Contact us

WM Open · WordPress

WM Downloads for WordPress

Free v1.0.0

Free download manager plugin

Free download manager — the WordPress equivalent of the Joomla 6 WM Downloads package. Built for sites that need a clean document library: protected files, external links, categories, and a polished front-end list.

Download free package ↓ Documentation License Support

Requires WordPress 6.0+ · PHP 8.0+ · GPL-2.0-or-later · Package wmdownloads

Why this package?

WordPress sites that need a tidy document library without a heavy plugin:

  • Store files off the public media URL
  • Organise by category
  • Track download counts
  • Mix files with external links
  • Show a shortcode list and a latest widget

WM Downloads for WordPress is that plugin — released free.

Capabilities

What’s included

Package contents

  • WM Downloads plugin — Custom post type, meta, protected downloads, shortcode and admin
  • WM Downloads — Latest — Widget for sidebars and block widget areas

Current version: 1.0.0

Features

  • Files or links — upload documents or point to an external URL (new tab / nofollow)
  • Protected storage — wp-content/uploads/wmdownloads/ with deny rules; no direct hotlinks
  • Categories — hierarchical taxonomy (parent / child, subcategory filter on the front end)
  • Hit counting — increments on every download or link open
  • Publishing window — start and finish dates so items appear and disappear on schedule
  • Ordering — manual order for list priority
  • Front-end list — search, sort (date, title, author, size, category), type icons
  • Latest widget — sidebar/block-area “latest downloads”
  • CSV import — bulk-create records for files already in storage
  • Common formats — PDF, Office, images, zip, and more

Admin

  • Custom post type: Add New with file upload or external link
  • Hierarchical categories (parent / child)
  • Author, description, order and publish start/end dates
  • Hit counts tracked per item
  • CSV import for files already in uploads/wmdownloads/
  • Settings integrated with native WordPress admin

Front end

  • Shortcode list on any page or post
  • Search downloads on the page
  • Sort by date, title, author, size or category
  • Optional category filter via shortcode attribute
  • Show/hide author, date, size, hits, category, title
  • Type-aware icons for common formats
  • Controlled download endpoint — no public file URLs

Widget & shortcode

  • Shortcode: [wmdownloads category="your-slug"]
  • Optional attributes: show_author, show_date, show_size, show_hits, show_category, show_title, limit
  • Appearance → Widgets → WM Downloads — Latest
  • Category filter and show/hide meta options

[wmdownloads category="your-slug"]

Best suited for

  • Schools, associations and member sites
  • Resource hubs that need a simple free library
  • Document lists without a heavy commercial plugin
  • Anyone who wants the same idea as the Joomla package, native in WordPress

Documentation

Install, configure & use

  1. Upload wmdownloads-wordpress-1.0.0.zip via Plugins → Add New → Upload.
  2. Activate WM Downloads.
  3. Settings → Permalinks → Save once (registers /wmd-download/{id}/).
  4. WM Downloads → Categories — create your library sections.
  5. Add New — file upload or external link; set author, order, publish dates.
  6. On a page, insert [wmdownloads category="your-slug"].
  7. (Optional) Appearance → Widgets → WM Downloads — Latest.
  8. (Optional) WM Downloads → CSV Import for bulk records.

Files never sit on public URLs — they live in a locked uploads/wmdownloads/ folder and are served through a controlled download endpoint. CSV columns: filename, title, description, category_slug, author, created_date, hits.

License

GPL-2.0-or-later

This software is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by the Free Software Foundation; either version 2 of the License, or (at your option) any later version.

This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the GNU General Public License for more details.

A copy of the license is included in the package as LICENSE.txt. Full text: gnu.org · GPL v2.

  • GPL-2.0-or-later — free for the community
  • Install on as many of your own WordPress sites as you like
  • Support and custom development available on request

Also free from WM Open

WM LazyLoad for Joomla

Free

Free Joomla 6.1 system plugin: infinite scroll, Load more, or hybrid loading on Category Blog — using Joomla’s own pagination.

View package

WM Comments for Joomla

Free

Free Joomla 6 comments: threaded replies, moderation, latest-comments module, guests, CAPTCHA, privacy plugin and an API.

View package

WM Events for Joomla

Free

Free Joomla 6 events calendar: upcoming/past blogs, month calendar, countdown module, categories, tags and custom fields.

View package

WM Downloads for Joomla

Free

Free Joomla 6 download manager: protected files, categories, search/sort, CSV import, Smart Search and a polished public list.

View package

WM Downloads for Drupal

Free

Free Drupal 11/12 download manager: private files, categories, public catalogue, CSV import and a latest-downloads block.

View package

Slip for WordPress

Free

Free WordPress form builder: short alias URLs, database and/or email delivery, carbonless/ink/plain presentation, shortcode and block.

View package

Council Meeting Timer

Free

Free HTML speaker timer, plus a server-side remote-control variant for minute takers and governance.

View package

Support & custom work

Built for real production use — including document-heavy resource libraries. For support, branding tweaks or custom features, contact WM Studios.

Contact WM Open ↗ Download package ↓ All open source