Fix "PHP Fatal error: Out of memory (allocated 20185088)"

What does the error mean?

PHP is the language many websites run on. Each script gets a fixed amount of memory, like a desk of limited size. If the script needs more space than the desk has, PHP stops and shows this message.

The number is the memory already used, counted in bytes. 20185088 bytes is about 19 MB. Your limit was reached near that point.

Common causes are a big plugin, a large image being resized, or a heavy import.

Fix 1: Use cPanel

1. Log in to cPanel. Your login details are in your welcome email.
2. Open MultiPHP INI Editor.
3. Choose your domain from the list.
4. Find memory_limit.
5. Change the value to a bigger number, such as 256M.
6. Click Apply.

Fix 2: Edit php.ini

1. Open File Manager in cPanel.
2. Go to your site folder, such as public_html.
3. Open php.ini, or create it if it is missing.
4. Add this line:

memory_limit = 256M

This line allows each script to use up to 256 MB.

Fix 3: Use .htaccess

This works on Apache servers that run PHP as a module. On other setups it may cause a 500 error. Back up the file first.

php_value memory_limit 256M

Fix 4: Use WordPress

Open wp-config.php and add this above the line that says "That's all, stop editing".

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

Check the result

1. Reload the page that failed.
2. If it still fails, raise the number a little more.
3. If your plan has a hard cap, the change will not go above it. Ask Hostvento support in a ticket at https://secure.hostvento.com/submitticket.php.

Quick recap

• The error means PHP used all the memory it was given.
• Raise memory_limit in MultiPHP INI Editor, php.ini or .htaccess.
• WordPress users can set WP_MEMORY_LIMIT.
• Keep a backup before editing files.