What to Do When a File Upload Gets Stuck at 100% During Import

  • Created:
  • / Author: Ezekiel

If you are importing a backup and the backup upload process stops at 100%, there are some reasons why this could happen. This article will list these reasons and provide recommendations on how to resolve them.

1. Check if the hosting that you are using is in supported or unsupported hosting provider lists. If you see your host in the unsupported hosting provider list, then the plugin will not work for you. If you cannot find the hosting in either supported or unsupported lists then proceed to step two. There are many free hosting providers that are not listed on the unsupported hosting provider list – these providers usually exist for a month or two and then disappear – the plugin does not work on free hosting providers in almost all cases.

2. Adjust max_execution_time to a higher value. The max_execution_time setting determines how long your server will spend executing a script before timing out. If the backup upload process stops at 100%, it may be because the server has not finished processing the file. To fix this, adjust the following settings in your server’s configuration:

  • upload_max_filesize – Set this to a value greater than your backup size.
  • post_max_size – Set this to a value greater than your backup size.
  • memory_limit – Set this to a value greater than your backup size.
  • max_execution_time – Set this to the time it takes to upload your file, plus 30–60 seconds. If possible, set this to 0 (infinite) to avoid timeouts. The extra time allows your server to move the file to the proper location after reaching 100%. Be sure to wait an additional 30–60 seconds after the upload completes to let the process finish.

Repeat the upload and make sure that you wait for the additional 30–60 seconds after the upload reaches the 100%. There is a video that shows this delay. Please do not abandon the process when it reaches 100%, you just have to wait for your server to finish copying your file. 

3. If you wait for a while and the process does not move past the 100% mark, open developer tool and see if you have any JavaScript errors in the console. If you do then the upload is probably not working and you need to increase max_execution_time to a higher value.

4. If you believe that max_execution_time is not the problem, contact your hosting provider and ask them if there is a limit on the size that a file can have. We have seen this on some of the hosting packages where the maximum size of a file is limited to 64MB or 128MB – if you backup is larger than this size, the plugin will not work on these hosting packages.

What can you do if you cannot figure out a working solution?
1. You can extract the backup with this tool and upload your site content manually via FTP.
2. Contact your hosting provider and ask them if they can make the changes for you or if they have a different plan that will fit your use case.

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