WordPress Says 'The Link You Followed Has Expired'

What's happening

"The link you followed has expired" usually means something you uploaded was bigger than your hosting server allows, so the server threw it away before WordPress could read it. It most often appears when you upload a theme or plugin file, or a large image or video, and it doesn't mean anything is wrong with your site.

The wording is confusing because nothing has actually expired. WordPress attaches a hidden security code to forms in your dashboard. When the server discards an oversized upload, that code is thrown away with it, WordPress can't find it, and this is the message it shows for a missing code. Clicking "Please try again" just takes you back to where you started.

Why it happens

Every hosting server sets limits on uploads: the largest file it will accept, the most data it will take in one go, and how long it will spend handling a request. Many hosts set these low by default. Premium themes and page builder plugins often come as files bigger than those limits, so uploading one through the dashboard trips the limit even though nothing is wrong with the file.

Less often, the message is literal. A dashboard page sat open in a browser tab for many hours, its security code really did expire, and saving fails. Copy any unsaved changes, refresh the page, and try again.

What you can safely try

• Check the size of the file you're uploading. Compare it with the "Maximum upload file size" shown under Media, Add New in your dashboard. If your file is bigger, that's your answer.
• Ask your host to raise the upload limits. Many hosts change them on request, and it's their server to change.
• For a large image, try a smaller version of it. If that uploads, size is the problem.
• Don't edit server files or install "fix" plugins to raise the limits yourself. A wrong edit to a server settings file can take the whole site down, and a plugin often can't change these particular limits anyway.

When to call us

We work on business websites, and this is a routine repair. We find which limit your upload is hitting, raise it the right way on your hosting, and get your theme, plugin or file installed. We fix it at a flat rate you approve before any work starts. Start with our Emergency WordPress Fixes.