How to Fix “An error occurred processing your request” BSR Plugin

📘 Running a bulk search and replace across your WordPress database can be a huge time-saver. However, it can become frustrating when you hit an error. One common issue with the Better Search Replace plugin is the message:

“An error occurred processing your request. Try decreasing the ‘Max Page Size’ or contact support.”

This usually pops up when the plugin tries to process too much data at once. It overwhelms your server’s memory or timeout limits. Thankfully, it’s an easy fix. Here’s what causes the error and how you can solve it.

🔧 What Causes the Error?

The “Max Page Size” determines how many rows from your database the plugin processes in a single batch. If your site has a lot of content, the plugin might crash while handling large chunks of data. This is also true if your hosting environment is limited, such as with shared hosting. These factors can result in the error.

✅ Steps to Fix the Error

1. Go Better Search Replace Settings

• From your WordPress dashboard, go to:
  Tools > Better Search Replace

2. Scroll to the Bottom of the Page

• Before running a search and replace again, look for the field labeled:
  “Max Page Size”

3. Upside the Max Page Size

Go back to the top => setting upside down and Save

• The default is usually 5000 or 10000.
• Try it upside down from 5000 or even 25000. 💡 Start with 25000. If the error persists, go lower.

4. Run Search Replace

Here you can keep and don’t keep Dry Run. For me, I uncheck Dry Run to process instantly.

• Keep the “Dry Run?” option checked.
• Click Run Search/Replace and see if it completes successfully.
• If it does, uncheck Dry Run and proceed with the actual replacement.

Right now, it is a success as a running replacement for me. For you, if you have not yet succeeded, you can try another method as follows to continue.

5. Still Not Working?

• Try breaking your task into smaller parts—perhaps by selecting fewer database tables or handling only part of your content (e.g., just. wp_posts).
• You can also try increasing the PHP memory limit or execution time, though this may require editing your php.ini or .htaccess file—or ask your hosting provider to assist.

🎉 Wrapping Up

Errors like this can feel intimidating. They’re usually caused by something simple. It could be the plugin trying to do too much at once. By reducing the Max Page Size, you instruct Better Search Replace to take smaller bites of data. This change helps avoid timeouts and memory issues.

💡 Pro Tip: Try an Alternative Plugin

If you continue to experience issues, you might want to try the “Search & Replace Everything” plugin by WPCode. It offers a more user-friendly interface. This plugin often handles large datasets with fewer hiccups. Need help adjusting your hosting settings or optimizing the replacement for your site size? Just let me know!