This page offers a demonstration of the WP-Members Download Protect extension.
Files managed through Download Protect cannot be accessed directly. The plugin restricts access to the folder they are saved in, and they can only be accessed a PHP script. This allows the file access to be limited to logged in users only, or restricted by membership.
Example of a Restricted Link
This is an example of a PDF file that is restricted by the plugin, added to the page using one of the plugin’s shortcodes. The shortcode displays the title of the file as the link:
Restricted PDF
The direct link for the file is now through WP, which allows you to validate the user’s access. It no longer matters whether the file location or the link is known.
The link for the file above is noted below. Note that it has the same access requirement.
https://demo.rocketgeek.com/?a=download&key=221652134627707859b8956661a5db0aDownload Protect’s files can only be accessed through the validation script. They cannot be accessed directly, even if the file location is known. The direct access path for the file above is as follows (note that you cannot access it whether logged in or not):
https://demo.rocketgeek.com/wp-content/uploads/wpmembers/files/restricted.pdf