Barn2 Plugins

Document Library Lite creates a WordPress document library/download manager. It is the free plan of Document Library Pro, which is also available in Essentials and Advanced plans with additional features. It displays documents in a table layout and allows users to quickly search for, sort and download documents.
View the <a href="https://documentlibrary-free.barn2.com/" rel="nofollow ugc">plugin demo</a> to see it in action.
<iframe loading="lazy" class="youtube-player" width="750" height="422" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/K0H-9FUQgW0?version=3&rel=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&fs=1&hl=en-US&autohide=2&wmode=transparent" allowfullscreen="true" style="border:0;" sandbox="allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox"></iframe>
<h3>Features</h3>
<ul>
<li>Easy document management – add documents of any file type, plus all the document data you want to display.</li>
<li>List documents in searchable, sortable tables.</li>
<li>Choose any or all of the following columns: ID, image, title, content, date, categories, plus download button.</li>
<li>List all files in your document library, or list them by category or status.</li>
<li>100% responsive – works on any screen size or mobile device.</li>
</ul>
Supports the following file types:
<ul>
<li>PDF</li>
<li>DOC, DOCX (Microsoft Word)</li>
<li>XLS, XLSX (Microsoft Excel)</li>
<li>PPT, PPTX, PPS, PPSX (Microsoft PowerPoint)</li>
<li>ODT, ODS, ODP (OpenDocument Format)</li>
<li>JPG, JPEG, PNG, SVG (image files)</li>
<li>MP4, MOV (video files)</li>
<li>.numbers, .pages, .key (Apple document formats)</li>
<li>And many more</li>
</ul>
The plugin adds a dedicated ‘Documents’ section to the Media Library where you can manage documents separately from images and other media types. If you’ve ever wanted Media Library categories then you can filter the media library to view document files only.
The document library makes things easier for your users. Instead of having to read through a long list of document links, they can use the instant search box, sortable columns and category filters to find exactly what they’re looking for. They can click to download documents of any file type straight to their device.
To get started with the WordPress download manager plugin, simply install the plugin, start adding documents and they will instantly appear on the ‘Document Library’ page. You can also use the <code>[doc_library]</code> shortcode to insert document libraries anywhere.
<h3>Document Library Pro</h3>
Our <a href="https://barn2.com/wordpress-plugins/document-library-pro/?utm_source=wporg&utm_medium=freeplugin&utm_campaign=freepluginwporg&utm_content=dlw-wporg" rel="nofollow ugc">Document Library Pro</a>‘s Essentials and Advanced plans add powerful features for organisations managing larger document libraries.
<a href="https://barn2.com/kb/document-library-plugins-free-pro-comparison/?utm_source=wporg&utm_medium=freeplugin&utm_campaign=freepluginwporg&utm_content=dlw-wporg" rel="nofollow ugc">View free & pro comparison table</a>
<ul>
<li>Bulk upload – Add files using drag and drop file upload, CSV import, or import Media Library files to the download manager.</li>
<li>Extra layout options – Display documents in a beautiful grid layout, and optionally structure the WordPress document library into collapsible folders.</li>
<li>Add extra columns – File size, file type, document excerpt, status, last modified date, author, plus custom fields and custom taxonomies. You can also rename the column headings of the document library. Advanced Custom Fields and ACF Pro support.</li>
<li>Individual document pages – Create a separate page for each document.</li>
<li>Host documents on third party sites – As well as displaying files from the Media Library, your WordPress download manager can include documents hosted on third party sites such as Dropbox, Google Drive, and Office 365.</li>
<li>Private document libraries – Restrict access to any or all of your document libraries either through simple password protection, or to specific roles or use accounts. Either protect the library globally or via category or individual document.</li>
<li>Version control – Manage multiple versions of the same document, keeping your library organized and up to date.</li>
<li>Control which downloads to list – Display documents based on additional factors including author, post type, taxonomy term, custom field, year, month, day, or ID. You can also exclude documents from the file manager by ID or category.</li>
<li>Filter dropdowns – Make it easier for people to find specific documents by adding filter dropdowns for categories, tags and taxonomies.</li>
<li>Standalone document search – As well as the AJAX search box above the document library, you can use the ‘Document search’ widget or [doc_search] shortcode to add a search box anywhere on your site. For example, you can use this to display a ‘Find Downloads’ search box to the homepage, site header, or sidebar.</li>
<li>Flexible document links – Control the links in your WordPress document library including choosing which columns are clickable and opening links in a new tab.</li>
<li>Multiple document download – Allow users to select multiple documents and download them together in a handy zip file.</li>
<li>Instant document preview – Display ‘Preview’ buttons so that users can view documents without downloading them.</li>
<li>Display audio and video – As well as downloadable documents, display embedded audio and video players directly in the WordPress document library.</li>
<li>Caching – Speed up load times with built-in caching.</li>
<li>Compatibility with third party plugins – Tested with <a href="https://barn2.com/kb/dlp-plugin-compatibility/?utm_source=wporg&utm_medium=freeplugin&utm_campaign=freepluginwporg&utm_content=dlw-wporg" rel="nofollow ugc">dozens of other plugins</a>.</li>
<li>And much more – PLUS get dozens of extra features for added flexibility, such as the ability to show and hide each part of the WordPress download manager, customize the colors, and more.</li>
