How to Fix the Annoying ‘Upload: Failed to Write File to Disk’ Error in WordPress

Dealing with File Upload Issues in WordPress?

Are you facing the frustrating ‘Upload: failed to write file to disk’ error while trying to upload files in WordPress? As a beginner user, encountering this issue can hinder your progress and prevent you from adding files to your WordPress site. However, there’s no need to worry! In this comprehensive guide, we will walk you through the steps to fix the ‘Upload: failed to write file to disk’ error in WordPress.

Troubleshooting the ‘Upload: Failed to Write File to Disk’ Error

When you attempt to upload files, you may come across error messages such as:

• “Upload: failed to write file to disk”
• “Unable to create directory”
• “Unable to move file to the uploads directory”

Fixing Folder Permissions using FTP

This error commonly occurs due to incorrect folder permissions set on your WordPress site. Each file and folder on your website has specific permissions that determine who can access or modify them. Follow these simple steps to resolve the issue using an FTP client:

1. Connect to your WordPress website using an FTP client like FileZilla.
2. Right-click on the ‘wp-content’ folder and select ‘File permissions’.
3. In the file permissions dialog box, you will see options for the owner, group, and public permissions.
4. Set the Numeric value field to ‘755’ and check the box for ‘Recurse into subdirectories’.
5. Click on the ‘Apply to directories only’ option and then click ‘OK’ to save the changes.
6. This will set the folder permissions to ‘755’ for the ‘wp-content’ folder and all its subdirectories.

Ensuring Correct File Permissions

In addition to adjusting folder permissions, you must also check the file permissions for individual files within the ‘wp-content’ folder. Here’s how:

1. Right-click on the ‘wp-content’ folder and select ‘File permissions’ again.
2. This time, you will modify the permissions for files only.
3. Set the Numeric value field to ‘644’ and check the box for ‘Recurse into subdirectories’.
4. Click on the ‘Apply to files only’ option and then click ‘OK’ to save the changes.
5. This will set the file permissions to ‘644’ for all files within the ‘wp-content’ folder.

Contacting Your Hosting Provider

If the error persists even after adjusting folder and file permissions, it’s time to reach out to your WordPress hosting provider. Contact them and ask them to empty the temporary files directory on your server. In some cases, when you upload files in WordPress, they are first saved to a temporary directory before being moved to the ‘wp-content/uploads’ folder. If this temporary directory is full or improperly configured, WordPress will not be able to write the file to disk. Your hosting provider should be able to assist you in emptying the temporary directory and resolving the issue.

We hope this guide has helped you resolve the ‘Upload: failed to write file to disk’ error in WordPress. For more useful resources, check out our guide on fixing common image issues in WordPress and our expert picks of the best WordPress plugins to enhance your website. And don’t forget to subscribe to our YouTube Channel for WordPress video tutorials and connect with us on Twitter and Facebook to stay updated.