Written by Admin on 2025-05-06

How to Use WordPress Plugin to Force Download PDF files

WordPress is one of the widely used platforms for creating and managing websites. It provides a range of plugins to add functionality to your website. One of the essential requirements for some websites is the ability to force download PDF files.

The process of downloading PDF files in WordPress is straightforward. When users click on a link to download PDF files, they usually open it in their web browser, where it can be viewed or printed. However, in some cases, website owners would like users to download the file directly to their devices for offline reading or saving.

For this purpose, WordPress provides a simple solution - using a plugin to force the download of PDF files. In this article, we will show you how to use a plugin to achieve this.

Installing and Setting Up Plugin

To begin with, you need to install and activate "Force Download PDF" plugin for your WordPress website. Once the plugin is installed and activated, you will need to customize the settings for the plugin.

To configure the plugin, go to the WordPress Admin Dashboard and click Settings > Force Download PDF. You will see options to choose how the PDF files will be served, such as via a popup, button, or direct download link. Choose the option that suits your requirements.

Once you have selected the preferred method of delivery, click on the 'Save Changes' button at the bottom of the page.

Uploading PDF Files

After setting up the plugin, you can now upload PDF files to your website. To do so, go to Media > Add New and upload your PDF file.

You can also add a title and description to your PDF file, which helps with search engine optimization (SEO) and gives users an idea of what the file contains.

Adding PDF Files to Your Website

Finally, you need to add the link to your PDF file to your website. You can do this by creating a new page or post in WordPress and adding the link to the text editor.

To force the download of PDF files, you will need to use the shortcode [forcedownload] to wrap the link. For instance, if your PDF file link is https://example.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/myfile.pdf, you should add the following shortcode to your WordPress page:

[forcedownload url="https://example.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/myfile.pdf"]

After adding the shortcode to the page, click the "Publish" button to update your website.

Conclusion

In conclusion, forcing the download of PDF files in WordPress is a simple process that requires installation and configuration of the Force Download PDF plugin. With this plugin, you can serve your PDF files via a popup, button, or direct download link. By following this guide, you should be able to add your PDF files to your website and make them available for download.