</ul>
<h3>How to Create a WordPress File Manager</h3>
You can use Document Library Lite to create a download manager which lists documents of any file type. It’s perfect for creating a WordPress document library, resource library, download management, file manager, audio library, video gallery, and much more.
First, install the plugin and choose your settings at Documents > Settings. This page gives you full control over the WordPress file manager including which columns to display, and the text of the document download button.
Next, you can start adding documents at Documents > Add New. The plugin automatically adds a ‘Document Library’ page to your WordPress site. This page lists all your documents in a searchable, sortable table. Each file in the download manager appears as a separate row of the table, complete with helpful information such as the filename and summary description. This helps users to learn more about each document before downloading the file to their computer.
For more flexibility, you can use the <code>[doc_library]</code> shortcode to list different downloads on different parts of your site. Use the <a href="https://barn2.com/kb/document-library-wordpress-documentation/?utm_source=wporg&utm_medium=freeplugin&utm_campaign=freepluginwporg&utm_content=dlw-wporg#doc-library-shortcode" rel="nofollow ugc">shortcode options</a> to override the global settings and apply different options to each document library. And don’t forget, you can get dozens more shortcode options with our premium <a href="https://barn2.com/wordpress-plugins/document-library-pro/?utm_source=wporg&utm_medium=freeplugin&utm_campaign=freepluginwporg&utm_content=dlw-wporg" rel="nofollow ugc">Document Library Pro</a> plugin!
<h3>Full List of Features</h3>
<ul>
<li>Add documents, document data, and upload a file for each document.</li>
<li>Supports all file types.</li>
<li>Built-in ‘Document Library’ page which automatically lists all your downloads.</li>
<li><code>[doc_library]</code> shortcode for added flexibility.</li>
<li>List documents in a table with sortable columns.</li>
<li>Choice of 6 styles for your document download links including buttons, download icons, file type icons, and text.</li>
<li>Instant AJAX search box to find documents more quickly.</li>
<li>‘Search on click’ feature to filter the WordPress file manager by clicking on a document category.</li>
<li>Display the number of documents in the table, and allow users to change this number.</li>
<li>For easier WordPress document management, you can filter the Media Library to view document files only.</li>
<li>Structure the download manager into categories.</li>
<li>Choose the number of downloads per page in the document library.</li>
<li>Optional lazy load setting to list unlimited documents with no performance limitations.</li>
<li>Change how the WordPress document library is sorted, and customize the sort order for your file manager.</li>
<li>Display the document featured image and allow users to open the image and view it in a lightbox.</li>
<li>Configure your file manager centrally on the plugin settings page, and instantly update all your document lists (except where you have overridden specific options in the shortcode).</li>
<li>Developed, maintained and supported by Barn2 Plugins.</li>
</ul>
View the <a href="https://barn2.com/kb/document-library-wordpress-documentation/?utm_source=wporg&utm_medium=freeplugin&utm_campaign=freepluginwporg&utm_content=dlw-wporg" rel="nofollow ugc">plugin documentation</a> for full details.
<h3>Shortcode options</h3>
Options for the <code>[doc_library]</code> shortcode:
<ul>
<li>content – The columns to display in the document library. This can be any combination of the following (comma-separated): id, image, title, content, categories, or date.</li>
<li>doc_category – List downloads from a specific category only.</li>
<li>status – List documents based on their status (e.g. published/draft/private).</li>
<li>lightbox – Enable or disable the feature which opens document featured images in a lightbox modal window.</li>
<li>docs_per_page – Change the number of documents on each page of the library.</li>
<li>link_style – Choose the style of the document download links. This can be any of the following: button, button_icon_text, button_icon, icon_only, icon, or text.</li>
<li>lazy_load – List unlimited documents with no performance limitations.</li>
<li>sort_by – Override the sort order of the WordPress download manager library.</li>
<li>sort_order – Choose whether files are ordered alphabetically in ascending or descending order.</li>
<li>scroll_offset – If your theme has a sticky header then you can use this option to ensure that users are jumped to the correct point of the page when they use the pagination buttons at the bottom of the WordPress document library.</li>
<li>wrap – By default, if the document library contains too much text to fit on one row then it wraps onto multiple rows. If you prefer, then you can truncate the text and ensure that each download only takes up 1 row of the library. This helps to save space if you have a large download manager table.</li>
<li>search_on_click – Allow users to click on a category in the ‘Document categories’ column in order to filter the download library by that column.</li>
</ul>
For example: <code>[doc_library doc_category="meetings" content="title,content,link" sort_by="date"]</code> 
View the <a href="https://barn2.com/kb/document-library-wordpress-documentation?utm_source=wporg&utm_medium=freeplugin&utm_campaign=freepluginwporg&utm_content=dlw-wporg#doc-library-shortcode" rel="nofollow ugc">full documentation</a>, check out the <a href="https://documentlibrary-free.barn2.com/" rel="nofollow ugc">demo</a>, and if you need more features then have a look at <a href="https://barn2.com/wordpress-plugins/document-library-pro/?utm_source=wporg&utm_medium=freeplugin&utm_campaign=freepluginwporg&utm_content=dlw-wporg" rel="nofollow ugc">Document Library Pro</a>.
Thank you for using our WordPress document library plugin 🙂

