“The link you followed has expired.” message appears while installing the plugin
you tried to install (or update) a WordPress plugin or theme and got the message “The link you followed has expired.” The frustrating part: there’s no actual link, no expiration, no helpful context. This message is WordPress’s catch-all for a request that hit a server limit. The fix is to raise the limit.
Why it happens
When you upload a plugin ZIP, the server has to:
- Receive the entire upload (bound by
upload_max_filesize,post_max_size). - Allocate enough memory to unzip and process it (
memory_limit). - Finish before the script timeout kicks in (
max_execution_time,max_input_time).
If any of those limits is too low for the size of the plugin you’re uploading, WordPress aborts and shows the generic “link expired” message. It’s misleading — there’s no actual broken link — but that’s the wording WordPress uses.
The fix: raise six PHP values
Get these to at least the levels below. Most hosts default lower:
| Setting | Suggested value | What it controls |
|---|---|---|
memory_limit | 256M | How much RAM PHP can use per request |
upload_max_filesize | 64M | Max individual file size for uploads |
post_max_size | 64M | Max total POST body size (must ≥ upload_max_filesize) |
max_execution_time | 300 | How long a PHP script can run, in seconds |
max_input_time | 300 | How long PHP can spend parsing input data |
Where to set them
Depends on your host. In order of cleanliness:
- Hosting control panel. Most managed hosts (Kinsta, SiteGround, WP Engine, Cloudways) have a “PHP settings” page with sliders for these values. Easiest path.
- php.ini. If you have shell access, edit php.ini directly. The settings appear under their literal names.
- .htaccess (Apache). Add
php_value upload_max_filesize 64Metc. Some hosts block this. - wp-config.php (last resort). Use
@ini_set( 'memory_limit', '256M' );— only some settings can be raised this way.
If you can’t change the limits
Use the FTP/SFTP install method instead. Download the plugin ZIP, unzip locally, upload the unzipped folder to /wp-content/plugins/, then activate it from WordPress admin. This skips the upload mechanism entirely and works regardless of upload limits. See can’t upload .zip file for the full FTP workflow.
Not Tickera-specific
This message appears for any plugin upload that hits server limits — Tickera, any add-on, any WordPress plugin. The fix is the same regardless of which plugin triggered it. If you’re hitting it with Tickera specifically, you’ll likely hit it with other large plugins too — raise the limits once and you’re set.
Related
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