How to Fix "Allowed Memory Size Exhausted" PHP Errors and Change memory_limit

"Fatal error: Allowed memory size of 134217728 bytes exhausted" is one of the most common PHP errors, and one of the most misunderstood. It means one PHP script asked for more memory than PHP allows a single script to use. This guide explains what that limit is, how to check and raise it on Domain India's cPanel, DirectAdmin and Webuzo hosting, and how to find the real cause when raising it doesn't help.

1. What the error means

A typical message looks like this:

PHP Fatal error: Allowed memory size of 134217728 bytes exhausted (tried to allocate 20480 bytes) in /home/user/public_html/wp-includes/class-wpdb.php on line 2349

memory_limit is a PHP setting that caps how much memory one PHP request may use. It stops one broken script from taking all the memory on the account. The first number is the limit in bytes. The "tried to allocate" number is only the last small request that didn't fit; it is not how much more memory the script needs.

To read the limit, convert bytes to megabytes:

A related message, Out of memory (allocated 123456789) (tried to allocate 65536 bytes), is different. It usually means the process hit a memory cap outside PHP, such as your account's CloudLinux limit (see section 6), not memory_limit.

2. Check your current PHP settings first

Before you change anything, confirm which limit is actually in force.

• WordPress: go to Tools → Site Health → Info. The Server section shows the PHP memory limit, upload size and maximum execution time, and the WordPress Constants section shows WP_MEMORY_LIMIT.
• Any PHP site: create a file with a hard-to-guess name, such as check-7f3a9.php, in the folder where your site runs:

<?php
echo 'memory_limit: ', ini_get('memory_limit'), "\n";
echo 'PHP version: ', PHP_VERSION;

Open it in your browser. It prints the value your site really gets, after every panel setting and .user.ini file has been applied. On cPanel, a cache in front of the web server can show an old response for a while, so add ?t=1 (any value) to the address when you check again after a change.

3. Change memory_limit in your control panel

The control panel is the safest method, because it writes the setting in the format your server's PHP handler understands. Menu names can differ between panel versions, and whether memory_limit can be changed from the panel depends on how the server is set up, so if the option isn't there, use section 4 or ask support.

cPanel

If memory_limit isn't listed or won't change, use a .user.ini file (section 4), or open a ticket with the domain and the value you need.

DirectAdmin and Webuzo

The PHP settings screens on our DirectAdmin and Webuzo servers haven't been checked for this guide, so we don't name a menu here. If you can't find a PHP settings option in your panel, use a .user.ini file or ask support to set the value for you. For choosing the PHP version itself, see how to change your PHP version.

4. .user.ini, php.ini or .htaccess: which one works?

Older guides, including an earlier version of this one, told you to drop a php.ini file into your folder and restart Apache. On shared hosting you can't restart the web server, and our servers run PHP through PHP-FPM or CGI, not as an Apache module. That decides which files work:

A .user.ini file needs just one line per setting:

memory_limit = 256M

Create it with the File Manager in the folder your site runs from. A .user.ini change can take up to 5 minutes to be picked up, because PHP caches these files.

If a setting won't change, look for a leftover php.ini or .user.ini in the site's folder or a parent folder, and check that you changed it for the PHP version your site actually uses.

5. WordPress: WP_MEMORY_LIMIT and WP_MAX_MEMORY_LIMIT

WordPress has its own two memory settings in wp-config.php:

• WP_MEMORY_LIMIT: the memory WordPress asks for on normal pages. The default is 40M (64M on multisite).
• WP_MAX_MEMORY_LIMIT: the memory WordPress asks for in the admin area and for heavy jobs such as image resizing. The default is 256M.

Add them above the line that says /* That's all, stop editing! */:

define( 'WP_MEMORY_LIMIT', '256M' );
define( 'WP_MAX_MEMORY_LIMIT', '512M' );

WordPress uses these values to raise PHP's limit while it runs, but it can't go above a limit the server has locked, and your plan's memory ceiling still applies. If Site Health shows a lower limit than you defined, raise memory_limit in the control panel or .user.ini too. See our WordPress guide for more.

6. Your plan's memory is the real ceiling

memory_limit applies per request. All the PHP processes on your account share one memory allowance, which CloudLinux enforces. Domain India's plan specifications list the RAM for each plan:

So a memory_limit of 256M on a 1 GB plan leaves room for only a few heavy requests at the same moment. Setting 1024M or -1 (unlimited) doesn't give you more memory. It only lets one runaway script use up the whole account, so every other visitor gets an error. When the account hits its limit, you typically see "Resource Limit Is Reached", a 500, 503 or 508 error, or an Out of memory message, rather than the Allowed memory size error.

You can see whether you are hitting the account limit in your panel's resource usage page: see how to check hosting resource usage and understanding hosting resource limits.

7. Find the real cause: a plugin, a loop or a big job

If the error continues at 256M or 512M, raising the limit further only delays it. Common causes:

• A plugin or theme. One badly written plugin can load thousands of database rows into memory at once.
• An endless loop or recursion. A function that calls itself, or a redirect or hook that keeps firing, eats memory until it hits any limit you set. If the error appears at 128M, 256M and 512M alike, suspect this.
• A heavy one-off job. Resizing a very large photo or importing a big CSV can legitimately need more memory. Resize images before uploading, and split imports into batches.

To pin it down:

8. Other PHP settings you'll often change

The same panel screens and .user.ini file hold the settings behind other common errors:

A very long max_execution_time doesn't help a script stuck in a loop. For uploads, see PHP upload file size limit. Settings are kept per PHP version, so after you change your PHP version, check them again.

9. Where Domain India hosting fits

Domain India's cPanel and DirectAdmin plans run on CloudLinux, which gives each account its own memory allowance; on Webuzo, PHP scripts get 64 MB of memory by default. See the hosting compatible technologies list for what else runs on each product.

If your site is well configured and your resource usage page still shows you regularly reaching the memory limit, a bigger plan gives your account more RAM. Growth plans double the Starter allowance to 2 GB:

The cards show current list prices; 18% GST is added at checkout. If you need more memory than shared hosting offers, or full control over PHP settings, a VPS lets you set any value you want. For anything the panel won't let you change, open a support ticket and tell us the setting, the value and the site. Support is on 24/7 live chat, and tickets get a first response within 15 minutes.

10. Frequently asked questions

Ready for more room to grow? Compare cPanel, DirectAdmin and Webuzo hosting plans, or see our VPS plans if you need full control over PHP.