Written by Admin on 2025-05-06

How to Download a PDF File in WordPress

If your website contains important documents in PDF format, you might want to allow your readers to easily download them. WordPress, one of the most popular content management systems, provides various ways to let people download PDF files. Here's how you can do it.

1. Upload the PDF File to WordPress

The first step is to upload the PDF file to your WordPress media library. Go to Media > Add New from your admin dashboard, select the PDF file from your computer, and wait for the upload to complete.

2. Get the URL of the PDF File

Once the PDF file is uploaded, hover over it to reveal its options. Click on the "Edit" button to open its metadata. You will see the URL of the PDF file under the "File URL" field. Copy the URL.

3. Build a Download Link for the PDF File

Now that you have the URL of the PDF file, you can build a download link for it. There are different ways to do it, but the simplest way is to use a shortcode called download. Here's an example:

[download name="Important Document" url="https://www.example.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/important-document.pdf"]Download the Important Document</a>

This shortcode will generate a download link with the text "Download the Important Document" that, when clicked, will download the file "important-document.pdf" from the URL specified between the quotes.

4. Insert the Download Link in Your Post or Page

Finally, you can insert the download link in your WordPress post or page. You can do it in two ways:

• Using the "Text" editor: switch to the "Text" editor, paste the shortcode where you want the link to appear, and switch back to the "Visual" editor to customize the text.

• Using a plugin: some plugins, such as "Download Monitor" or "Easy Digital Downloads", offer an interface to build and insert download links in your post or page.

Conclusion

In this article, we have seen how to download a PDF file in WordPress. By following these steps, you can provide a user-friendly way for your visitors to access and download important documents. Remember to make sure that your PDF files are accessible and optimized for web viewing, and that they don't pose any security risk to your website.