Written by Admin on 2025-05-06

How to Force Download PDFs in WordPress

For some websites, it's important for visitors to be able to download PDFs rather than just view them in the browser. This is where the force download feature comes in handy. In WordPress, there are several ways to implement force download for PDFs.

Here's a step-by-step guide on how to force download PDFs in WordPress:

Method 1: Using a Plugin

There are several plugins available in the WordPress repository that enable force download for PDFs. One such plugin is called 'Force PDF Download'. To use this plugin, follow these steps:

1. Install and activate the 'Force PDF Download' plugin.

2. Upload your PDF to the post or page where you want the download link to appear.

3. In the post/page editor, add a hyperlink to the PDF file as you normally would. However, change the hyperlink's URL to the following format:

http://www.yoursite.com/wp-content/plugins/force-pdf-download/getpdf.php?file=example.pdf

4. Replace 'yoursite.com' with the URL of your own website, and 'example.pdf' with the name of your PDF file.

5. Save and publish the post/page.

When a visitor clicks on the hyperlink, they will be prompted to download the PDF file instead of viewing it in the browser.

Method 2: Using .htaccess

Another way to force download for PDFs is to modify the .htaccess file. Here's how:

1. Connect to your website using an FTP client.

2. Locate the .htaccess file in the root directory of your WordPress installation.

3. Open the .htaccess file using a text editor.

4. Add the following lines to the file:

<FilesMatch "\.(pdf)"> ForceType application/octet-stream Header set Content-Disposition attachment </FilesMatch>

5. Save and close the file.

Now, whenever a visitor clicks on a PDF link, the file will be downloaded automatically.

Method 3: Manually Modify Link

Lastly, you can manually modify links to force download for a specific PDF file. Here's how:

1. Upload your PDF file to WordPress media library.

2. Copy the media URL of the PDF file.

3. In the post or page editor, create a hyperlink that will be used to download the PDF file.

4. Edit the hyperlink URL to use the following format:

http://www.yoursite.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/example.pdf?download=1

5. Replace 'yoursite.com' with the URL of your own website, and 'example.pdf' with the name of your PDF file.

6. Save and publish the post/page.

This will force the PDF file to be downloaded instead of viewed in the browser.

In conclusion, forcing a PDF to download instead of being viewed in the browser can be done in several ways, including using a plugin, modifying the .htaccess file, or manually modifying the hyperlink URL. Choosing the right method will depend on your website's needs and technical capabilities.