Nothing kills the vibe of a social network faster than members getting a "file too large" error every time they try to share a photo or video. If your Sngine site rejects uploads or throws a blank page when someone posts media, the problem is almost always a PHP limit or a setting inside the Sngine admin panel that's set too low.

Let's walk through every place these limits live and fix them properly so your community can share media without hitting a wall.

Why Sngine Rejects Uploads

Sngine media uploads pass through three separate gatekeepers. If any one of them is set lower than the file being uploaded, the upload fails:

  • PHP server limits — upload_max_filesize, post_max_size, and memory_limit.
  • LiteSpeed / web server request limits — the maximum request body size.
  • Sngine's own admin setting — a per-file cap you set inside the dashboard.

You need all three to agree. Set them too low and uploads fail; set the server high but forget the Sngine setting, and they still fail. Let's fix each layer.

Step 1: Raise the PHP Limits

The three PHP values do the heavy lifting. A good starting point for a social network that allows short videos:

upload_max_filesize = 64M
post_max_size = 80M
memory_limit = 256M
max_execution_time = 300
max_input_time = 300
Pro Tip: Always keep post_max_size larger than upload_max_filesize, and memory_limit larger than both. The whole request has to fit inside post_max_size, which includes the file plus form data.

In cPanel

  1. Log in to cPanel and open Select PHP Version (sometimes labeled MultiPHP Manager for the version, and PHP Selector for options).
  2. Click the Options tab.
  3. Find and edit upload_max_filesize, post_max_size, memory_limit, max_execution_time, and max_input_time.
  4. Changes save automatically as you set each value.

In DirectAdmin

  1. Log in to DirectAdmin and go to PHP Selector (under Extra Features or Account Manager, depending on your theme).
  2. Choose your active PHP version, then click the Options tab.
  3. Adjust the same five values listed above and click Save.

If you don't see a PHP options editor, you can create or edit a .user.ini file in your Sngine root folder (see Step 3) and add the same lines.

Step 2: Confirm the LiteSpeed Request Limit

On Hostiso's LiteSpeed-powered servers, LiteSpeed reads your PHP post_max_size automatically for the request body limit, so raising the PHP values in Step 1 is usually enough. If you're on a Cloud VPS with root access and still hit a hard cap, you can bump the LiteSpeed setting in the WebAdmin console under Configuration → Tuning → Max Request Body Size. Shared hosting users don't need to touch this — our stack is already tuned for large uploads.

Step 3: Verify Changes With a .user.ini (Optional but Handy)

If the panel options don't stick, drop a .user.ini file directly in your Sngine directory. Here's how to reach the File Manager:

cPanel

  1. Open File Manager from the Files section.
  2. Navigate to your Sngine folder (usually public_html).
  3. Click + File, name it .user.ini, then right-click and choose Edit.

DirectAdmin

  1. Open File Manager from the dashboard.
  2. Browse to domains/yourdomain.com/public_html.
  3. Use Create New File, name it .user.ini, and click Edit.

Paste the limits:

upload_max_filesize = 64M
post_max_size = 80M
memory_limit = 256M
max_execution_time = 300

Save the file. Give it up to five minutes to take effect (PHP caches .user.ini values).

Step 4: Update the Limit Inside Sngine

This is the step most people miss. Sngine enforces its own per-file cap regardless of your server settings.

  1. Log in as an admin and open the AdminCP (add /admincp to your site URL).
  2. Go to Settings → File Upload (or General → Uploads depending on your version).
  3. Set Maximum Upload Size to a value at or below your PHP upload_max_filesize — for example, 60 MB if PHP is 64 MB.
  4. Confirm the allowed file extensions include the image and video types your members need (jpg, png, gif, mp4, webm, etc.).
  5. Save the changes.
Caution: Never set the Sngine limit higher than your PHP upload_max_filesize. Sngine will let the user pick a big file, but PHP will silently reject it, producing a confusing blank or failed upload.

Step 5: Confirm It's Working

Create a quick phpinfo.php file in your Sngine root with this line:

<?php phpinfo(); ?>

Visit yourdomain.com/phpinfo.php and search for upload_max_filesize and post_max_size to confirm the new values are live. Delete the file immediately afterward — it exposes server details you don't want public.

Then log in to Sngine and test with a real photo and a short video. If both post cleanly, you're done.

Still Getting Errors? Quick Checklist

  • Blank page after upload — raise memory_limit to 384M and max_execution_time to 600.
  • Video processing fails — make sure FFmpeg is installed if your Sngine version uses server-side transcoding; open a ticket and our support team can confirm.
  • Changes not applying — wrong PHP version selected in the panel, or an OPcache/LiteSpeed cache still holding old values. Clear caches and retry.
  • File type rejected — the extension isn't whitelisted in AdminCP.

Because Hostiso runs on pre-tuned NVMe storage with LiteSpeed caching, large media uploads process fast and pages stay snappy even under heavy traffic. If you'd rather not touch config files at all, our 24/7 support can apply these limits for you on any Shared Hosting or Cloud VPS plan.

Frequently Asked Questions

What's a safe maximum upload size for a Sngine social network?

For image-heavy communities, 32–64 MB is plenty. If you allow video uploads, 128 MB is comfortable, but remember larger files eat more disk and bandwidth. Balance member needs against your storage plan.

Why does my upload work locally but fail on the live site?

Local setups often use much higher default PHP limits. On live hosting, the server enforces the values in your PHP settings and in .user.ini, plus the Sngine AdminCP cap. Match all three and the difference disappears.

Do I need to restart anything after changing PHP limits?

On LiteSpeed with CloudLinux, changes made through the panel apply almost instantly. If you edited .user.ini, allow up to five minutes for PHP to refresh the cached values, then test again.