Cannot upload png photo files into media library. I get a 'Could not insert post into the database'

I uploaded 7 files this morning but this afternoon all I get is the 'Could not insert post into the database' message. I am a novice at best to WordPress and I have no clue what to do.

I uploaded 7 files this morning but this afternoon all I get is the 'Could not insert post into the database' message. I am a novice at best to WordPress and I have no clue what to do.

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Share Improve this question asked Aug 15, 2018 at 18:11 Russell HooverRussell Hoover 111 silver badge22 bronze badges 1

• inderpreetsingh.com/2015/09/29/… – Castiblanco Commented Aug 15, 2018 at 18:16

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3 Answers 3

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there's a bunch of possible reasons for your problem. I would check the following:

1. Make sure that files you're uploading are allowed by WordPress https://codex.wordpress.org/Uploading_Files

2. It's possible that you're trying to upload files bigger than allowed by your PHP configuration - check upload_max_filesize and post_max_size settings in php.ini. If you do not have access to php.ini on your server, you might need to ask your hosting provider to increase the upload limit for you.

3. You might have hit the size limit of your database, you need to check that in your hosting control panel.

Maybe one of these would help.

i had the same issue and as the previous poster already mentioned: this can have multiple reasons.

try to activate WP_DEBUG & WP_DEBUG_LOG by adding:

define('WP_DEBUG', false);
define('WP_DEBUG_LOG', false);

to your wp-config.php, then try to regenerate the error (by uploading another image). WP_DEBUG_LOG will create a debug.log file inside /wp-content.

here is what i found: WordPress database error Duplicate entry '0' for key 'PRIMARY' for query INSERT INTO...

in my case it meant that i had wrong settings in my db, the primary key for the table was set to ID, but the value was not set to auto-increment. that is simply an option for the column, which i then activated. that solution got my image imports working just fine again.

this was my solution, but may not be yours. just wanted to walk you through a how-to and maybe this solution helps someone on the way...

and for those who care: i created that issue by migrating a working installation to another host and by manually importing the db. don´t know how or why i created that error, though.

you can take to troubleshoot and potentially resolve the issue.

Check file permissions - wp-content/uploads

Check File Size Limit - please check the limit set on the maximum file size for uploads in your WordPress settings or in your server configuration

Check Server Resources - please check also insufficient server resources (such as memory or disk space) can also cause issues with uploading files

Check for Plugin or Theme Conflicts - may be reason is due to plugin or theme conflicts so disable all plugins and switch to a default WordPress theme (such as Twenty Twenty-One). Then try uploading a PNG file again.

Check Error Logs - Check your server's error logs for any relevant error messages.

add code below wp-config.php for show any error logs.

define('WP_DEBUG', true);
define('WP_DEBUG_LOG', true);
define('WP_DEBUG_DISPLAY', true);
define('SCRIPT_DEBUG', true);
@ini_set( 'display_errors', -1 );