How to Fix Image Upload Problem in WordPress
The image upload issue in WordPress is a very common issue. The worst part is that it arises when you are least expecting it. The good news is that you can fix the issue with a few simple steps. You don’t need expert help to fix this problem. Keep reading to learn how you can fix this problem.
What causes the image upload issue in WordPress?
The image upload issue in WordPress is caused mostly by incorrect file permissions. The WordPress files are normally stored on the web hosting server and they require specific file and directory permission for them to work. The wrong file permission will keep WordPress from reading and uploading the files from the hosting server. The error you might get looks something like this:
‘Unable to create directory wp-content/uploads/2019/04. Is its parent directory writable by the server?’
Another way to tell if you have this issue is when images in your media library disappear. You only get blank icons. But what happened and your website was working perfectly? Who changed the permissions?
Misconfiguaration on the shared hosting sever may change the permissions without your knowing. This can happen after your web hosting provider runs an upgrade that unexpectedly changes the file permissions. If everything else on your website is working fine you just need to apply the correct file permissions to correct the image upload issue.
Fixing image upload issue in WordPress
To change the permission you have to use FTP client. Connect your website through FTP and go to /wp-content/ folder. Here you will find the ‘uploads’ folder. This is where WordPress stores all media uploads. Right click on the ‘uploads directory’ then click ‘File Permissions’. Doing so will bring up the file permissions dialog box.
Set file permissions for ‘uploads directory’ and all subdirectories in into ‘744’. To do this you have to enter 744 in numeric value box then check the box next to ‘Recurse into subdirectories option’. Click ‘Apply to directories only’ radio button. Click ‘OK’ to apply the changes. The FTP client will apply the file permissions to your directories.
If the 744 permission doesn’t work, you should try 755.
Next you need to set file permissions for the files in the ‘uploads directory’. Click on uploads directory and choose file permissions. In the file permissions dialog box change the numeric value to 644. Check the box next to ‘Recurse into subdirectories’ and then click’ Apply and then OK.
After that the FTP client will change the permissions for the files in the uploads folder. Once this is done you can go to WordPress admin area and then try uploading your images.