How to fix ERROR 1153: Got packet bigger than max_allowed_packet in MySQL

Log into MySQL and run:

SHOW VARIABLES LIKE "max_allowed_packet";

Note the current value in bytes (e.g., 16777216 = 16MB, 67108864 = 64MB). This helps you determine how much to increase it.

Check your largest SQL file or BLOB size:

# For SQL dump files
ls -lh your_dump.sql
wc -c your_dump.sql

# Or estimate based on your use case
# Example: 100MB for large WooCommerce dumps, 256MB for media-heavy apps

A safe approach is to set max_allowed_packet to 256M or higher for production systems handling substantial data.

For immediate relief without restarting MySQL:

SET GLOBAL max_allowed_packet = 256 * 1024 * 1024;  -- 256MB
SET GLOBAL net_buffer_length = 16 * 1024 * 1024;    -- 16MB

Verify the change:

SHOW VARIABLES LIKE "max_allowed_packet";

Note: This resets when MySQL restarts, so use it only for temporary fixes or testing.

Edit your MySQL configuration file (my.cnf or my.ini, typically at /etc/mysql/my.cnf or C:\\ProgramData\\MySQL\\MySQL Server 8.0\\my.ini):

[mysqld]
max_allowed_packet = 256M
net_buffer_length = 16M

[mysql]
max_allowed_packet = 256M

Note: Both [mysqld] (server) and [mysql] (client) sections need the setting if you're importing via command-line. Restart MySQL:

# Linux/Mac
sudo systemctl restart mysql

# Or on macOS with Homebrew
brew services restart mysql

# Windows
net stop MySQL80
net start MySQL80

If you only need to import a one-time large dump, pass max_allowed_packet to the client:

mysql --max_allowed_packet=256M -u root -p database_name < huge_dump.sql

For mysqldump restoration:

mysqdump --max_allowed_packet=256M -u root -p database_name > backup.sql
mysql --max_allowed_packet=256M -u root -p database_name < backup.sql

This avoids permanent configuration changes for one-off operations.

Re-run your import or query:

mysql --max_allowed_packet=256M -u root -p database_name < dump.sql

If it succeeds, the error is resolved. If it still fails:
- Increase to 512M or 1G: --max_allowed_packet=512M
- Check if your query or file is truly larger than expected
- Review application logs for the exact packet size being sent

For persistent application errors, update your application connection string or driver configuration if it supports max_allowed_packet parameters.