gitlab-org--gitlab-foss/doc/user/admin_area/diff_limits.md

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# Diff limits administration **(FREE SELF)**

You can set a maximum size for display of diff files (patches).

For details about diff files, [view changes between files](../project/merge_requests/changes.md).
Read more about the [built-in limits for merge requests and diffs](../../administration/instance_limits.md#merge-requests).

## Configure diff limits

WARNING:
These settings are experimental. An increased maximum increases resource
consumption of your instance. Keep this in mind when adjusting the maximum.

To speed the loading time of merge request views and branch comparison views
on your instance, you can configure three instance-level maximum values for diffs:

| Value | Definition | Default value | Maximum value |
| ----- | ---------- | :-----------: | :-----------: |
| **Maximum diff patch size** | The total size, in bytes, of the entire diff. | 200 KB | 500 KB |
| **Maximum diff files** | The total number of files changed in a diff. | 1000 | 3000 |
| **Maximum diff lines** | The total number of lines changed in a diff. | 50,000 | 100,000 |

When a diff reaches 10% of any of these values, the files are shown in a
collapsed view, with a link to expand the diff. Diffs that exceed any of the
set values are presented as **Too large** are cannot be expanded in the UI.

To configure these values:

1. On the top bar, select **Menu >** **{admin}** **Admin**.
1. In the left sidebar, select **Settings > General**.
1. Expand **Diff limits**.
1. Enter a value for the diff limit.
1. Select **Save changes**.

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