If you see an error like:
PHP Fatal error: Maximum execution time of 30 seconds exceeded
…it means the script ran longer than PHP is allowed to run (max_execution_time). This often happens during large imports/exports, plugin updates, backups, or heavy page generation.
1) Check the logs (recommended)
- Plesk → Websites & Domains → your domain → Logs
- Check the error entry to see which script or request triggered the timeout.
2) Increase max_execution_time in Plesk
- Log in to Plesk.
- Go to Websites & Domains → your domain.
- Open PHP Settings.
- Increase:
- max_execution_time (e.g.,
120, 300, or higher for large tasks)
- max_input_time (useful for large forms/imports)
- Click Apply to save.
Note: hosting plans can have limits. If you cannot set a value high enough, you may need to optimize the task or run it differently.
3) Avoid timeouts (best practices)
- Split large imports into smaller files when possible.
- For WordPress, prefer doing updates via WordPress Toolkit in Plesk.
- For database imports, phpMyAdmin works for many cases, but very large imports may require CLI tools.
- Use caching and optimize heavy plugins/themes if timeouts happen during normal page loads.
4) If the timeout happens during a maintenance task
Long operations can be more reliable when executed via CLI (SSH) on a VPS or in an environment where you control server timeouts. If you are on shared hosting and the task is too large, consider migrating that workload to a VPS.
