System Summary

See your site’s technical specifications at a glance with a dashboard widget showing PHP version, MySQL version, memory limits, and other server information. Essential for troubleshooting and verifying your hosting environment.

Use Cases#

• Quickly check PHP and MySQL versions for plugin compatibility
• Verify server settings meet WordPress requirements
• Share system info with support teams when troubleshooting
• Monitor hosting environment without cPanel access
• Confirm upload limits before importing large files

Where to Find It#

The System Summary widget appears on your WordPress Dashboard (main admin screen). Look for the widget titled “System Summary” with the Switchboard badge.

Information Displayed#

Understanding the Values#

WordPress Version#

Your current WordPress core version. Stay updated for security and features. Major versions (6.4, 6.5) add features; minor versions (6.4.1, 6.4.2) fix bugs and security issues.

PHP Version#

The server-side programming language WordPress uses.

MySQL Version#

Your database server version. WordPress works with MySQL 5.7+ or MariaDB 10.3+.

Server Software#

The web server handling requests:

• Apache: Most common, uses .htaccess files
• Nginx: High performance, different configuration
• LiteSpeed: Performance-focused, Apache-compatible

Memory Limit#

How much RAM PHP can use for a single request.

Max Upload Size#

The largest file you can upload through WordPress.

Common values: 2M, 8M, 32M, 64M, 128M

If you need to upload larger files:

1. Contact your host to increase limits
2. Or modify php.ini/wp-config.php (if you have access)

Max Post Size#

Should be larger than upload_max_filesize to allow form overhead.

Max Execution Time#

How long a PHP script can run before timing out.

When to Check System Summary#

Check your system info when:

• Installing new plugins: Verify PHP/MySQL version compatibility
• Troubleshooting errors: “Allowed memory exhausted” or timeout errors
• Contacting support: They’ll often ask for this information
• Planning imports: Check upload limits before attempting large imports
• After hosting migration: Verify new environment matches old

Sharing System Info#

When contacting plugin/theme support, include:

1. WordPress version
2. PHP version
3. MySQL version
4. Memory limit
5. Any specific error messages

This information helps support teams diagnose issues quickly.

Improving Your Limits#

If your limits are too low, you can often increase them:

Contact Your Host#

Most hosts can increase limits through their support panel. Ask to increase:

• memory_limit
• upload_max_filesize
• post_max_size
• max_execution_time

wp-config.php Method#

Add to wp-config.php (works on some hosts):

define('WP_MEMORY_LIMIT', '256M');

.htaccess Method#

Add to .htaccess (Apache servers):

php_value memory_limit 256M
php_value upload_max_filesize 64M
php_value post_max_size 64M

php.ini Method#

Create or edit php.ini (if allowed by host):

memory_limit = 256M
upload_max_filesize = 64M
post_max_size = 64M
max_execution_time = 300

FAQ#