How to Download Media Files in WordPress
In this tutorial, I’ll show you How to Download Media Files in WordPress with no plugin needed.
One feature I’m very surprised WordPress doesn’t include (at least at the time of writing this) is a way to download images, videos and other file types directly from the WordPress media library. Though are numerous ways to go about it, like accessing your WordPress uploads through FTP, in the File Manager via cPane, or by using Inspect Element to view the source of the image and grab the URL, I prefer to view files and download them from the media library. It’s important to know how to do this as well because, as I show in the video, you can’t always find the file you’re looking for in inspect element.
Here’s my preferred method in 3 simple steps:
- File the file in your Media Library and click into it
Go to Media > Library and find the file you want to download.
- Copy the URL
Once you click into the image, copy the full URL path.
- Paste the URL in your browser and right click to download
Paste that URL into your browser, then right click the image, video or other file type to download!
Easy peasy! While this is a super simple method, it took me a little while to discover it because it didn’t seem very clear via the WordPress media library. Especially since there wasn’t a direct download option. But this is your free, non-plugin solution!
Note that this is just how to download individual files. If you’d like to know how to download your entire media library, check out this tutorial.