How to Increase PHP upload limit on a cPanel server?

Updated: 28 September 2026 · Applies to: cPanel & WHM 138 (root)

phpMyAdmin in cPanel runs on cPanel's own PHP, not your website's PHP. Its upload limit (50 MB by default) is set in WHM, so changing your site's php.ini does not change it.

Raise the limit (root)

1. Log in to WHM as root (https://your-server:2087).
2. Open Server Configuration › Tweak Settings and the PHP tab.
3. Set the cPanel PHP maximum upload size and maximum POST size (for example 250 and 260 MB), and raise the maximum execution time if large imports time out.
4. Save.

Tip: For very large databases, importing over SSH is faster and more reliable: mysql dbname < dump.sql. Shared hosting customers can ask support to import a large file.