How to fix the “Missing Temporary Folder” error in WordPress?

• Created May 20, 2021 
• Category WordPress Troubleshooting

The Missing temporary folder error in WordPress makes it impossible to upload images, add plugins, update themes, or update the WordPress core. If you encounter this error with your WordPress site, these steps will help you fix it.

What causes the Missing Temporary Folder error?

The “Missing temporary folder” error might appear on your WordPress site if you’ve set up incorrect PHP settings. A specific PHP setting makes it possible to define a temporary folder that stores temporary app data of apps. This data is stored in the temporary folder before being saved to the desired location.

When you upload an image, install or update a plugin or the WordPress core, the temporary folder needs to be accessed by WordPress.

If your server’s PHP configuration does not define the location of this folder, then WordPress is unable to access it and generates the “Missing temporary folder” error.

Now that you know the reason behind the Missing temporary folder error, follow these steps to fix it.

How to fix the “Missing temporary folder” error in WordPress 

To fix this error, you need to edit the wp-config.php file in WordPress. 

1. Connect to your website using an FTP client or a File Manager. You can do this from the cPanel dashboard of your hosting account.
2. Locate the wp-config.php file and edit it.

3. Copy-paste the following code to the file before the line that says, ‘That’s all, stop editing! Happy blogging’.

define('WP_TEMP_DIR', dirname(__FILE__) . '/wp-content/temp/');

4.     Save your changes.
5.     Upload the wp-config.php file back to your website.
6.     Go to /wp-content/ folder.
7.     Create a new folder named Temp.

You can now visit your WordPress admin area and try to upload the image again. The image should upload without any errors.

If the solution mentioned above does not work for you, check the directory permissions of your wp-content folder. The directory should have 755 permissions.

If you need help with your HostPapa account, please open a support ticket from your dashboard.