Fatal error: Maximum execution time of 30 seconds exceeded... Are you getting this error while installing a Joomla extensions? If you have received the error above or a similar "seconds exceeded" error your server has reached its maximum execution time. This means that your server is unable upload and install the extensions within the allocated time set by your hosting provider.

This is all because of your max_execution_time settings in your PHP.INI file in your server's root folder. It contains all the PHP Configuration for your server. You can also check from from here, ADMIN PANEL > HELP> SYSTEM INFO > PHP CONFIGURATION > max_execution_time. If that is set to 30 seconds, then it’s obvious that, you are going to get that error while installing any extension via Joomla Installer.

1. Install from Directory

Joomla! Extensions can be installed using one of three methods. If you are unable to install the editor from the editors .tgz package because of your server execution time, you should be able to install editor by using the “Install from Directory’ method. First you will have to unzip or unpackage the .tgz file before uploading the files to the ‘tmp’ folder in your joomla install. Then install using the ‘Install from Directory’ option. Please see Joomla Docs for a step by step guild on how to install from directory: http://docs.joomla.org/Screen.installer.15

To unzip the editors .tar.gz package file you will need to use application like winRAR which is free - (Click here: to download.)  If this doesn’t work then you could try

2. Increase your servers execution time:

If you have rights to modify the php.ini file and restart the web server:

1. Open the php.ini file (Normally it should be in the php or the windows directory)
2. Find the line: max_execution_time =30 and make it 60 or 90 or 120,whatver you like.
4. Save the php.ini file and restart the web server
5. Now you can try installing stuffs via Joomla Installer and that should work perfectly.