In this article, you will learn \ud83d\udc68\u200d\ud83c\udf93 what exactly triggers the error<\/a> and how to remove it from your website<\/a> so that you can resume uploading the plugin or theme.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Let’s get started. \ud83c\udfac<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n The “the link you followed has expired” error usually appears when you are trying to upload a plugin or theme.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Your web host will have a defined maximum file upload size limit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When the theme or plugin’s file size exceeds the default upload and execution limits<\/strong>, you can encounter the link expired error.<\/p>\n\n\n The default limits are implemented by your hosting provider as a way to avoid the abuse of server resources by inefficient plugins and themes. That said, hosting providers usually ensure that the default limits are sufficient for uploading and executing plugins and themes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \ud83d\udca1 IMPORTANT<\/strong>: On rare occasions, you may encounter the “the link you followed has expired” error while updating plugins. This commonly occurs due to plugin conflict, i.e., two or more plugins installed on your website are interfering with each other’s functionalities, causing crashes and errors. We have a separate guide on how to resolve plugin conflicts<\/a>. Follow the steps listed there.<\/p>\n\n\n To fix “the link you followed has expired” error, you need to increase the upload limit on your server.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But before you increase the limit, you’ll first want to figure out your host’s current limit so that you know where you’re at right now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To learn your site’s default upload limit, open your WordPress dashboard and go to Tools<\/strong> \u2192 Site Health<\/strong> \u2192 Info<\/strong> \u2192 Server<\/strong> \u2192 Upload max filesize<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n In the next step, you will learn to increase your upload limit so that you can upload the plugin or theme to your WordPress website.<\/p>\n\n\n In this section, you will learn not just how to increase your default upload size but also your execution time<\/strong>. The execution time needs to be expanded because you are uploading a larger file to your server and therefore the server will need a longer time to execute it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There are three different ways in which you can increase file upload size and execution time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You can do it by going to the backend of your site and modifying certain values in your .htaccess<\/a>, php.ini file, or functions.php<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Please note that you need to modify ANY ONE of the files, not all of them<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \ud83d\udca1 IMPORTANT<\/strong>: Before you proceed with the steps below, take a backup<\/a> of your entire WordPress website. Introducing changes to your backend is a risky business, and you might end up with a broken site. The backup will be your safety net. Take a backup and proceed without fear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You can access the .htaccess file via your hosting account or by using an FTP client. We have covered how to use an FTP client<\/a> in a different guide so in this one we will show you how to use your hosting account.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Open your hosting account, locate cPanel<\/strong>, and go to the File Manager<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n In the File Manager, select the public_html<\/strong> folder and then locate the .htaccess<\/strong> file inside that folder. Next, right-click on the .htaccess<\/strong> file, select the Edit<\/strong> option, and the file will open in a different tab.<\/p>\n\n\n Can’t find the .htaccess<\/strong> file? That’s because it’s hidden. To unhide the file, go to the Settings<\/strong> option of your File Manager<\/strong>, select the Show Hidden Files<\/strong> option from the pop-up, and hit the Save<\/strong> button.<\/p>\n\n\n Insert the following code snippets before the “# END WordPress” sentence:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Adjust the numbers<\/strong> according to your needs. Then hit the Save Changes<\/strong> button and exit the tab.<\/p>\n\n\n Another way to fix “the link you followed has expired” error is to adjust the values in the php.ini file.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The php.ini file is also located in the public_html<\/strong> folder of the File Manager, just like the .htaccess file.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Find the file, right-click, select Edit<\/strong>, and insert the following code snippet:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Adjust the numbers<\/strong>, hit the Save Changes<\/strong> button, and Exit<\/strong> the tab.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If your host offers cPanel<\/a>, you might also be able to find a dedicated php.ini tool in there. This lets you modify these values directly from cPanel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The functions file is a part of your site’s current theme. If you want to use this method, it’s essential that you use a child theme<\/a> or a code manager plugin like Code Snippets. Otherwise, your functions.php modifications will be overwritten whenever you update your theme.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We’ll show you how it works with Code Snippets…<\/p>\n\n\n\n Install and activate<\/strong> the Code Snippets plugin on your WordPress website.<\/p>\n\n\nWhat causes the “the link you followed has expired” error?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"locating](\"https:\/\/mllj2j8xvfl0.i.optimole.com\/cb:c5QE.37290\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/themeisle.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/locating-upload-limit-in-site-health.png\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\nHow to fix “the link you followed has expired” error on WordPress<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n
Step 1: Check your site’s current file upload limit<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\nStep 2: Increase file upload size & execution time<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Option 1: Modify .htaccess<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
![\"locating](\"https:\/\/mllj2j8xvfl0.i.optimole.com\/cb:c5QE.37290\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/themeisle.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/locating-cpanel-in-namecheap.png\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n![\"editing](\"https:\/\/mllj2j8xvfl0.i.optimole.com\/cb:c5QE.37290\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/themeisle.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/editing-htaccess-file.png\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n![\"showing](\"https:\/\/mllj2j8xvfl0.i.optimole.com\/cb:c5QE.37290\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/themeisle.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/showing-hidden-files-in-file-manager.png\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nphp_value upload_max_filesize 120M\n\nphp_value post_max_size 120M\n\nphp_value max_execution_time 300\n\nphp_value max_input_time 300<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n![\"modifying](\"https:\/\/mllj2j8xvfl0.i.optimole.com\/cb:c5QE.37290\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/themeisle.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/modifying-htaccess-file.png\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\nOption 2: Modify php.ini<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
\nupload_max_filesize = 120M\n\npost_max_size = 120M\n\nmax_execution_time = 300<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nOption 3: Modify functions.php<\/h4>\n\n\n\n