message shown for this input box.

../../_images/admin_filehandling-2.png

To be able to use this input box you need to make sure that:

  • Your Web server is be able to use the .htaccess file shipped by ownCloud (Apache only)
  • The user your Web server is running as has write permissions to the files .htaccess and .user.ini

Set Strong Directory Permissions might prevent write access to these files. As an admin you need to decide between the ability to use the input box and a more secure ownCloud installation where you need to manually modify the upload limits in the .htaccess and .user.ini files described above.

General upload issues

Various environmental factors could cause a restriction of the upload size. Examples are:

  • The LVE Manager of CloudLinux which sets a I/O limit
  • Some services like Cloudflare are also known to cause uploading issues
  • Upload limits enforced by proxies used by your clients
  • Other webserver modules like described in General Troubleshooting