s3 disk, and shows how upload limits are worked out.
Where files go
Media files are named
{user id}/{year}/{month}/{random id}.{extension} inside public/media. They are served straight from the web root, so no storage:link step is needed.
Make the folders writable
PHP must be able to write topublic/media. If the folder does not exist yet, PHP needs write access to public, so it can create it on the first upload. The installer’s permission check lists public/uploads, storage and its subfolders, bootstrap/cache, lang and .env.
To confirm, open Admin → Publishing → Settings and look at System health. The Media storage line reads “Uploads are saved in public/media.” when all is well, and “Uploads cannot be saved, because PHP cannot write to public/media.” when it is not. See Publishing settings.
Default Storage
1
Open General Settings
Go to Admin → General Settings. The General tab is open by default.
2
Read the Default Storage list
Default Storage controls where new Image Studio and Video Studio results are stored. The list always contains Local server (this machine).
3
Add more choices with a plugin
Other entries appear only when a cloud storage plugin is installed and enabled. The Plugins tab lists installed plugins and says “No plugins installed yet.” when there are none.
The s3 disk and the AWS_* keys
config/filesystems.php defines an s3 disk that reads these keys from .env: AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID, AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY, AWS_DEFAULT_REGION, AWS_BUCKET, AWS_URL, AWS_ENDPOINT and AWS_USE_PATH_STYLE_ENDPOINT. The Amazon S3 client library is installed with the application.
No MagicPost feature writes to that disk. The media library, the watermark, logos, attachments and AI results each name their own disk (media, public or local). Filling in the AWS_* keys does not move any files to a bucket, and setting FILESYSTEM_DISK=s3 does not either.
The same AWS_* keys are also read by the optional SQS queue and DynamoDB cache drivers, if you choose them. All keys are listed in Environment variables.
Upload limits
Several limits apply to a file, and the smallest one wins.
Accepted formats are
jpg, jpeg, png, gif and webp for images, and mp4, mov, webm, avi and mkv for video. SVG files are refused. A file whose content does not match its extension is also refused.
Large files and PHP limits
The media library does not send a big file in one request. The browser cuts it into pieces that fit under PHP’supload_max_filesize and post_max_size, between 256 KB and 8 MB each, and sends them one by one. That is how a large video can upload on a host that caps PHP at a few megabytes. Admin → Publishing → Settings → Uploads shows the size PHP accepts per request and the piece size in use.
PHP’s limits still apply to uploads that are not in the media library, such as logos and profile photos.
Messages people may see
Processing after upload
Images are read and given a preview up to 640 px wide immediately. Videos are processed in the background on themedia queue, so a video stays in processing until the scheduler or queue worker runs. If ffmpeg is missing, the video is still usable, but its length is not checked and it has no preview. See Video processing and Cron and queue.
What to back up
Back up these together, so a restore is consistent:- The database.
.env.public/media.public/uploads.storage/app/private, which holds bank transfer proofs.storage/app/analytics, if you use Google Analytics in the admin dashboard.