How To Create A Download Button In Wordpress

Last updated - August 2, 2021

A direct download link is a useful tool to share resources with your viewers, visitors, and customers. When someone clicks on the link, the file is instantly and automatically downloaded on their device.

Downloading a file — Clicking on a direct download link automatically triggers a file download.

So here are the steps to add a downloadable file using your WordPress website:

Step 1 : Choose the file that you want to be downloaded. It can be in any format like image, video, document, or pdf. Right click on the file and click on the "Add to filename.rar" option.

The file will then be converted into a zip folder. If you don't have a compressing software like WinRAR, you can download it for free .

Compressing a file to make it a downloadable file — Compressing a file using WinRAR.

Step 2 : Next, we need to upload the file in our WordPress media library. In your WordPress dashboard, hover your mouse pointer over the "Media" tab and click on "Add New". On the next page, click on "Select Files" and upload the newly created zip file.

uploading a file to WordPress — Uploading the zip file to the WordPress media library.

Step 3 : After the file has been uploaded to your WordPress media library, click on the "Edit" button on the right side of the file name.

Step 4 : In the editing menu, a URL is assigned to the file in the top right section. This is the URL you'll need to create a downloadable file with WordPress. Click on the "Copy URL" button below it.

Edit media section in WordPress — A file URL is assigned to every file uploaded to the media library.

Step 5 : With the file URL copied, go to any post or page on your website. Select a word or a phrase and click on the link icon. Then, paste the URL and press Enter.

You can similarly link an image, button, or any other element so that when the reader clicks on it, the download is triggered automatically.

Hyperlinking in Elementor — Creating a direct download link using the file URL.

This way we can link various file types with different elements to create downloadable files with WordPress. You can use them to share images, documents, guides, infographics, templates, and other useful resources with your visitors.

If you have any doubt about the process above, reach out to us in the comments below.

Check the video below: