=== File Upload & Download Manager – Shared Files === Contributors: anssilaitila, freemius Tags: file upload, download manager, file sharing, upload, file manager Requires at least: 6.2 Tested up to: 6.8 Stable tag: 1.7.52 Requires PHP: 7.4 License: GPLv2 License URI: https://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-2.0.html Secure file upload & download manager with search, access control, tracking, and lead capture β€” all from the frontend. == Description == **Secure, fast, and easy file uploads and downloads directly on your WordPress site.** Shared Files lets you add a powerful file upload form and download manager to your website β€” complete with search, access control, tracking, and lead capture. Easily share files with visitors, collect uploads from users, and manage documents without leaving WordPress. Perfect for businesses, schools, creators, and teams who need a simple yet flexible way to store, organize, and distribute files securely. --- ### πŸš€ Key Benefits - **Save time** by managing files entirely within WordPress - **Boost engagement** with powerful search and filtering - **Stay in control** with role-based access and download restrictions - **Capture leads** before downloads to grow your email list - **Track usage** with built-in download statistics and logs --- ### πŸ—‚ Core Features - **Frontend File Upload Form** β€” Allow users to upload files without accessing wp-admin - **Customizable Download Listings** β€” Display files anywhere via shortcode or block - **Search & Filter** β€” Let visitors quickly find what they need - **Access Control** β€” Restrict files by user role, password, or login status - **Statistics & Logs** β€” Track downloads and search activity - **Lead Capture Before Download** β€” Collect names and emails before granting access - **Multilingual Ready** β€” Works with WPML and Polylang - **Mobile-Friendly** β€” Works perfectly on all devices --- ### πŸ“₯ Powerful Download Manager for WordPress Shared Files includes a built-in **download manager** that makes it easy to organize, display, and track files on your website. Instead of relying on complicated external tools, you can manage everything inside WordPress: - Create file listings with categories, tags, and search - Show download buttons or file lists anywhere with shortcodes or blocks - Track download counts and activity logs for detailed insights - Restrict downloads to logged-in users, specific roles, or password-protected access Whether you’re distributing documents, software, media files, or reports, Shared Files gives you a **reliable WordPress download manager** that works seamlessly with your site. --- ### ⬆️ Frontend File Upload Made Simple Shared Files also provides a **frontend file upload** form so visitors can securely upload files without needing access to wp-admin. This makes it ideal for: - Collecting assignments or documents from students or team members - Allowing clients to upload files directly from your website - Accepting media submissions, resumes, or project files Key advantages of the **file upload** feature: - Works with large files (server settings permitting) - Upload permissions can be restricted to logged-in users or specific roles - Uploaded files are automatically stored and can be published or reviewed by admins - Fully mobile-friendly upload form With Shared Files, **file uploads and downloads are unified** in one plugin β€” a complete solution for managing files on WordPress. --- ### 🎯 Perfect For - Schools & universities sharing course materials - Businesses distributing product documents or whitepapers - Teams collaborating on internal files - Creators offering digital downloads to their audience --- ### πŸ“₯ Getting Started is Easy 1. Install **Shared Files** from the WordPress plugin directory 2. Add your first files via the backend or frontend uploader 3. Use the provided shortcode or block to display files anywhere on your site --- ### 🌟 Upgrade to Pro for More Power Unlock advanced features: - Advanced filtering options - Full featured frontend upload forms - City and country in download log & search log - Upload files via FTP - Activate files from WordPress Media Library - Set permissions to files (users and roles) - Collection of favorite files for each user - Display files in the site search results - Email notifications - All available fields for files, plugin settings and shortcodes - Priority support from the original plugin author πŸš€ [Start a free 7-day PRO Trial Β»](https://checkout.freemius.com/mode/dialog/plugin/5144/plan/8308/?trial=free&billing_cycle=monthly&coupon=WPORG&cancel_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwordpress.org%2Fplugins%2Fshared-files%2F) πŸ” [Learn more about Shared Files Pro Β»](https://www.sharedfilespro.com) --- ### πŸ“Œ Why Choose Shared Files? Unlike generic file managers or cloud integrations, Shared Files is built *specifically* for WordPress: - No external dependencies - Faster performance - Easier customization - Complete control over your data --- This product includes GeoLite2 data created by MaxMind, available from [maxmind.com](https://www.maxmind.com) --- == How