How To Fix The Link You Followed Has Expired Error In WordPress

Struggling with the error “The link you followed has expired” in WordPress? The solution is not complicated, but the only thing creating complexity is the lack of description when the error pops up.

Due to the unavailability of why it’s happening, things get overwhelmed and confused. Fair enough, right? No more worries, as we are here to resolve it with the

simplest possible methods. So, let’s get into it and find exciting and easy ways to resolve the issue.  

What are the Causes of “The Link You Followed has Expired” Error?

Before digging into the solution, it’s good to know some basics of why it’s happening to you.

Most probably, you are facing this issue while uploading a file, plugin, or any theme. The reason behind this is pretty simple. 

It’s because your file uploading size is limited; which means the file you want to upload is larger than usual. That’s why this error occurs and another reason for size limiting would be that the hosting provider has added some restrictions and limited the uploading size of your files. 

Well, whatever the reason, we have a solution for you. So, let’s fix it.

How to Check the Size Limit?

You might wonder how you can check the size limit. So, let us quickly explain it to you 

• To check the maximum size you can upload, you need to log in to your WordPress dashboard and then go to the media and the pages; and Click Add New right there, you will get the maximum size limit.  For Media mentioned In the picture And the Same for Pages.

• Other than this, you can also go to tools and then site health, next info, and follow by server option by logging in to your WordPress dashboard.

Through these two simple ways, you can easily find out what is the maximum size limit and what you are uploading and analyze the difference.

Fix the Error “The Link You Followed has Expired”:

To fix the error, you need to increase the size limit. That’s it! But there are different ways of doing it because one might work for you another wouldn’t. 

So, here we will state each possible solution for you to get the best results so that you won’t have to go anywhere searching for the answer.

Method # 1: Using your function.php file

It’s a super easy method, and what makes it easy is the way to access it – means you can go to your PHP file and can edit it but wait here; we have a disclaimer for you. Before digging into it, you should create a backup of your site, and it would be best if you use a child theme to protect your data as a child theme will automatically save all the changes you would make.

• To get access to the PHP file, all you need to do is just go to appearance, then theme file editor.
• Here on the right sidebar, you will find the option of functions.PHP file. 
• Next, you need to copy this code.

@ini_set(‘upload_max_size’ , ‘64M’);
@ini_set(‘post_max_size’ , ‘64M’);
@ini_set(‘max_execution_time’ , ‘300’);

•  Paste this code into the function.php file and then update your file        
• That’s it! It will resolve the error immediately.

Tip: make sure to change the “Upload_max_file_size”, “Post_max_file_size” and “Max_executio_time” (should be long enough to upload the file) to get the necessary size you want to achieve. 

We recommend using the second method, especially if you haven’t activated the child theme yet.

Method # 2: Using your .htaccess file

The safest and recommended method to solve the “the link you followed has expired” problem in WordPress is using your .htaccess file and the reason is that you can get it done in two ways. 

Via connecting the server FTP or using your hosting account. Let’s discuss both of them one by one.

Using FTP:

• Find the .htaccess file located in the root folder of your site     
• Once located, copy the code given below and paste it into the bottom of it
• Save the changes and upload the .htaccess file back to the root directory of your site.
• The issue should be resolved now.

php_value upload_max_filesize 64M
php_value post_max_size 64M
php_value max_execution_time 300
php_value max_input_time 300

Using Cpanel:

You can also perform this method by using Cpanel and for this, all you need to do is just

• Login to the Cpanel; if you cannot find the Cpanel or didn’t know much, then write Cpanel at the end of your domain name and enter the login credentials that you used for it    
• Find the options file manager here; click on it and you will be navigated where you should be      
• Here you will get the .htaccess option; right Click on it and choose edit   
• After that, copy and paste the code at the end of the .htaccess file.       
• Don’t forget to save and it’s all done!

Method #3: Increase the size using the php.ini file

If both methods don’t work, there is no need to worry. Here is another method where you can get it done by just simply creating and uploading a PHP.ini file. 

Some services would automatically have this file, but if you don’t have it, all you need to do is copy the code given below and paste it on any blank notepad and save it with the name of php.ini file.

upload_max_filesize
= 64M
post_max_size = 64M
max_execution_time = 30

Now, go back to the server and upload the file you created. That’s it! This will resolve the issue, and the maximum file size will be upgraded.

Good to know: use the same method as described above to access the Cpanel and to check whether any public HTML folder exists or not. 

Final Thoughts:

Once you see this message, there is no need to panic, as an experienced person could also suffer from the same kind of issue. So, try all these 3; any of them could work for you. 

But, if you have tried all these methods but are still facing this “the link you followed has expired” issue in WordPress, then you need to connect with your hosting provider because sometimes they don’t provide you with the opportunity to connect larger files, or they limit your file uploading size. That’s why you need to connect with them and ask for help.

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Till Next, happy learning!