Sell downloadable files

Sell PDFs, music, or software files, for example, and let the buyer download the files after payment.

Before you begin

This guide covers the store's feature for downloadable product files. The feature is included in the current Go, Plus and Pro plans and needs to be enabled for your store. If the tab Downloadable files is missing, ask support to check the store's activation and contract version. Customer login is a separate feature available in Plus and Pro. Additional upload space may have different terms.

This provides access to files for purchased products. It is not a membership with automatic renewal or a shared folder that a customer group automatically gets access to.

1. Create and save the product

Go to Products → New product, enter the product details, and save. The product must exist before you can add its files.

2. Add one or more files

Open the product's tab Downloadable files and select New file. Repeat if the purchase should provide access to multiple files, for example, a PDF and its accompanying exercise material.

Upload from your computer

Select the file and confirm the upload. The file will be linked to the current product. Make sure the upload completes successfully and that the correct file name is displayed. Also, check the option to sell the product without a shipping fee. A digital file doesn't require physical delivery, but a mixed cart with physical products still needs the correct shipping terms.

The upload space depends on the limit enabled for the store. Do not rely on older information about 10, 20, 50, or 100 MB as a guarantee for your store. Contact support before uploading larger files to find out your store's limit and what expansions your subscription allows.

Use an external file address

Enter the file's full URL, preferably with HTTPS. The address must lead to the file itself and work without a login or password. A shared folder, a login page, or a web page with a download button is not the same as a direct file address.

Open the address in a private browser window before adding it. Verify that the correct file can be downloaded. The external server must continue to allow access when the customer later downloads the file.

The store's download link can hide the original address, but this does not mean the file itself is encrypted or that the customer is prevented from sharing a downloaded copy. Do not place secret or personal material at an unprotected external address. No general limit of 300 MB is guaranteed for external files.

3. Set how long the file can be downloaded

If you want to limit access, enter a whole number of days from 1 and up. The time is counted from when the file access is created when the order is paid, not from the customer's first download.

A time limit restricts how long the link can be used. It does not remove a copy that the customer has already downloaded and does not start a subscription.

4. Check the delivery after payment

File access is created when the order is marked as paid. The customer gets access to the download through the order's message/link; do not assume that a large file will be attached directly to the email. Therefore, check both the payment status and that the store's payment confirmation message reaches the customer.

If the customer has a login account, they can also open their previous orders in the store and download the purchased files for which access is still valid. A customer account does not automatically grant access to all files or products in the store.

If the customer can't download

• No link: check that the correct product has the file, that the order is paid, and that the customer's email address and order message are correct.
• The link has expired: check the time limit specified for the file and when the order was paid. Ask support to help with the specific order issue; do not mark the order as paid again just to test.
• External file doesn't work: try the direct file address without logging in and check that the file has not been moved or had its sharing conditions changed.
• Many PDFs: link the files to the products to be sold. A customer group or an account is not in itself a permission-controlled document portal.

Quick start

1. Check that the feature is enabled and save the product.
2. Add the file or a working direct URL.
3. Set any time limit and check the saved link.
4. Check file access and the message for a correctly paid order before you start selling widely.

Subscription: downloadable product files are included in the current Go, Plus and Pro plans; the feature needs to be enabled. The upload space is store-specific. Customer login in Plus and Pro is a separate feature.