Have you ever encountered a situation where a client attempted to upload large files, such as documents or videos, through a form and encountered difficulties? Those server restrictions and error messages kill momentum and flood the inbox with support tickets.
In this first look, we explore Big File Form Uploads, a WordPress plugin from Infinite Uploads that lets us bypass max file size limits and accept more file types on front-end forms. The goal is simple: give users a smooth upload experience while we stay in control of limits, formats, and reliability.
How to Get the Best Deal on Big File Form Uploads
InfluenceWP has an exclusive Big File Form Uploads deal.
What Big File Form Uploads Solves
Large uploads can fail for a number of reasons, including website hosting limits, form plugins blocking certain file types, uploads can time out, and more.
Big File Form Uploads addresses these issues, providing higher upload limits, broader file type support, and a stable upload process that reduces failures, while integrating with popular solutions like Contact Form 7, Gravity Forms, and Forminator.
Key Features That Stand Out
Inherited Upload Limit: Set a single max file size, like 2 GB, and have it apply to all supported forms on the site. This central setting saves time when forms are spread across pages, popups, and custom templates.
Smart Upload Handling: Users cannot submit the form until files have finished uploading. That means fewer lost submissions and fewer headaches when a slow connection drags the upload out. It prevents issues where the form arrives without the file.
Broad File Type Support: By default, many form plugins restrict the types of files that can be uploaded. Big File Form Uploads opens that up. You can allow more formats for images, video, and other media, then use each form’s own rules to keep control over what gets through.
Secure and Reliable Uploads: Big File Form Uploads uses chunking. Chunking breaks large files into smaller parts and uploads them in sequence. This approach reduces the chance of timeouts and failed uploads on big files, like video. If a chunk fails, the process can retry without losing the whole upload.
A Quick Tour of the Infinite Uploads Site
On the Infinite Uploads website, you can find the Big File Form Uploads plugin under the Products section. From there, explore the features, learn about the team, and gain access to support resources.
The About page shows the faces behind the product and shares the company story. We have spoken with Blake, a co-founder, and can vouch for his generosity and straightforward style. That gives us confidence in their work and in the quality seen across the Infinite Uploads brand.
Documentation
The Support section includes nice documentation to get you going. It covers setup, how chunking works, and how the plugin interacts with form builders.
Big File Form Uploads pairs with a free plugin from the official repository called Big File Uploads. Settings live in the free plugin. The paid plugin handles the form integrations and license.
How the Two Plugins Work Together
You need two plugins for the full setup:
- Big File Uploads (free, from the WordPress repository)
- Big File Form Uploads (paid add-on for form integrations)
Configuration happens in the Big File Uploads settings. Big File Form Uploads adds the integration layer with Contact Form 7, Gravity Forms, and Forminator, plus license management.
This setup is simple once you know where to click. It also keeps the system clean. We set site-wide rules in one place, then let each form handle local behavior.
Step-by-Step Setup and Configuration
Follow this quick path to get up and running:
- Install and activate the free Big File Uploads plugin.
- Install and activate the paid Big File Form Uploads plugin.
- Add your license for Big File Form Uploads.
- Open the Big File Uploads settings and set your max upload size.
- Save your settings so the limit flows to your forms.
Most of the magic happens at step 4. Say your host caps you at 128 MB and you accept video submissions. That cap will not hold up long. Set your site-wide limit to something more sensible for your use case, like 2 GB. This higher limit will be inherited by supported forms across your site, so you do not need to hunt through each one.
There is also a user role setting in Big File Uploads. Right now, we saw options like administrator, editor, author, and shop manager. We would love to see more roles here, such as subscriber or customer. Many front-end submissions come from users in those roles or from custom roles created by membership or eCommerce plugins.
The plugin includes a tool for analyzing storage usage. It scans your media library and flags the largest files. The tool is useful when a site starts to balloon in size. If you need more storage and better performance, Infinite Uploads offers a cloud media solution that can offload your library (IWP Deal).
Compatibility With Popular Form Builders
Out of the box, Big File Form Uploads works with:
- Contact Form 7
- Gravity Forms, including single and multi-page forms
- Forminator, which is free from the WordPress repository
A Simple Walkthrough With Forminator
We tested the experience using Forminator. After installing Forminator, we opened its dashboard and edited the default contact form. The form did not include a file field, so we added the File Upload field. You can set it to single or multiple uploads.
When dealing with multiple large files, chunking shines because it keeps data flowing and prevents a single failure from killing the entire upload.
In the field settings, two areas matter most:
- File Types: Forminator sets a default list. Your server may also limit types. Big File Form Uploads helps broaden what is allowed, so you can accept more formats your users need.
- File Size Limit: This field reflects the site-wide limit you set in Big File Uploads. For example, if you set 2 GB in the plugin, the form might display a limit around 2147 MB. That is just under 2 GB and may reflect a technical cap or a safety limit. You can still lower the limit per form. For example, you might allow only 10 MB for a simple contact form while keeping a high limit on an application form.
If you try to enter a higher limit than the global setting, the form will not accept it. You will need to raise the site-wide setting in the Big File Uploads panel first. This behavior keeps limits consistent and prevents unsafe values in a single form.
This flexible control is great for site-wide policies. We can set a high ceiling, then tune an individual form to fit a use case. That way we do not risk giant files on every form, only where we want them.
Why User Role Controls Matter
Front-end uploads often come from logged-in customers, subscribers, or members. If we could set higher limits for staff and lower limits for general users, that would help. The current role list covers admin, editor, author, and shop manager.
Expanding that list to include subscribers and customers would provide site owners more control. It would also help those of us who use custom roles. We see clear value in adding this to the roadmap.
Reliability And User Experience
The focus on reliability stands out. Chunking makes a big difference when real users are on hotel Wi-Fi or older devices. The smart handling that blocks submission until the files are fully uploaded closes a common loophole. Together, these provide us a better frontend process with fewer broken submissions.
We did not run a full end-to-end stress test in this pass. The goal was to confirm how the settings flow, how the plugin pairs with Big File Uploads, and how limits show up in a real form. Our observations indicate that the strategy is sound and the components align well.
Who Should Use Big File Form Uploads
- Agencies that accept client media through forms, such as video intros, podcast files, or portfolios.
- Course creators who accept assignments and projects.
- Membership or community sites with user media submissions.
- Any site where users need to upload files larger than the default host limit.
If you run into upload failures or plan to accept large files, this plugin belongs in your stack.
Final Thoughts
File upload pain is sometimes avoidable. Big File Form Uploads provides us higher limits, better reliability, and broader file type support, all without heavy setup. The inherited limit keeps forms consistent.
Chunking reduces timeouts. Smart handling brings fewer lost submissions. Pair that with a quick setup and support docs, and we obtain a clean resolution for a common problem.