Written by Admin on 2025-05-06

How to Force Download with Plugins on WordPress

WordPress is a great platform for creating websites and blogs. However, when it comes to offering downloadable files such as images, videos, and audio files, WordPress has its limitations. By default, WordPress offers only two options: display the file in the browser or prompt the user to save the file. In this article, we will show you how to force download with plugins on WordPress.

What is force download?

Force download is a technique where the user is prompted to download a file rather than display it in the browser. This is useful when the file is a large one and displaying it in the browser might slow down the website. It is also useful when you want to restrict access to the file by making it available for download only.

Using plugins to force download

WordPress offers several plugins that can be used to force download files. In this section, we will look at two plugins: Easy Media Download and Force Download.

Easy Media Download

Easy Media Download is a user-friendly plugin that allows you to surface your files for download without the need for you to code anything. This plugin is easy to setup and use and does not require any programming knowledge.

Here's how you can use Easy Media Download to force download files:

1. Install and activate the Easy Media Download plugin.

2. Navigate to Media > Easy Media Download and click on "Add New".

3. Add your file title, description, and upload the file.

4. Select the "Force Download" option from the dropdown menu under the download button.

5. Click on "Publish" to save your changes.

Now, when someone clicks on the download button, they'll be prompted to save the file instead of displaying it in the browser.

Force Download

Force Download is another plugin that can be used to force download files on WordPress. This plugin offers more options compared to Easy Media Download and gives you greater control over the download process.

Here's how you can use Force Download to force download files:

1. Install and activate the Force Download plugin.

2. Navigate to Settings > Force Download.

3. Select the file types you want to force download.

4. Configure other settings such as the button text, download location, and file size limit.

5. Click on "Save Changes" to save your changes.

Now, when someone clicks on a link to download a file in the supported file types, they'll be prompted to save the file instead of displaying it in the browser.

Conclusion

In this article, we have shown you how to force download with plugins on WordPress. Both Easy Media Download and Force Download offer easy and effective ways to force download files on your WordPress website. By following the steps outlined in this article, you'll be able to allow your users to download files with ease while maintaining greater control over their accessibility.