Fix “The Link You Followed Has Expired” Error

What it means

When you're trying to upload a plugin or theme and hit this error, WordPress is hitting one of three server limits:

• upload_max_filesize — max size of an uploaded file
• post_max_size — max size of POST data
• max_execution_time — max seconds a PHP script can run

The Linkilo zip is small enough that you shouldn't hit these limits, but a stale .htaccess or unusually low host defaults can trigger it.

Fix 1 — Raise the limits via .htaccess

Open .htaccess in your WordPress root and add at the bottom:

php_value upload_max_filesize 128M
php_value post_max_size 128M
php_value max_execution_time 300
php_value max_input_time 300

Save and retry the upload.

Fix 2 — Raise limits in php.ini

If .htaccess doesn't work (some hosts disable php_value directives), edit php.ini:

upload_max_filesize = 128M
post_max_size = 128M
max_execution_time = 300

If there's no php.ini in your root, create one. On managed hosts, use the host's PHP configuration UI instead.

Fix 3 — Raise limits in functions.php

Add to your active theme's functions.php:

@ini_set('upload_max_size', '128M');
@ini_set('post_max_size', '128M');
@ini_set('max_execution_time', '300');

Limits set here reset if you switch themes — prefer .htaccess or php.ini if possible.

Other things worth trying

If raising the limits didn't help, the error is sometimes triggered by something else — see the long list of WordPress fixes on our blog. Common culprits:

• Refresh and log back in
• Clear browser cache and cookies
• Increase WordPress memory: define('WP_MEMORY_LIMIT', '256M'); in wp-config.php
• Verify siteurl and home in the database (use phpMyAdmin)
• Regenerate .htaccess: rename existing one to .htaccess_old, go to Settings → Permalinks → Save Changes
• Check file permissions (folders 755, files 644)
• Update PHP to the latest stable version your host supports

Last resort

If nothing works, contact your hosting support — they can see server logs and tell you exactly which limit is being hit.