can I report security bugs? == Please see the [first FAQ item](#how%20can%20i%20report%20security%20bugs%3F) below. == Installation == 1. Activate the plugin from WordPress plugin directory or manually upload it to your site 2. See the Help / Support page for further instructions == Frequently Asked Questions == = How can I report security bugs? = You can report security bugs through the Patchstack Vulnerability Disclosure Program. The Patchstack team help validate, triage and handle any security vulnerabilities. [Report a security vulnerability.](https://patchstack.com/database/vdp/shared-files) = Can I restrict access to certain files? = Yes, you can restrict access by user role, require login, or password-protect individual files. = Does it work with large files? = Yes, Shared Files supports large file uploads. Your server settings may need adjusting for very large uploads. = Can I see who downloaded my files? = Yes, the plugin logs download activity and can also record visitor names/emails if lead capture is enabled. = What happens to WordPress Media Library? = Nothing. The Shared Files plugin works completely outside WP media library and doesn't affect how the Media Library works. = Can I use the plugin to share files? = Yes! The plugin's is main idea is to share files on your site. You can list files on any of your site's blog articles or pages by adding the appropriate shortcode there. = Do I have to pay for using the plugin? = The paid version of Shared Files has many features that might interest you, but you can use the Free version without restrictions as long as you want. = Do you offer support? = Of course! We offer support in the forums [here on WordPress.org](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/shared-files/) and if you have a paid subscription we offer priority email support [here](https://www.sharedfilespro.com/support/). = Does Shared Files work with some other plugin? = The plugin is widely tested with other plugins, but if there's any kind of compatibility issue with some other plugin we will do our best to solve the issue. = Is this a download manager, file sharing plugin, media library or what? = You can use the Shared Files plugin for any purpose that suits your needs. The basic idea is to present a user friendly list of downloadable files. :) = Can the visitors or logged in users upload files? = You may add the file upload form to any page on your site, and any visitor or logged in user who has access to that page, can upload files. = Can I use FTP to upload files? = You can use FTP in the paid version. There is a feature that allows you to upload files using FTP and then activate them for the plugin with a single click. = Can I use the plugin only as a file manager in the WordPress admin area? = Yes, you can use it as a file manager like that. You don't necessarily have to add any publicly available list of files on your site, you can just use the admin tools to manage files. = Who can download the files? = Anyone who can open the page which contains the file list is able to download the files. It is also possible to restrict the permissions in the Pro version of the plugin. == Screenshots == 1. List of files available for download 2. Frontend file upload 3. Files listed in 2 columns (more layout options available) 4. File manager in admin area 5. Edit a single file 6. Search from all files (Pro) 7. Display only 1 specific file on page, using shortcode in post content (Pro) 8. Opening a password protected file (Pro) 9. Opening a file that's download limit has been reached (Pro) 10. List files by category (Pro) == Changelog == = 1.7.52 - 2025-08-13 = * (Free + All plans) File uploader tweaks = 1.7.51 - 2025-08-10 = * (Free + All plans) New version of the file uploader (WP admin / Shared Files / Add new file) * (All plans) New setting: Don't add featured image when adding image files (plugin settings, first tab) = 1.7.50 - 2025-06-11 = * (Free + All plans) Fixed an issue where the additional file types wouldn't activate properly = 1.7.49 - 2025-05-31 = * (All plans) Fix: the file edit modal is now aligned properly * (Free + All plans) Bug fixes = 1.7.48 - 2025-05-12 = * (Free + All plans) Tweaks and fixes = 1.7.47 - 2025-05-07 = * (Free + All plans) Tweaks and fixes = 1.7.46 - 2025-02-28 = * (All plans) Fix: multiple accordion shortcodes on the same page now work correctly when there are "overlapping" categories * (All plans) Fix: solved an issue with allowing more custom file types for file upload * (All plans) Fix: the parameters categories__or and exclude_cat now work correctly when "Choose category" is selected from the dropdown * (All plans) Fix: setting "Featured image container width (px)" now works better with larger values, also srcset and alt attributes added to img tag * (All plans) Missing text domain added to translatable strings = 1.7.45 - 2025-02-11 = * (Free + All plans) Improvements to the mime type detection in file upload = 1.7.44 - 2025-02-05 = * (Free + All plans) Bug fixes = 1.7.43 - 2025-02-02 = * (Free + All plans) Tweaks and fixes = 1.7.42 - 2025-01-27 = * (Free + All plans) Tweaks and fixes = 1.7.41 - 2025-01-23 = * (Free + All plans) Bug fixes = 1.7.40 - 2025-01-13 = * (Pro + Max) New setting for exact search: "Ignore file extension" * (Free + All plans) Minor tweaks and fixes = 1.7.39 - 2024-12-29 = * (Pro + Max) Show all / Hide all buttons for accordion * (Pro + Max) Fix: tags are now shown in the accordion file cards (unless hidden from settings or by using a shortcode parameter) * (Free + All plans) Fix: the download button is now hidden from the file card also for images (if defined so in the settings) * (Free + All plans) Tweaks and fixes = 1.7.38 - 2024-11-19 = * (Pro & Max) New feature: city detector for download log and search log * (Free + All plans) Tweaks and fixes = 1.7.37 - 2024-10-26 = * (Free + All plans) Search log improvements = 1.7.36 - 2024-10-23 = * (Pro + Max) New feature: Send an email notify to users when a file is uploaded (files with restricted permissions) (see plugin settings, Email tab) * (All plans) New feature: Set default expiration date to all uploaded files (plugin settings, first tab) * (Free + All plans) New feature: Search log. It is now possible to log all searches made in the front end. Can be activated from the plugin settings, Search log tab. = 1.7.35 - 2024-10-12 = * (All plans) New feature: country detector (plugin settings, first tab). When the setting is active, download log will contain the downloader's country and there is also Top 50 list of countries in statistics. * (Free + All plans) Bug fixes = 1.7.34 - 2024-09-24 = * (Free + All plans) Tweaks & fixes * (All plans) New setting: Show file description in REST API query results (Custom post type tab) = 1.7.33 - 2024-09-13 = * (Free + All plans) Tweaks & fixes = 1.7.32 - 2024-08-03 = * (Free + All plans) Bug fixes = 1.7.31 - 2024-08-02 = * (Free + All plans) New setting: Show Delete button for logged in user's own files (plugin settings, File upload tab) = 1.7.30 - 2024-07-30 = * (Free + All plans) Bug fixes = 1.7.28 - 2024-07-28 = * (Free + All plans) Gutenberg block added: Shared Files (category: media) = 1.7.27 - 2024-07-26 = * (Free + All plans) Added support for WebP and AVIF images = 1.7.26 - 2024-07-14 = * (Free + All plans) Fixed an issue with PHP 8.3 * (Free + All plans) Bug fixes = 1.7.25 - 2024-06-01 = * (Pro + Max) Added an individual container class to subcategories in the accordion * (Free + All plans) Updated Google preview URL * (Free + All plans) Fixed an issue where the domain wasn't added to the preview URL = 1.7.24 - 2024-05-24 = * (Free + All plans) New settings for front end uploader: File title required and Description required = 1.7.23 - 2024-05-23 = * (Free + All plans) Bug fixes = 1.7.22 - 2024-05-19 = * Added compatibility for WordPress Playground = 1.7.21 - 2024-05-19 = * (All plans) New setting / feature: Only logged in users can open files (see plugin settings, first tab) * (All plans) Filters added for restricted file list: [shared_files_restricted show_filters=1] * (All plans) New setting: Include subcategories / subtags when using shortcode parameters ending __and + __or (see plugin settings, first tab) * (Free + All plans) Bug fixes = 1.7.20 - 2024-04-26 = * Bug fixes = 1.7.19 - 2024-03-31 = * (Pro + Max) Restrict access for users and roles added for the front end uploader (can be activated from the plugin settings, File upload tab) * (All plans) Fixed an issue where the external url was not properly saved when using the front end uploader * (Free + All plans) Bug & layout fixes = 1.7.18 - 2024-03-17 = * (Pro + Max) It is now possible to search in custom fields in shortcode [shared_files_exact_search] (see plugin settings, Exact search tab) * (Free + All plans) Fix: the minimum file card height now works correctly in multiple column layout and smaller card sizes * (Free + All plans) Fixed an issue where the file preview url would get first part of path duplicated when WP is installed in a subdirectory * (Free + All plans) New setting (File upload tab): Set the status of uploaded files to "Pending Review" = 1.7.17 - 2024-03-07 = * (Free + All plans) Bug fixes = 1.7.16 - 2024-02-20 = * (Free + All plans) New field for files: Filename. You can now edit the filename in the url after the file has been added. * (Free + All plans) Fix: the filename in the url no longer gets "-1", "-2" etc. appended if a file with the same name exists in the same directory * (Free + All plans) Bug fixes = 1.7.15 - 2024-02-08 = * (All plans) Featured image is now automatically added for synced image files * (All plans) Fixed an issue where [shared_files_search] would not hide the files at first * (Free + All plans) Fixed some layout issues on certain type of themes = 1.7.14 - 2024-01-18 = * (Free + All plans) Bug fixes + tweaks = 1.7.13 - 2024-01-14 = * (All plans) New feature: search filters added for simple list (can be activated from settings, Simple list tab) * (All plans) New setting (Layout tab): File type icon width, default file card (px) * (All plans) New setting (Layout tab): File type icon height, vertical view (px) * (All plans) New setting (first tab): Search input field targets filtered files rather than all files * (Free + All plans) Layout tweaks & fixes = 