If you are reading this, you probably encountered a file permission error within your /media directory.

The /media directory is the directory on your server where b2evolution will store all the files/images you upload to your collection.

The file permission error also manifests in the Front Office as black images with a red error message like this:

This means b2evolution tried to create a resized version of an image but was unable to read the original image or write the smaller image to /media directory structure.

This happens when the PHP process that executes b2evolution does not have the proper UNIX file permissions on the /media directories.

How do I fix this?

Some hosting providers are set up in a way where PHP will never have this kind of problem. Others are set up in a way where PHP will have this kind of problem every time it tries to create or modify a file or folder. The best solution to this problem depends on your particular host setup.

The easiest way here is to request help from your hosting provider’s tech support to achieve this. That is what they are here for! ;) Tell them "My PHP application (b2evolution) needs write access to the /media directory and its sub-directories but there is a permission error. How do we fix those permissions?". If a complete file path is displayed (example: /var/www/user/web/media/) give them that path also.

To fix this yourself, your will find helpful information in: Directory and File Permissions.

Now if you understand UNIX file permissions, we highly recommend you look at: Optimal File Permissions.

More info about error messages

See also: Media directory "xyz" could not be created