Memberpress Downloads Addon

A file without its tag stays outside the rule

You place the new members' PDF on a protected page and consider it done. But that file has its own address, and that address can be copied and pasted anywhere. Whoever receives it no longer goes through your page.

Protection has to sit on the file, and here it depends on a habit: classifying it properly when you upload it. A rule by tag or category protects a whole group in one step, and a file you forgot to tag stays outside it.

MemberPress Downloads is a MemberPress add-on that creates a file library inside your membership site. You upload the file, get a unique link, and can protect it with Rules and follow its downloads.

The file library inside your dashboard

• Its own menu: MP Downloads, with the file list and each file's total download count.
• A unique URL per file: each published file has its address, which can be shared directly.
• File categories and tags: they work like WordPress post categories and tags, but only for files, and can also be set with Quick Edit.
• Download limits: a total cap per file and another per user, with a redirect URL for whoever reaches it.
• Stats: filtered by file or date, and searchable by user or email to see what each person downloaded.
• Force View: opens only PDFs and images in the browser instead of downloading them immediately.
• Video and audio: can be embedded with seek and skip.

Three ways to protect and two ways to display

In MemberPress » Rules you create a rule such as "Files with File Tag", enter the tag and set who has access. Matching files are then restricted automatically. You can also protect an individual file or a category.

To display them, the Gutenberg download block picks one file or presents a list by category or tag, with a link limit and optional descriptions. Shortcodes give more control:

• [mpdl-file-link file_id="xxx"] links one file.
• [mpdl-file-links tag="members-only"] lists by tag, and category="pdfs" by category, with several values separated by commas.
• tag-relation="and" or category-relation="and" require all values.
• orderby sorts by date, title, name or ID.
• show_description="true" adds the description and class adds a CSS class to the link, for example to style it as a button.

Limits of the file manager

• One upload at a time: bulk upload is not available.
• Per-user limit: while it is active, logged-out visitors cannot download that file.
• Data transferred: MemberPress does not track or limit how much data a member downloads. The limits count downloads.

First steps with MP Downloads

It needs MemberPress active. It does not ask for a specific web server or custom .htaccess rules: if you can upload files to WordPress, you can use it.

1. In MemberPress » Add-ons, install MemberPress Downloads.
2. If you use caching, add /mpdl to its exclusions.
3. In MP Downloads » Files » Add New, enter a unique title and upload the file.
4. Assign a category or tag and publish.
5. Create the rule for that group in Rules.
6. Copy the file's shortcode to your page and open the link logged out to confirm it is protected.

Where your file library fits

MemberPress Pro provides the access rules, subscriptions and drip content this add-on works on.

If your files are class material, MemberPress Courses lets you add them to a lesson with the download block, from a file category or tag.

If your site does not revolve around MemberPress, Download Monitor manages files on its own: it logs each download with user, IP and time, and keeps several versions under one link.

Three cases when setting up your download area

Can I share a file's link?

Yes. Each published file has its own URL, and with a rule active, access still depends on that rule.

Can I limit each member's downloads?

Yes. Enable it on the file and set the number per user. With 0, that limit does not apply.

Where does someone who reaches the limit go?

To the redirect URL you set. If you leave it empty, to the Unauthorized Redirect URL, if enabled, or the MemberPress Account page.