WordPress supported file types and extended new file format upload details

WordPress allows you to upload many types of files, but there are some that are not supported. This is done mainly to protect your website from security risks, but also to ensure that your website runs smoothly on different devices and platforms. This article will explain to you in detail which file types are allowed to be uploaded and show you how to add support for new file types.

WordPress Allowed File Types

We'll take you through a comprehensive look at a wide range of file types, from familiar image files to less common document formats. The next file types we'll explore include:

• imagery
• sound frequency
• video
• (computer) file
• text file
• compressed package

What image file types does WordPress allow?

WordPress allows you to upload at least four different types of image files.

• .jpg, .jpeg
• .png
• .gif
• .ico

When uploading these types of files to WordPress, the system will automatically accept them and add them to the media library, but there will be no message that the upload was successful.

In our testing, we found thatWordPress does allow more image types than officially listed.

We can also upload these file types:

• .webp
• .bmp
• .avif

If you try to upload a file type that is not supported by WordPress, such as an image in .svg format, the system will indicate that the upload failed. Specifically, you'll see a message that says, "Sorry, this file type is not supported for upload.

What audio file types does WordPress allow?

WordPress allows you to upload at least four types of audio files:

• .mp3
• .m4a
• .ogg
• .wav

You can use the "Add Media" button to insert these image type files into the WordPress text area. 

You can see an example in the image below, where the uploaded.mp3file and embed it in a WordPress post. This allows you to play the audio directly on the screen.

Popular audio formats such as .m4a, .aac, and .wma are not included in the official list of supported file types for WordPress uploads. 

Attempting to upload these types of files may result in an error message, as seen inside the screenshot below.

While WordPress has a list of officially supported file types, some audio formats that aren't listed, such as .flac, .opus, and .wma, can actually be uploaded. However, the results may vary when playing these audio files.

For example, in some cases, .flac and .opus files may not play directly on a web page, but just display a spinning animation with no sound, as you may have noticed.

What document file types does WordPress allow?

WordPress allows uploading at least six different types of documents:

• .doc, .docx
• .odt
• .pdf
• .psd
• .ppt, .pptx, .pps, .ppsx
• .xls, .xlsx

To upload these types of files, you'll have to work through the media library, unless you've installed some third-party plugin. If you try to upload these files while writing a post, the system will prompt a message telling you that this file type is not supported for uploading, like this.

Just like image files, the official list of document types given by WordPress may not be complete. For example, you can upload .rtf and .odp files, which means that there are other file types that aren't on the list that can be uploaded to WordPress. there are definitely more file and image types that haven't been tested, but it's possible that they can be uploaded successfully.

What video file types does WordPress allow?

WordPress allows you to upload nine types of video files. All of these file types can be embedded and played in your posts and pages.

• .avi
• .mpg
• .mov
• .mp4, .m4v
• .ogv
• .wmv
• .3gp
• .3g2

WordPress has officially said that certain video file types you upload can be displayed and played directly on your website. Here's an example of what an MP4 video file embedded in a WordPress post looks like to demonstrate this feature.

While WordPress lists the types of files that can be uploaded, it may actually differ in recognizing and accepting them. For example, while you can upload a .3gp file, WordPress treats it as a document rather than a media file. Also, problems may be encountered when trying to upload certain file types, such as when uploading a .ogv file, WordPress may display an error message and reject the upload.

What text file types does WordPress allow?

WordPress allows uploading at least two different types of text files:

• .txt
• .csv

What zip file types does WordPress allow?

WordPress allows uploading at least three different types of archive files:

• .zip
• .gz
• .rar

What other file types does WordPress allow?

WordPress supports at least three types of files and may accept some other file types that have not been tested. This shows that WordPress is actually quite flexible in terms of supported file formats.

• .keynote (Apple Keynote Presentation)
• .numbers (Apple Numbers spreadsheet)
• .pages (Apple Pages documents). 

These are the file types that WordPress allows. 

How to Fix "Sorry, this file type is not allowed for security reasons" Error in WordPress

Next, we will teach you two ways to solve the "Sorry, this file type is not supported for security reasons" problem in WordPress:

1. By editing the site's wp-config.php file
2. By using the free WordPress plugin

1. Add new allowed file types via wp-config.php

To make your WordPress site support uploading any file type to the media library, you need to turn on the ALLOW_UNFILTERED_UPLOADS option in the wp-config.php file. Follow the steps below to do so.

The best thing to do before making any changes is to back up your website:

• Connect to your WordPress site via FTP/SFTP.
• Find the wp-config.php file in the root folder, as well as the wp-admin and wp-includes folders.
• Open wp-config.php and edit it using a text editor.

Right-click to edit the wp-config.php file, or download it to your computer:

Then, when editing the wp-config.php file, add the following to the/* That's all, stop editing! Happy blogging. */ Add the following code at the top of the line:

define('ALLOW_UNFILTERED_UPLOADS', true);

Don't forget to save the changes you've made and then you can upload the file again. To complete this step, you need to go back to the WordPress dashboard, log out of your account, and then immediately log in again.

After logging out and logging back in, you should be able to upload any file without encountering an error message.

2. use the free WP Extra File Types plugin

If you don't want to edit the wp-config.php file or want to have more control over the types of files allowed, you can use the free WP Extra File Types Plug-ins.

After installing and activating the plugin, navigate to "Settings" → "Additional File Types" in the WordPress dashboard.

Find the full list of file types. Check the box next to the file type you want to enable uploads for and click Save Changes at the bottom.

If the file type you need to upload doesn't appear in the list, you can add a new file type yourself. Just slide to the bottom of the settings page and you'll see a place to add a custom file type. Enter the file extension you want to add and click 'Save Changes' to start using the new settings.

Check the screenshot below -

summarize

WordPress restricts the uploading of certain file formats for security reasons. Generally speaking, it's best not to change these restrictions if it's not very necessary. If you do need to upload files in other formats, you can try using the WP Extra File Types plugin, which is very simple to use.

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