Solve Error: Sorry, this file type is not permitted for security

This WordPress tutorial explains how to solve the error message “Sorry, this file type is not permitted for security”.

After reading this article, you will know how to check if your file is supported and add file extension exceptions that allow new file types.

All instructions explained in this tutorial include screenshots for all WordPress level users to be able to apply them easily.

Cause of the error “Sorry, this file type is not permitted for security”:

Note: If you already know the cause of this problem, jump straight to the solution; otherwise, keep reading the brief paragraphs below to understand why this happens.

If you fail to upload files and you get the error “Sorry, this file type is not permitted for security”, probably you are trying to upload an unsupported file.

By default WordPress supports the following file types:

• Images: .jpg, .jpeg, .png, .ico, .gif and .webp
• Documents: .pdf (Portable Document Format; Adobe Acrobat) .doc, .docx (Microsoft Word Document) .odt (OpenDocument Text Document) .xls, .xlsx (Microsoft Excel Document) .key (Apple Keynote Presentation) .ppt, .pptx, .pps, .ppsx (Microsoft PowerPoint Presentation)
• Audio: .mp3 .m4a (might not work in all browsers) .ogg .wav
• Video: .mp4, .m4v (MPEG-4) .mov (QuickTime) .wmv (Windows Media Video) .avi .mpg .ogv (Ogg) .3gp (3GPP) .3g2 (3GPP2)

If you are trying to upload a different file type, probably a good solution for you is to convert the file to an accepted extension. If you are trying to upload an unsupported video type, another good option is to host your video on platforms like YouTube or Vimeo, which provide additional benefits (Like download speed).

Yet, if you need to upload the file type without conversion and without hosting it on another platform or server, below you can read a workaround to achieve it.

How to add support for additional file types in WordPress (WP Extra File Types):

This section explains adding support for additional file types in WordPress using the plugin WP Extra File Types.

To begin, login to your WordPress dashboard, and on the left menu, move your mouse cursor over Plugins, then press Add New (Plugins>Add New).

<img alt="" data-lazy- data-lazy-src="https://kirelos.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/echo/permitted-for-security-1.png" data-lazy- height="337" src="data:image/svg xml,” width=”267″>

In the keyword, search field type “file types” and when the plugin WP Extra File Types shows up, press the Install Now button as shown in the screenshot below.

<img alt="" data-lazy- data-lazy-src="https://kirelos.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/echo/permitted-for-security-2.png" data-lazy- height="370" src="data:image/svg xml,” width=”751″>

Once the plugin is installed, you need to enable it by pressing the Activate button shown in the following image.

<img alt="" data-lazy- data-lazy-src="https://kirelos.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/echo/permitted-for-security-3.png" data-lazy- height="347" src="data:image/svg xml,” width=”738″>

After enabling the plugin, on the dashboard left menu, move your mouse cursor over Settings and press Extra File Types (Settings>Extra File Types).

<img alt="" data-lazy-src="https://kirelos.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/echo/permitted-for-security-4.png" height="292" src="data:image/svg xml,” width=”263″>

In the plugin settings, there are 3 initial options that are critical to learning before selecting the file types you want to be supported:

• “To be used only if you are unable to upload files you have enabled by selecting their type”
• “to be used only if you want to manage all the file types by yourself, skipping internal WordPress lists and checks”
• “Override standard behaviour – Beta version – WP-Extra-File-Types has been developed to integrate only with WordPress Media Library”

The first option is very important if you cannot upload a file type after adding it to your WordPress supported file types list.

The second option allows you to bypass WordPress file check. The third option should be discarded for being in the beta version.

Below you can find a long list of file types you can support, mark any file type you want to be supported and scroll down. You can use the key combination Ctrl F to find a specific file extension. If the file type you want to add isn’t listed, you can add custom file types at the bottom of the page.

<img alt="" data-lazy- data-lazy-src="https://kirelos.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/echo/permitted-for-security-5.png" data-lazy- height="547" src="data:image/svg xml,” width=”1111″>

As you can see, at the bottom of the screen, you can find the option “Add your custom file types ”. There you can add custom file types. After selecting the file types, you want to support, press the Save Changes button.

<img alt="" data-lazy- data-lazy-src="https://kirelos.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/echo/permitted-for-security-6.png" data-lazy- height="345" src="data:image/svg xml,” width=”543″>

It is worth reminding you in case after adding support for a file type; you are unable to upload the file, you need to select the first option of this plugin’s settings and save changes again.

<img alt="" data-lazy- data-lazy-src="https://kirelos.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/echo/permitted-for-security-7.png" data-lazy- height="52" src="data:image/svg xml,” width=”602″>

That’s how you can add support for new file types in WordPress.

How to add support for additional file types in WordPress (File Upload Types by WPForms):

This section is very similar to the previous but with an alternative plugin named File Upload Types by WPForms.

To begin, access your WordPress dashboard and move your mouse cursor over Plugins in the left menu. Then press the Add New option (Plugins>Add New).

<img alt="" data-lazy- data-lazy-src="https://kirelos.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/echo/permitted-for-security-8.png" data-lazy- height="337" src="data:image/svg xml,” width=”267″>

In the plugin installation screen, type “file upload types” in the keyword searchfield, as shown in the screenshot below. When the plugin File Upload Types by WPForms shows up, press the Install Now button.

<img alt="" data-lazy- data-lazy-src="https://kirelos.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/echo/permitted-for-security-9.png" data-lazy- height="353" src="data:image/svg xml,” width=”763″>

Once the plugin is installed, enable it by pressing the Activate button as shown in the following image.

<img alt="" data-lazy- data-lazy-src="https://kirelos.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/echo/permitted-for-security-10.png" data-lazy- height="336" src="data:image/svg xml,” width=”752″>

To configure the plugin, place the mouse cursor over Settings on the dashboard left menu, and when displayed, press the File Upload Types option.

<img alt="" data-lazy- data-lazy-src="https://kirelos.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/echo/permitted-for-security-11.png" data-lazy- height="266" src="data:image/svg xml,” width=”267″>

In the Settings screen, you will see a list of extensions you can add to be supported by your WordPress. You can use the Ctrl F key combination to find a specific file extension. At the bottom of the screen, you can find an option to add your custom file type.

<img alt="" data-lazy- data-lazy-src="https://kirelos.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/echo/permitted-for-security-12.png" data-lazy- height="570" src="data:image/svg xml,” width=”797″>

As you can see, at the bottom of the screen, you can add a custom file extension. After doing any changes, remember to press the Save Settings button.

<img alt="" data-lazy- data-lazy-src="https://kirelos.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/echo/permitted-for-security-13.png" data-lazy- height="447" src="data:image/svg xml,” width=”758″>

Now you know how to support additional file types in WordPress using two different plugins.

Conclusion:

As you can see, adding file types to be supported in WordPress is pretty easy. All WordPress-level users can achieve it by simply installing a plugin, as explained above. It is worth reminding you that adding file types arbitrarily may represent a security risk for your website. Attackers may upload malicious codes or executable files to exploit vulnerabilities. Yet, it is very useful to upload highly compressed images with unsupported file extensions in some cases. Of course, there are more alternatives to the plugins used in this tutorial, you can install any of them, which are similar to configure, and you will get the same great results.

Thank you for reading this WordPress article explaining how to allow uploading not permitted files for security reasons. Keep following us for more professional WordPress tips and tutorials.