htaccess method will only effect the folder and all subfolders that it is placed in, but you must have certain settings enabled in Apache. The php.ini method will work with all web servers though. Since PHP5 you can only have one php.ini file on your server. If you modify the php.ini file then the changes will effect all php applications on your server. There are positives and negatives to both methods below. If you are using a hosted server then you will probably need to look into other ways to increase your file upload size. These instructions assume you have full physical and administrative access to your server. Unfortunately, this is not so, these are environment issues that need to be set in the server and PHP folders, Moodle cannot work outside itself.
This is a contentious issue, mainly because you might think that it should be set inside the Moodle. Upload file sizes are restricted in a number of ways and each one in this list restricts the following ones: Probably the most frequently asked question on is 'How do I increase the upload file size limit?' The changes that need be made are the same in all versions of Moodle, just in different OS' they need be made in different places. 5.3 Modifying the IIS 7.0/7.5 configuration (Windows Server 2008, Windows Server 2008 R2).