Fix: Allowed memory size exhausted in WordPress error - Quick Solution

The ‘Allowed memory size exhausted’ error in WordPress occurs when PHP runs out of allocated memory while executing scripts. This typically happens with large operations like importing content, running plugins, or processing images.

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How the Error Happens

❌ Error Scenario:

// ❌ This can cause memory exhaustion
// Fatal error: Allowed memory size of 33554432 bytes exhausted 
// (tried to allocate 32 bytes) in /wp-includes/class-wp-object-cache.php

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✅ Quick Fix - Increase Memory Limit

Solution 1: Update wp-config.php

// ✅ Add to wp-config.php file
// Increase WordPress memory limit
ini_set('memory_limit', '512M');

// Or define WordPress specific memory limit
define('WP_MEMORY_LIMIT', '512M');
define('WP_MAX_MEMORY_LIMIT', '512M');

Solution 2: Update php.ini

; ✅ Add to php.ini file
memory_limit = 512M
max_execution_time = 300
max_input_time = 300
upload_max_filesize = 64M
post_max_size = 64M

Solution 3: Update .htaccess

# ✅ Add to .htaccess file
php_value memory_limit 512M
php_value max_execution_time 300
php_value max_input_time 300
php_value upload_max_filesize 64M
php_value post_max_size 64M

Solution 4: WordPress Plugin Memory Fix

// ✅ Add to functions.php for plugin-specific memory
// Hook into plugin activation
add_action('plugins_loaded', function() {
    if (is_admin()) {
        ini_set('memory_limit', '256M');
    }
});

Solution 5: Temporary Memory Increase for Specific Operations

// ✅ Increase memory for specific operations
function increase_memory_for_import() {
    // ✅ Increase memory limit temporarily
    ini_set('memory_limit', '512M');
    ini_set('max_execution_time', 300);
}

// ✅ Hook to specific WordPress actions
add_action('import_start', 'increase_memory_for_import');
add_action('wp_import_posts', 'increase_memory_for_import');