File Uploads: Setup and TroubleshootingPRO

How file uploads work

The File Upload field is a standard HTML file picker rendered with FormForge’s styling and the per-field restrictions you configure. When a visitor submits the form, FormForge routes the upload through WordPress’s wp_handle_upload() function, which validates the MIME type against your allowed-types list, drops the file into the WordPress uploads directory (usually wp-content/uploads/YYYY/MM/), and stores the resulting public URL in the entry.

The URL is then available in three places: FormForge > Entries (the admin table), the notification email that fires on submission (as a clickable link), and any integration you’ve wired up (Zapier, Google Sheets, webhook), each of which receives the URL as the field value.

Add a file upload field to your form

File upload field settings

What visitors see on the form

The field renders as an HTML file picker. Below it, a hint line shows the allowed extensions and the max size, so the visitor knows what’s accepted before they open the file dialog:

If Maximum Files is set above 1, the browser’s file dialog opens in multi-select mode (Ctrl-click or Cmd-click to pick several files at once). Modern browsers also render the count and combined size once files are selected.

If the visitor picks a file that violates the allowed types or exceeds the size cap, they see an error message immediately after clicking Submit. The rest of the form fields keep whatever they typed, so only the file field flags the error and only the file needs to be re-picked.

Where uploaded files land

Files land at the standard WordPress uploads path, under a year/month subdirectory:

The public URL to that file is what FormForge stores in the entry. You can view / download the file from three places:

• FormForge > Entries: open the entry and the file field shows the filename as a clickable link.
• Notification email: the recipient sees the filename as a clickable link inline with the other submitted fields.
• Direct URL: anyone with the URL can view the file, no authentication required (see the privacy note below).

File uploads in notification emails

When the notification email fires, each uploaded file renders inside the message body as a clickable anchor: the visible text is the filename, and the underlying URL points at the uploaded file. Recipients can click straight through to download.

For a multi-file field (Maximum Files greater than 1), each uploaded file renders as its own separate link, comma-separated in the same row.

Files are linked in the notification email, not attached. If the recipient needs the file, they click through to download it from the link.

Two PHP server settings override FormForge

WordPress and FormForge sit on top of PHP, and PHP has its own upload limits set at the server level. These override anything FormForge configures, so if the server says “no file larger than 2 MB”, no plugin can accept larger.

Both settings need to be at least as large as the biggest upload you want to accept. Rule of thumb: post_max_size should be somewhat larger than upload_max_filesize to accommodate other form fields alongside the file.

To check what your server is currently set to, go to Media > Add New in the WordPress admin. The page shows “Maximum upload file size: X MB” near the top, so that’s the smaller of the two PHP settings.

How to raise the PHP limits

The cleanest path is to ask your host to raise them via their control panel, and most managed WordPress hosts have a one-click UI for this. If that’s not available, three DIY options in order of preference:

• php.ini (if your host allows edits): add upload_max_filesize = 64M and post_max_size = 96M. Restart PHP-FPM / Apache after saving.
• .htaccess (Apache only, requires AllowOverride): add php_value upload_max_filesize 64M and php_value post_max_size 96M.
• .user.ini (works on some shared hosts): create this file in your WordPress root with the same two lines as php.ini above.

Confirm the change took effect by reloading Media > Add New in the admin. The “Maximum upload file size” line should reflect the new value.

Troubleshooting the four common failures

1. “File upload failed” on files that seem fine

Almost always a PHP server-limit problem, not a FormForge problem. The upload hits upload_max_filesize or post_max_size before FormForge’s validator runs, and PHP surfaces a generic error that FormForge shows as “File upload failed.” Fix: raise both PHP settings (see the section above). Confirm the fix by uploading a file that’s (a) smaller than your FormForge Max File Size and (b) smaller than the new PHP limits, so it should succeed.

2. “File type not allowed” on a file with the right extension

Two things can trigger this. First, check that your Allowed File Types list includes the extension exactly, so pdf, not .pdf or PDF (case-insensitive is fine, but the leading dot isn’t). Second, WordPress checks the file’s MIME type against its core allowlist, not just the extension: a file renamed from malware.exe to resume.pdf still gets rejected because its bytes don’t match the PDF MIME signature. If a legitimate file (unusual extension, custom format) hits this, the WordPress core allowlist may not cover it, so ask on support with the file extension and a sample file.

