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.

trilobita

Trilobita DocVault is a WordPress document management plugin with version control and a searchable document library. Upload and organise files in the admin, then share them with your team or site visitors — with a searchable, sortable document table, Gutenberg block support, full version history, download tracking, and access control.
Key Features:
<ul>
<li>Version History – Full version history with rollback, download, and delete for every document.</li>
<li>Drag & Drop Upload – Intuitive drag-and-drop file upload interface in the admin.</li>
<li>Download Tracking – Track download counts for all documents.</li>
<li>Access Control – Restrict documents to logged-in users only.</li>
<li>Frontend Display – Responsive shortcode-powered document table with AJAX search, sortable columns, and pagination.</li>
<li>Gutenberg Block – Native block editor support for embedding documents.</li>
<li>File Type Support – PDF, DOC, DOCX, XLS, XLSX, PPT, PPTX, ODT, ODS, ODP, RTF, CSV, TXT.</li>
<li>Document Categories – Hierarchical taxonomy for organizing documents.</li>
<li>Document Tags – Flat tag taxonomy for cross-cutting labels; filter the frontend list by tag with <code>[trdv_list tag="slug"]</code> or show a tag dropdown with <code>show_tag_filter="true"</code>.</li>
<li>Document Expiry Dates – Set an optional expiry date per document; expired documents are automatically hidden from the frontend list.</li>
<li>Manual Sort Order – Drag documents into your preferred order in the admin list; use <code>[trdv_list orderby="menu_order"]</code> to apply that order on the frontend.</li>
</ul>
<h4>Go further with Trilobita DocVault Pro</h4>
<a href="https://trilobita.co.uk/plugins/trilobita-docvault/pro/" rel="nofollow ugc">Trilobita DocVault Pro</a> adds enterprise-grade features for teams that need more control:
<ul>
<li>Unlimited Version History – Remove the 5-version limit and keep complete history for every document.</li>
<li>Per-Document Access Control – Restrict individual documents to specific user roles.</li>
<li>Audit Trail – Full activity log with CSV export for compliance and accountability.</li>
<li>Email Notifications – Configurable alerts for uploads, updates, and approvals.</li>
<li>Document Approval Workflow – Require documents to be reviewed before publishing.</li>
<li>Bulk Upload – Upload multiple documents at once with duplicate detection.</li>
<li>Download Analytics – Detailed per-version download statistics.</li>
<li>Duplicate Detection – Find and merge duplicate documents to save storage.</li>
<li>Storage Management – Advanced tools for monitoring and cleaning up storage.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Privacy</h3>
Trilobita DocVault stores the following user data:
<ul>
<li>Uploader user ID – Stored as post meta (<code>_trdv_uploaded_by</code>) to track who uploaded each document version.</li>
<li>Download logs – When download tracking is enabled, the plugin records the downloader’s IP address, user ID (if logged in), and timestamp in a custom database table (<code>trdv_download_log</code>).</li>
</ul>
This data is handled in compliance with GDPR and CCPA:
<ul>
<li>The plugin registers with the WordPress privacy tools for data export and erasure requests.</li>
<li>A suggested privacy policy text is provided under Settings > Privacy.</li>
<li>IP addresses and download logs can be deleted via the WordPress personal data erasure tool.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Usage</h3>
Document Block (Gutenberg):
Add a single document with a download button directly in the block editor:
<ol>
<li>Click the + button to add a block</li>
<li>Search for “DocVault Document”</li>
<li>Select a document from the dropdown</li>
</ol>
Block options:
<ul>
<li>Layout: Full (with icon and download button) or Minimal (compact inline link)</li>
<li>Show/hide file type icon</li>
<li>Show/hide file info (type and size)</li>
<li>Show/hide view button (PDF and images, full layout only)</li>
<li>Show/hide description (full layout only)</li>
<li>Show/hide download count (full layout only)</li>
<li>Alignment (left, center, right, wide)</li>
</ul>
<code>[trdv_list]</code> — Document Table Shortcode:
Display a searchable, sortable table of documents on any page or post:
<pre><code>[trdv_list]
</code></pre>
Parameters:
<ul>
<li><code>category</code> – Filter by document category slug</li>
<li><code>tag</code> – Filter by document tag slug</li>
<li><code>type</code> – Filter by file type (pdf, docx, etc.)</li>
<li><code>orderby</code> – Sort by: date, title, size, menu_order (default: date). Use <code>menu_order</code> to display documents in the drag-and-drop order set in the admin list. When <code>menu_order</code> is selected and <code>order</code> is not explicitly set, the list defaults to ASC.</li>
<li><code>order</code> – ASC or DESC (default: DESC)</li>
<li><code>show_search</code> – Show search box: true/false (default: true)</li>
<li><code>show_download</code> – Show download button: true/false (default: true)</li>
<li><code>show_view</code> – Show view button for PDFs and images: true/false (default: true)</li>
<li><code>show_category_filter</code> – Show category dropdown filter: true/false (default: false)</li>
<li><code>show_tag_filter</code> – Show tag dropdown filter: true/false (default: false)</li>
<li><code>show_type_filter</code> – Show file type dropdown filter (only types present in the library): true/false (default: false)</li>
<li><code>show_count</code> – Show download count column: true/false (default: false)</li>
<li><code>columns</code> – Columns to display: title, type, size, date (default: title,type,size,date)</li>
<li><code>per_page</code> – Documents per page (default: 20)</li>
<li><code>show_expired</code> – Include expired documents: true/false (default: false)</li>
</ul>
Examples:
<pre><code>[trdv_list type="pdf" orderby="title" order="ASC"]
[trdv_list category="reports" show_search="false" columns="title,date"]
[trdv_list orderby="menu_order"]
[trdv_list show_category_filter="true" show_type_filter="true" show_count="true"]
[trdv_list show_tag_filter="true"]
[trdv_list show_download="false" show_view="true"]
</code></pre>
Document Link Toolbar Button:
Link any selected text to a document download without leaving the block editor:
<ol>
<li>Select the text you want to turn into a download link</li>
<li>Click the document icon in the formatting toolbar (“Trilobita DocVault Link”)</li>
<li>Choose a document from the dropdown and click Apply</li>
</ol>
<code>[trdv_link]</code> — Inline Document Link Shortcode:
Insert a download link within any text:
<pre><code>[trdv_link id="123"]Download the report[/trdv_link]
</code></pre>
Parameters:
<ul>
<li><code>id</code> (required) – The document ID</li>
<li><code>new_tab</code> – Open in new tab: true/false (default: false)</li>
<li><code>class</code> – Add custom CSS class</li>
</ul>
Examples:
<pre><code>[trdv_link id="123"] - Uses document title as link text
[trdv_link id="123"]Click here[/trdv_link] - Custom link text
[trdv_link id="123" new_tab="true"]Download[/trdv_link] - Opens in new tab
</code></pre>

Trilobita DocVault

Version-controlled document management for WordPress — upload, track, and roll back files with a searchable front-end library.

Document Library Lite vs Trilobita DocVault