How to Upload Files in PHP

Uploading files in PHP involves using an HTML form along with PHP code to handle the file upload process to your server. In this article, we'll break down the steps and provide detailed examples.

Create an HTML Form for File Upload

Start by creating an HTML form with a file input field. Use the POST method and set enctype="multipart/form-data" to handle file uploads properly.


html
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
    <meta charset="UTF-8">
    <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">
    <title>Upload File</title>
</head>
<body>
    <h1>Upload a File in PHP</h1>
    <form action="upload.php" method="post" enctype="multipart/form-data">
        <label for="fileUpload">Choose a file to upload:</label>
        <input type="file" name="fileToUpload" id="fileUpload">
        <button type="submit" name="submit">Upload File</button>
    </form>
</body>
</html>

Write PHP Code to Handle File Upload

Create a PHP file (e.g., upload.php) to process the file once the form is submitted.


php
<?php
// Check if the form has been submitted
if ($_SERVER['REQUEST_METHOD'] === 'POST') {
    // Define the upload directory
    $targetDir = "uploads/";
    $targetFile = $targetDir . basename($_FILES["fileToUpload"]["name"]);
    $uploadOk = true;
    $fileType = strtolower(pathinfo($targetFile, PATHINFO_EXTENSION));

    // Check if the file already exists
    if (file_exists($targetFile)) {
        echo "The file already exists.";
        $uploadOk = false;
    }

    // Check file size (e.g., limit to 5MB)
    if ($_FILES["fileToUpload"]["size"] > 5000000) {
        echo "The file is too large.";
        $uploadOk = false;
    }

    // Allow specific file types (e.g., only images)
    $allowedTypes = ["jpg", "png", "gif", "jpeg"];
    if (!in_array($fileType, $allowedTypes)) {
        echo "Only JPG, JPEG, PNG, and GIF files are allowed.";
        $uploadOk = false;
    }

    // Attempt to upload the file if there are no errors
    if ($uploadOk) {
        if (move_uploaded_file($_FILES["fileToUpload"]["tmp_name"], $targetFile)) {
            echo "The file " . htmlspecialchars(basename($_FILES["fileToUpload"]["name"])) . " has been uploaded successfully.";
        } else {
            echo "There was an error uploading the file.";
        }
    } else {
        echo "The file could not be uploaded.";
    }
}
?>

Make sure to create a directory named uploads in your project folder.

Project File Structure


plaintext
project/
│
├── index.html        // HTML form for file upload
├── upload.php       // PHP file for handling uploads
└── uploads/          // Directory for storing uploaded files

Les's test our project:

Open the index.html file in a browser.
Select a file and click "Upload File."
If the upload is successful, the file will be stored in the uploads directory, and a success message will appear.