Document Library Lite


This is one of most incomplete and unusable plugin I have ever seen! You need to buy their pro version to use essential features, because 98% of plugin features are not included in free version. You can create PDFs table but cannot add any link to show PDF detail or button to download PDF!!! 


Free plugin but unusable!


A must have for any course creator or membership site builder with files and documents to share.                  


Awesome File Manager Plugin!


Super useful plugin. The document table organizes documents exactly how users expect them. The AJAX search is very clean.



The setup wizard is nice. There are premium features offered, but they are very clearly marked and for the use cases I had in mind completely optional.



I didn't realize at first that I had to add the doc_library  shortcode to a page to insert the document table into my site, but the documentation linked to from the settings page is very clean and I found the info there. A block option would be nice to make it easier to insert the library into pages.



I was able to use this with the Paid Memberships Pro plugin to protect my table of documents. I just marked the page with the shortcode to require membership and the table was hidden from view. The files are still accessible if the user knows the exact URL of the file. That's okay for what I needed. If I had to hide them further, PMPro has documentation on how to do that for files on protected pages. I imagine Barn2 has this in the premium version or ready for a future release. I know it's tough, but helps to protect the files.



Overall a great plugin. Looks great. Works great. Team behind it is great. We're going to recommend this to all of our users who need this kind of table or grid view for documents organized by categories and folders.


Super useful. Works well with PMPro.


For those users that need to serve up documents (like a COA/HOA), this make it easy to host those documents.


Works great

Create a WordPress document library to manage, search and download files.

Ask Adam

Ask Adam Doc It is a free-forever document library for WordPress. Upload PDFs, Word documents, spreadsheets, images, and any other file types your media library accepts, then organize them with categories and surface them with a shortcode, a Gutenberg block, or built-in archive templates.
AI features are powered by the WordPress 7.0 built-in AI Client (<code>wp_ai_client_prompt()</code>). There is no API key to configure in the plugin — install and configure an AI provider plugin (such as AI Provider for OpenAI) under Settings → Connectors, and semantic search and document summaries light up automatically. The plugin works fully without any AI provider; AI is purely optional.
Ask Adam Doc It is part of the Ask Adam suite by <a href="https://askadamit.com" rel="nofollow ugc">askadamit.com</a>. The free plugin is feature-complete on its own. If you want conversational document Q&A, multi-document context retrieval, bulk indexing, and analytics, those live in Ask Adam Pro at <a href="https://askadamit.com/purchase" rel="nofollow ugc">askadamit.com/purchase</a> — a separate product.
<h4>What’s included (free)</h4>
<ul>
<li>Dedicated “Files” custom post type for documents</li>
<li>Categories and tags for organizing your library</li>
<li>Frontend archive and single views with theme-overridable templates</li>
<li><code>[ask_adam_doc_it]</code> shortcode and a matching Gutenberg block</li>
<li>Classic keyword search across your library</li>
<li>Optional AI-powered semantic search via the WordPress 7.0 AI Client</li>
<li>Admin columns and meta boxes for quick file management</li>
<li>Clean uninstall with an opt-in “delete my data” switch</li>
</ul>
There are no feature locks, license checks, or paid upgrades inside this plugin.
<h3>External Services</h3>
When an AI provider is configured through the WordPress 7.0 AI Client (Settings → Connectors), Ask Adam Doc It sends document summary text to that provider to generate on-demand summaries. When an OpenAI credential is available for embeddings (via an AI provider plugin or the <code>aadi_openai_api_key</code> filter), document summary text is also sent to the OpenAI API to generate search embeddings.
What data is sent:
<ul>
<li>Document metadata (admin-controlled): The document title, excerpt, AI Search Summary field, and category names for each published document. The plugin does not intentionally collect or transmit WordPress account, profile, or visitor data, but because these fields are authored by site administrators, any personal information an admin types into them (for example, a person’s name in a document title) will be sent to OpenAI as part of the embedding source text.</li>
<li>Visitor search text (visitor-controlled): When a visitor performs an AI search, the raw search query they typed is sent to OpenAI to generate a query embedding for semantic matching. The plugin cannot inspect this text in advance, so if visitors enter personal information (names, email addresses, etc.) it will be transmitted to OpenAI as part of the query. No IP address, user ID, cookie, or other identifier is attached to either request.</li>
</ul>
When data is sent: Document metadata is sent when a document is published or updated (via WP-Cron, a few seconds after save), or when an admin manually regenerates an embedding. Visitor search text is sent each time a visitor submits an AI-mode search.
This feature is entirely optional. The plugin works fully without any AI provider using keyword search.
Summaries: Sent to whichever AI provider you connect through the WordPress 7.0 AI Client (Settings → Connectors). The data-handling, privacy policy, and terms of that provider apply — review them for the connector you install (for example, AI Provider for OpenAI sends data to the OpenAI API).
Embeddings (semantic search): When an OpenAI credential is available, document summary text and visitor search queries are sent to the OpenAI API.
Service: OpenAI API (api.openai.com) 
Privacy Policy: <a href="https://openai.com/privacy" rel="nofollow ugc">https://openai.com/privacy</a> 
Terms of Service: <a href="https://openai.com/terms" rel="nofollow ugc">https://openai.com/terms</a>
No data is sent to any service when no AI provider is configured.

Ask Adam Doc It

Free WordPress document library with optional AI semantic search powered by the WordPress 7.0 built-in AI Client. Part of the Ask Adam suite.

Document Library Lite vs Ask Adam Doc It