Why you get the error “Upload folder is not writable. Export and file upload features will not be functional”

Usually, you will get this message once you are trying to upload media, themes, and plugins. This error “upload folder is not writable. Export and file upload features will not be functional” occurs after you migrated or moved your website from one host to another.

In fact, there is an “upload path” that existed in your database, so WordPress easily realizes the position to put your files when you uploaded them in the WordPress dashboard.

However, once your website was moved from your old web hosting to another, then the file system path on the new server will be different from the old server. As a result, your uploads path occurs to be not writable since it doesn’t exist on the new server.

Upload folder is not writable

So, how to handle this problem? In today’s blog, we are going to demonstrate 2 methods in order to help you address this issue easily. Now, let’s check them out and choose a reasonable solution for your website.

How to fix “upload folder is not writable. Export and file upload features will not be functional” error

Method 1: Check the “Upload path” from options.php

You can follow the steps below:

  1. Log into your WordPress Admin
  2. Let’s go to this URL on your website /wp-admin/options.php. For example, HTTPS://example.com/wp-admin/options.php. Immediately, this will show a list of WP options in your wp_option database table.
  3. Now, you need to press Ctrl+F to find the option named “upload_path“.
  4. If there is a value in that field, simply clear all values in that field.
  5. Remember not to configure or change other fields in your wp_option. Now, scroll down to the bottom of your page and click on the “Save Changes” button to finalize the process.

Upload folder is not writable

After that, WordPress will then start using the default path (/wp-content/uploads/) to your uploads folder.

Method 2: Change the “Upload path” from your WP Admin

This is an easy method to help you change the value in the upload field with the default settings. You can track the following steps to implement.

  1. Go to Settings > Media
  2. Find the “Uploading files” section
  3. At the “Store uploads in this folder” field, let’s change the value in this field with “wp-content/uploads
  4. Next, click on the “Save Changes” button to store your changes

Now, you can successfully upload media files to your website without trouble.

Wrap up

Congratulation, the error “Upload folder is not writable. Export and file upload features will not be functional” has effectively been handled. Hopefully, those mentioned methods will be useful for your website. If you have any problems, please leave a comment below to get support. Don’t forget to follow our website to update the latest blogs that can help you tackle many common issues next time.

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