How do I configure N8N_DEFAULT_BINARY_DATA_MODE to fix AxiosError status code 400?

Below are a few ways to set the environment variable so that n8n will store binary data on the filesystem instead of in memory.

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Using npm (Command Line)

If you start n8n via the command line, open your terminal and run:

BASHCopied
export N8N_DEFAULT_BINARY_DATA_MODE=filesystem
n8n start

This command exports the variable and then starts n8n with the new setting active.

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Using Docker (docker run)

If you're running n8n with Docker, include the environment variable using the -e flag:

BASHCopied
docker run -it --rm \
  -p 5678:5678 \
  -e N8N_DEFAULT_BINARY_DATA_MODE=filesystem \
  docker.n8n.io/n8nio/n8n

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Using Docker Compose

If you're managing n8n with Docker Compose, add or update the environment section in your docker-compose.yaml file:

YAMLCopied
version: '3'
services:
  n8n:
    image: docker.n8n.io/n8nio/n8n
    ports:
      - "5678:5678"
    environment:
      - N8N_DEFAULT_BINARY_DATA_MODE=filesystem

After updating, restart your services with:

BASHCopied
docker-compose down && docker-compose up -d

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By setting N8N_DEFAULT_BINARY_DATA_MODE to filesystem, n8n will store the binary data on disk, helping avoid memory-related issues when handling large files.

If you need further guidance on configuring self-hosted n8n environments, feel free to ask!