Nextcloud: Upload Size Limit — Fix

The Problem

Nextcloud rejects file uploads above a certain size. Users see errors like:

• “Upload failed. Could not upload file because the file is too large”
• “Request Entity Too Large” (413 error)
• Upload progress bar reaches 100% but the file disappears
• Desktop client shows sync errors for large files

The default upload limit depends on your PHP configuration — typically 2 MB or 512 MB. When using a reverse proxy, the proxy may impose its own limit.

The Cause

Four layers can each impose upload size limits:

Layer	Default Limit	Config Location
PHP	2 MB (upload_max_filesize)	php.ini or .htaccess
PHP	8 MB (post_max_size)	php.ini or .htaccess
Nextcloud	512 MB (chunked upload)	Admin settings
Web server (nginx)	1 MB (client_max_body_size)	nginx.conf
Reverse proxy	Varies	Proxy config

The most restrictive layer wins. You need to increase limits at every layer.

The Fix

Method 1: PHP Configuration (Docker)

For the official Nextcloud Docker image, create a custom PHP config:

# Create custom PHP config
cat > /path/to/nextcloud/config/upload.ini << 'EOF'
upload_max_filesize = 16G
post_max_size = 16G
max_input_time = 3600
max_execution_time = 3600
memory_limit = 512M
EOF

Mount it in Docker Compose:

services:
  nextcloud:
    image: nextcloud:33.0.0
    volumes:
      - nextcloud_data:/var/www/html
      - ./upload.ini:/usr/local/etc/php/conf.d/upload.ini:ro

Restart the container:

docker compose restart nextcloud

Method 2: PHP Configuration (Non-Docker)

Edit the PHP config file (location depends on your OS):

# Find the active php.ini
php -i | grep "php.ini"

# Edit it
sudo nano /etc/php/8.3/fpm/php.ini

Change these values:

upload_max_filesize = 16G
post_max_size = 16G
max_input_time = 3600
max_execution_time = 3600
memory_limit = 512M

Alternatively, add to Nextcloud’s .htaccess file:

php_value upload_max_filesize 16G
php_value post_max_size 16G
php_value max_input_time 3600
php_value max_execution_time 3600

Restart PHP-FPM:

sudo systemctl restart php8.3-fpm

Method 3: Nginx Reverse Proxy

If you’re using nginx as a reverse proxy in front of Nextcloud:

server {
    listen 443 ssl;
    server_name cloud.yourdomain.com;

    client_max_body_size 16G;          # Maximum upload size
    client_body_timeout 3600s;         # Time to wait for request body
    proxy_read_timeout 3600s;          # Time to wait for proxy response
    proxy_connect_timeout 3600s;

    location / {
        proxy_pass http://nextcloud:80;
        proxy_set_header Host $host;
        proxy_set_header X-Real-IP $remote_addr;
        proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-For $proxy_add_x_forwarded_for;
        proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-Proto $scheme;
        proxy_request_buffering off;   # Stream uploads directly, don't buffer
    }
}

Reload nginx:

sudo nginx -t && sudo systemctl reload nginx

Method 4: Nginx Proxy Manager

In Nginx Proxy Manager:

1. Go to your Nextcloud proxy host
2. Click the Advanced tab
3. Add this custom configuration:

client_max_body_size 16G;
proxy_request_buffering off;
client_body_timeout 3600s;

Method 5: Apache Reverse Proxy

<VirtualHost *:443>
    ServerName cloud.yourdomain.com

    ProxyPass / http://nextcloud:80/
    ProxyPassReverse / http://nextcloud:80/

    # Increase upload limit
    LimitRequestBody 17179869184

    ProxyTimeout 3600
    TimeOut 3600
</VirtualHost>

Method 6: Nextcloud Admin Settings

1. Log into Nextcloud as admin
2. Go to Administration Settings > Basic Settings
3. Under Upload, check the current chunked upload limit
4. Nextcloud uses chunked uploads (10 MB chunks by default), so the PHP limit mainly affects the web UI uploader rather than desktop/mobile clients

Verify the Fix

After applying changes, verify the effective limits:

# Check PHP settings inside the Docker container
docker exec nextcloud php -i | grep -E "upload_max_filesize|post_max_size|memory_limit"

Expected output:

upload_max_filesize => 16G => 16G
post_max_size => 16G => 16G
memory_limit => 512M => 512M

Test by uploading a file larger than the previous limit.

Prevention

• Set upload limits during initial deployment — add the custom PHP config to your Docker Compose from the start
• Use the desktop client for large files — Nextcloud desktop clients use chunked uploads that bypass PHP limits
• Set proxy_request_buffering off in nginx to prevent the proxy from buffering the entire upload in memory before forwarding
• Monitor disk space — large uploads can fill your volume unexpectedly; set up disk usage alerts

Related

• How to Self-Host Nextcloud
• Nextcloud: Sync Not Working — Fix
• Nextcloud: Slow Performance — Fix
• Best Self-Hosted File Sync & Storage
• Reverse Proxy Setup