How to Change the Default Media Upload Location in WordPress 3.5

The new Media Uploader in WordPress 3.5 is probably the most important change of this release. Another important but less talked about change is the disappearance of the option to change the upload directory path from Settings. The reason for removing this option from the UI was that it is not as commonly used as other options. It also has the potential of creating chaos if the user accidentally changes it.

Removing it will simplify the UI with just a check box for year/month folder organization. In this post we will show you how to change the default media upload location in WordPress 3.5.

Note: This tutorial is not for beginners. Use it only if you know what you are doing.
In order to change the default media upload location, you need to edit the wp-config.php file located in the root directory of your WordPress installation. If you want upload directory to be wp-content/files then you will need to place the following code in wp-config.php

1	define( 'UPLOADS', 'wp-content/'.'files' );

If you want the upload directory to be outside wp-content, like http://www.example.com/files/ then you need to set upload path in wp-config.php like this:

1	define( 'UPLOADS', ''.'files' );

Remember you can still choose whether or not you want uploaded files to be organized in month/year folders in Settings » Media.


Hopefully you found this article to be helpful! If you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment below.

source: wpbeginner.com