3. “File size exceeds maximum allowed” but the file is under the FormForge cap

Check the FormForge field’s Maximum File Size (MB) setting. The error message shows the exact cap in play, so match your file’s actual size (visible in your file manager) against that cap. If the file is genuinely under the cap and this error still fires, the field settings didn’t save properly, so reopen the field, re-enter the cap, click Save Changes, then click Save Form. Refresh the form’s embed page and retry.

4. Multi-file upload only accepts one file

Confirm Maximum Files is set to a number greater than 1 in the field settings. If it’s set to 1 (or blank), the field renders as a single-file picker regardless of any other setting. After raising it and re-saving, hard-refresh the form’s embed page (Ctrl+Shift+R / Cmd+Shift+R) to bust any cached HTML.

FAQ

How do I add a file upload field to a FormForge Pro form?

Open the form in the builder, drag the File Upload field from the field palette onto the canvas, and click it to open the settings panel. Configure Allowed File Types (comma-separated extensions), Maximum File Size (in megabytes), Maximum Files (set above 1 for multi-file), and Minimum Files Required. Save the field, save the form, and embed on a page.

Where do uploaded files go?

Uploaded files land in the standard WordPress uploads directory, typically wp-content/uploads/YYYY/MM/ where YYYY/MM is the year and month of the upload. The full public URL is stored in the entry and shown in FormForge > Entries. Notification emails include a clickable link to each uploaded file.

Why do file uploads fail even though the size is under the plugin’s limit?

Two PHP settings on your web server take precedence over FormForge’s per-field limit: upload_max_filesize (per-file cap) and post_max_size (total POST body cap, which includes ALL fields plus file). If either is smaller than your form’s configured Max File Size, uploads will fail with a generic “File upload failed” error. Ask your host to raise both to at least 32 MB (or larger if you accept bigger files), or add corresponding lines to php.ini or .htaccess. See Two PHP server settings override FormForge.

Can visitors upload multiple files in one field?

Yes. Set Maximum Files to any number greater than 1 (e.g. 5). The field renders a multi-file picker; visitors can select several files at once or add them one at a time. Each uploaded file is stored as its own URL in the entry, and notification emails render each as a separate clickable link.

Are uploaded files publicly accessible?

Yes. Uploaded files land at a public URL under wp-content/uploads/, following the standard WordPress media convention. Anyone with the URL can view the file, so it works the same way every mainstream WordPress form builder does. If you’re collecting sensitive documents (resumes, contracts, ID scans), pair FormForge with a hardening plugin that gates uploads behind authentication, or route sensitive uploads to a private storage provider via the Zapier integration.

What file types should I allow?

Only what your form actually needs. Common patterns: resumes accept pdf, doc, docx. Portfolios accept jpg, png, pdf. Contract signing accepts pdf only. Never allow executable extensions (exe, php, js, sh, bat). WordPress’s built-in MIME filter rejects those by default, but tightening your Allowed File Types list gives visitors a clearer error message and reduces attack surface.

How do I let the visitor upload a file bigger than the WordPress default 2 MB?

Two settings need to increase: (1) the FormForge field’s Maximum File Size (MB), which you set in the field settings panel; (2) the PHP upload_max_filesize and post_max_size server settings, which usually need a host-side change or a php.ini / .htaccess edit. FormForge cannot exceed the server-side limits regardless of what you configure in the field.

Are files sent as email attachments or as links?

As clickable links in the notification email body, not as attachments. This scales better with large files and multi-file uploads, and avoids the aggressive attachment stripping that many corporate spam filters apply.

What happens to uploaded files when I delete an entry?

Deleting an entry from FormForge > Entries removes the entry record but does not delete the physical uploaded file from wp-content/uploads/. To remove the file too, go to the WordPress Media Library and delete it there, or use FTP / your host’s file manager. This behavior mirrors WordPress core (deleting a post doesn’t automatically delete its attached media either).