As a webmaster with over 15 years of experience using WordPress, I‘ve learned the ins and outs of managing media uploads. While the default upload folder works fine, there are some great benefits to changing the location.
In this comprehensive guide, I‘ll show you how to move your WordPress uploads folder and get into tips from my years of experience to make the most of this customizable setting.
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Why Change the Default Upload Location?
The main WordPress upload folder is located at wp-content/uploads. By default all your images, videos, documents, and other media get stored here, organized into year and month-based folders.
This default set up is convenient, but there are a few important benefits to changing the upload location:
Speed Up Your Site
Research shows sites can load up to 28% faster by serving files from a separate domain. This prevents large media files from clogging requests on your main domain.
Simplify Backups
Having uploads separate from wp-content makes it easier to just backup that one directory. This makes the process faster and saves storage space.
Enhanced Organization
You can organize uploads by post type, user roles, or in whatever way makes the most sense for your content. The default folders by month/year may not suit your needs.
More Security
Unused folders can be locked down or made hidden for an added layer of protection from prying eyes.
Here‘s a comparison of using the default upload folder versus a custom location:
| Default Uploads | Custom Upload Folder |
|---|---|
| Easy set up | Requires changing settings |
| Month/year organization | Custom organization |
| Mixed with wp-content files | Isolated from other files |
| Basic security | More control over permissions |
As you can see, while it takes a bit more work, there are some excellent benefits to changing the upload location in WordPress.
How to Change the Upload Location
Now that you know the benefits, let‘s walk through how to change the upload location in WordPress, step-by-step:
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First, make a full site backup in case anything goes wrong. Better safe than sorry!
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Use FTP or your hosting control panel to create a new folder such as
/wp-content/mediawhere you‘ll store uploads. -
Install and activate the WPCode plugin. This allows you to safely add snippets.
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Go to WP Admin > Code Snippets > Add New then:
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Name the snippet something like "Media Upload Location".
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Choose "PHP" as the code type.
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Paste this, updating the path to your new folder:
define(‘UPLOADS‘, ‘/wp-content/media‘); -
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Enable "Auto Insert" and select "Run Everywhere" to activate the snippet.
That‘s all you need to do to change the upload location in WordPress! It‘s a very quick process.
After adding the code, make sure to test uploading a file to verify it works properly in the new location.
Advanced Upload Tips from a Webmaster
Over my 15 years of working with WordPress, I‘ve learned a few expert tips and tricks for managing your upload location.
Here are some pro suggestions for making the most of this customizable setting:
Size Images Before Upload
Optimizing images before upload saves storage space and speeds up sites. I recommend using an image optimizer plugin to automate this process.
Organize with Metadata
Rather than folders, use metadata like keywords, users, and projects to organize. This makes searching easier.
Store Off-Site
Consider using cloud storage providers like Amazon S3 to host your files rather than self-hosting. This saves space and bandwidth.
Restrict Access
Lock down unused directories, limit public access, and tighten file permissions for better security.
Watch Your Limits
Adjust PHP and web server limits if needed to allow larger file uploads in your new location.
Automate Removal
Delete unused media automatically after a certain time period to free up space.
Use Relative Paths
Building sites with relative file paths makes changing the upload location easier in the future.
Mind Your Permissions
Triple check the folder has proper read/write permissions to avoid frustration over upload issues.
Add Security In Depth
For private uploads, require login to access the folder to add an extra layer of protection.
Common Upload Problems and Solutions
When working with a custom upload directory, you may occasional run into issues like these:
Running Out of Space
Monitor disk space and increase it when needed. Also limit sizes of uploads and delete old media.
Upload Errors
Double check permissions. Increase PHP max file size limits if required.
Can‘t Find Uploads
Use a relative path in your code snippet. Check the path is correct.
Images Not Loading
Flush caches and force rewrite rules and permalinks to refresh after moving uploads.
Public Access to Private Files
Require login to access the directory or use .htaccess rules to lock it down.
With careful setup and occasional troubleshooting, you can avoid most issues with a custom upload folder.
Final Thoughts
As you can see, changing the default media upload location in WordPress is straightforward while offering some great benefits.
Follow the steps in this guide along with my expert tips to improve your site‘s speed, security, and organization.
I hope this provides everything you need to customize where your WordPress site stores its uploads! Let me know if you have any other questions.
