Written by Admin on 2025-05-06

How to Download WordPress Site Files Instead of Opening in Browser

WordPress is a popular content management system that powers millions of websites across the internet. However, sometimes when trying to download files from a WordPress site, the files may open in the browser instead of downloading to your computer. This can be frustrating especially if you need to access the files without an internet connection. In this article, we will show you how to download WordPress site files instead of opening in the browser.

Use Right-click to Download Files

The simplest way to download files from a WordPress site is to use the right-click option. To do this, right-click on the link to the file you want to download. A menu will appear with several options, including "Save link as" or "Download link as." Click on any one of those options, and the file will start downloading to your computer immediately.

Force Download with .htaccess File

Another way to ensure that downloaded files automatically save to your computer is to add some code to the website's .htaccess file. An .htaccess file is a configuration file used by Apache web servers to control the behavior of web pages. Adding a few lines of code to the file will direct the web server to force download files instead of opening them in the browser.

Here is the code you can add to the .htaccess file.

<FilesMatch "\.(?i:pdf|doc|docx|xls|xlsx|zip|rar|mp3|mp4)$"> Header set Content-Disposition attachment </FilesMatch>

The above code will force the web server to download files with extensions such as pdf, doc, docx, xls, xlsx, zip, rar, mp3, and mp4.

Use WordPress Plugin

If you are a non-technical user or do not have access to the .htaccess file, you can use a plugin to force file downloads. There are several WordPress plugins available for this purpose, such as Download Manager, YITH WooCommerce Quick View, and Download Attachments.

Once you install and activate the plugin, you can easily configure it by following the plugin's instructions. Most of these plugins will allow you to create a custom download button or link, which will force the files to download instead of opening in the browser.

Final Thoughts

Overall, downloading files from a WordPress site should be a straightforward process. However, if you find yourself struggling with files opening in the browser instead of downloading, then these three methods will come in handy. You can opt to go for the right-click option, force downloads with .htaccess, or use a WordPress plugin to force downloads. Regardless of your choice, you can now enjoy seamless file downloads from WordPress sites.