Written by Admin on 2025-05-06

How to Create a File Explorer for Download Files in WordPress

If you have a website that offers downloadable files, it can be a bit daunting for your visitors to find the files they need. One way to make it easier for your visitors to find and download your files is by creating a file explorer in WordPress. In this article, we'll show you how to create a simple file explorer for your WordPress site using a plugin.

Step 1: Install the File Manager Plugin

There are several file manager plugins available for WordPress, but we recommend using WP File Manager. It's a free plugin that's easy to use and has all the features you need to create a file explorer for your WordPress site. To install the plugin, log in to your WordPress admin panel, then go to Plugins > Add New. Search for "WP File Manager" and click the "Install Now" button.

Once the plugin is installed, activate it by clicking the "Activate" button. You will then see a new menu item called "WP File Manager" in your WordPress admin panel.

Step 2: Create a Download Folder

Before you can start adding files to your file explorer, you need to create a download folder on your server. To do this, log in to your web hosting control panel, then navigate to the public_html directory of your WordPress site. Create a new folder called "downloads" (or whatever you want to call it) and set the appropriate permissions. You can do this using your web hosting control panel or an FTP client.

Step 3: Add Files to Your Download Folder

Now that you have created a download folder, you can start adding files to it. You can do this using an FTP client or the file manager built into your web hosting control panel. Make sure that the files you are adding to the download folder are in a format that can be downloaded (e.g. .zip, .rar, .pdf, .doc, etc.).

Step 4: Create a File Explorer Page

The next step is to create a page on your WordPress site that will display the file explorer. To do this, go to Pages > Add New in your WordPress admin panel. Give your page a title (e.g. "Downloads"), then click the "Add WP File Manager Shortcode" button.

Choose the download folder you created in step 2 from the dropdown menu, then click the "Insert Shortcode" button. This will add a shortcode to your page that will display the file explorer.

Step 5: Publish Your File Explorer Page

Once you have added the shortcode to your page, you can publish it by clicking the "Publish" button. Your new file explorer page will now display a list of all the files in your download folder.

Congratulations! You have now created a file explorer for your WordPress site that makes it easy for visitors to find and download your files. You can customize the appearance and functionality of the file explorer using the settings in the WP File Manager plugin.