HTTP Error 404.13 - CONTENT_LENGTH_TOO_LARGE when you visit a web site that is hosted on a server that is running IIS 7.0

This article helps you resolve the error (HTTP Error 404.13 - CONTENT_LENGTH_TOO_LARGE) that occurs when you visit a website in Internet Information Services (IIS).

Original product version:   Internet Information Services 7.0
Original KB number:   942074

Symptoms

Consider the following scenario. You have a web site that is hosted on a server that is running IIS 7.0. When a user visits this web site, the user receives an error message that resembles the following error message:

Server Error in Application "application name"
HTTP Error 404.13 - CONTENT_LENGTH_TOO_LARGE
HRESULT: 0
Description of HRESULT # The operation completed successfully.

Cause

This problem occurs because the client request contains a Content-Length header that is larger than the value that is specified for this header in the maxAllowedContentLength property in the ApplicationHost.config file.

Resolution

To resolve this problem, follow these steps:

  1. Select Start. In the Start Search box, type Notepad. Right-click Notepad, and then select Run as administrator.

    Note

    If you are prompted for an administrator password or for a confirmation, type the password, or select Continue.

  2. On the File menu, select Open. In the File name box, type %windir%\system32\inetsrv\config\applicationhost.config, and then select Open.

  3. In the ApplicationHost.config file, locate the <requestLimits> node.

  4. Remove the maxAllowedContentLength property. Or, add a value that matches the size of the Content-Length header that the client sends as part of the request. By default, the value of the maxAllowedContentLength property is 30000000.

    For example, modify the following configuration data inside the <requestFiltering>section.

    <requestLimits maxAllowedContentLength ="<length>" />
    
  5. Save the ApplicationHost.config file.