1.7.12 - 2023-12-26 = * (Free + All plans) Bug fixes + tweaks = 1.7.11 - 2023-12-13 = * (Pro + Max) Fix: the search form now targets all files in [shared_files_restricted] instead of the files on the current page (when using pagination) * (Pro + Max) Fix: users with multiple roles can now successfully open the files with restricted roles, targeted for also their additional roles * (Free + All plans) CSS tweaks = 1.7.10 - 2023-11-30 = * (Pro + Max) Fixed an issue where [shared_files_exact_search] would not work with certain database engines / versions when the setting "Search whole words only" is active * (Free + All plans) Minor CSS tweaks = 1.7.9 - 2023-11-28 = * (Pro + Max) Added permalink edit for single files when the setting "Enable single file page" is active * (Pro + Max) Added the parameter categories__or for the shortcode [shared_files_restricted] * (All plans) Fix: the external url is now correctly saved when using the multi file front end uploader * (Free + All plans) Fix: the search results are now presented in the same amount of columns as the default file list * (Free + All plans) Fix: when the search input value is removed, the default file list is now shown with the pagination, instead of all available files as search results = 1.7.8 - 2023-11-02 = * (Free + All plans) New fields for contacts / lead generation: name, phone and description (see plugin settings, Lead generation tab) * (Free + All plans) CSV export for creating a csv file from all contacts / leads (WP admin / Shared Files / Leads) * (Free + All plans) New PHP action shared_files_add_lead, fires when a new lead / contact is added = 1.7.7 - 2023-10-21 = * (Free + All plans) New feature: ask for an email address before showing the file(s) - add the parameter ask_for_email=1 to a shortcode to ask for an email address before showing the file(s) to the user, these emails can be found from WP admin / Shared Files / Contacts. See also WP admin / Shared Files / Shortcodes for details regarding the shortcodes. * (Free + All plans) Number of top downloads increased from 20 to 50 = 1.7.6 - 2023-09-09 = * (Pro + Max) It is now possible to set accordion layout using a shortcode parameter: [shared_files_accordion layout=2-columns] (+ 3-columns and 4-columns) * (Free + All plans) Bug fixes = 1.7.5 - 2023-08-16 = * (Pro + Max) New feature for accordion: Show only subcategories under this category and as separate clickable elements, [shared_files_accordion base_category="category-slug"] * (Pro + Max) New feature for accordion: Show first category open by default, [shared_files_accordion first_category_open=1] = 1.7.4 - 2023-08-07 = * (Free + All plans) Added the CSS class shared-files-card-12345 to all file cards (the list item, "li") in all shortcodes, where 12345 is the file id * (Free + All plans) New setting for simple list: Show download counter * (Free + All plans) New setting for simple list: Title for download counter = 1.7.3 - 2023-07-25 = * Compatibility for WP 6.3 = 1.7.2 - 2023-07-21 = * (Free + All plans) Minor tweaks and fixes = 1.7.1 - 2023-07-05 = * (All plans) New parameters to be used with the shortcode [shared_files_simple] (see WP admin / Shared Files / Shortcodes): * Exclude categories (by slug) * Show files that belong to all of these categories (you can also hide the search form using the parameter hide_search=1) * Show files that belong to all of these tags (can also be used with only one tag) * Show files that belong to any of these categories * Show files that belong to any of these tags = 1.7.0 - 2023-06-30 = * (Free + All plans) Various tweaks & fixes = 1.6.99 - 2023-06-10 = * (Free + All plans) Bug fixes = 1.6.98 - 2023-05-06 = * (All plans) New setting for file upload: make category selection required (see plugin settings / File upload tab) * (Free + All plans) Bug fixes = 1.6.97 - 2023-03-19 = * (Pro + Max) Fix: if a logged in user has more than 1 role, additional roles are now also counted in permisson restricted file lists * (All plans) New parameter to exclude files uploaded by front end uploader: [shared_files_categories exclude_files_uploaded_by_front_end_uploader=1] * (Free + All plans) New setting: Prevent search engines from indexing files uploaded using front end uploader = 1.6.96 - 2023-01-08 = * (Max) Wait Countdown Page: Fixed an issue which prevented the file from starting to download * (Pro + Max) New column "Restriction" added to file and category management that contains information of set permissions * (Pro + Max) Accordion: Subcategories are now shown under the main category instead of the same level. It is also possible to hide the subcategories and their files: [shared_files_accordion hide_subcategories=1] * (Free + All plans) New settings for download log: Log downloader user data, Log downloader IP, Log downloader user agent and Log referer url * (Free + All plans) New action: shared_files_frontend_file_uploaded (fires when a file has been uploaded using the front end uploader), more information at https://www.sharedfilespro.com/docs/php-actions/ = 1.5.0 - 2019-12-09 = * New licensing model (separate free and paid version) = 1.0.0 - 2018-07-15 = * Initial release