Shafat Mahmud Khan

Frontend File Explorer is a modern, Windows Explorer–inspired file manager for WordPress. It gives you a clean admin interface to organize and share files plus a responsive frontend explorer powered by a simple shortcode.
Use it to create download areas for courses, client file portals, or resource libraries — without relying on heavy external file management tools.
The plugin provides a seamless experience for both administrators and frontend users:
<ul>
<li>Explorer-style UI: Navigate with breadcrumbs, toolbar actions, pagination, and Material Icons.</li>
<li>Dedicated Directory: Files are stored in a secured <code>wp-content/uploads/downloads</code> directory.</li>
<li>Admin Management: Create folders, upload files, delete items, and download ZIPs directly from the admin dashboard.</li>
<li>Frontend Integration: Embed the explorer anywhere using the <code>[frontend_file_explorer]</code> shortcode.</li>
<li>AJAX-Powered: Fast, smooth navigation and pagination without page reloads.</li>
<li>Translation Ready: Fully localized with the <code>frontend-file-explorer</code> text domain.</li>
</ul>
How to use the Explorer:
<ul>
<li>
Admin Interface: 
Navigate to File Upload in your WordPress admin sidebar. From this dedicated dashboard, administrators can create nested folders, upload bulk files (featuring multi-select and drag-and-drop), import existing Media Library assets, delete items, and download entire directories as ZIP archives.
</li>
<li>
Frontend Shortcode: 
Embed the user-facing explorer interface on any Page, Post, or Custom Post Type using the following shortcode setup:
<pre><code>[frontend_file_explorer]
</code></pre>
(Renders the explorer starting at the root storage directory)
Advanced Shortcode Usage: 
You can explicitly define the starting folder path relative to the root <code>uploads/downloads</code> directory by using the <code>folder</code> attribute:
<pre><code>[frontend_file_explorer folder="/course-materials"]
[frontend_file_explorer folder="/clients/acme-corp"]
</code></pre>
<ul>
<li>Frontend Capabilities: Visitors browsing the frontend can view contents, click files to download them, and copy direct sharing links.</li>
<li>Security: Destructive or mutating actions (like file upload, folder creation, or deletion) remain strictly hidden and blocked from public visitors. They are only accessible to logged-in users who possess the WordPress <code>upload_files</code> capability.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
Who is this plugin for?
<ul>
<li>Course creators who need a simple, branded downloads area.</li>
<li>Agencies and freelancers who share files with clients.</li>
<li>Site owners who want a lightweight, Explorer-like file manager in WordPress.</li>
</ul>

Frontend File Explorer

A modern, Windows Explorer–inspired file manager for WordPress with admin interface and frontend shortcode.

Jeff Starr

Simple Download Counter (SDC) provides a simple yet powerful way to count file downloads. Works with any file type that’s supported by WordPress (e.g., JPG, PNG, ZIP, MP4, TXT, and many more).
Important / Please Read
This plugin enables Admin-level users to add download files of any type, from anywhere on the server, or from any remote public location. Only Administrators are allowed to add download files. Please use caution and use responsibly.
<blockquote>
👉 This plugin is not compatible with WordPress Multisite.
</blockquote>
How it works
Visit the plugin settings to add a download file. Then use the shortcode to display a download link on any post or page. The plugin will then count every download and display it in the plugin settings. You can also display the download count on the front end using a shortcode.
Features
<ul>
<li>Simple and powerful download counter</li>
<li>Supports local and remote file URLs</li>
<li>Supports any file type supported by WordPress</li>
<li>Lightweight – entire plugin size is < 160 KB</li>
<li>Super fast and built for optimal performance</li>
<li>Clean code tightly integrated with WordPress</li>
<li>No Apache/.htaccess required</li>
</ul>
Check out the <a href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/simple-download-counter/#screenshots" rel="ugc">screenshots</a> below to get a better idea of the plugin settings and more.
How is this better?
There are numerous “download counter” or “download manager” plugins available, but none of them satisfy all of my specific, stringent requirements:
<ul>
<li>Current with latest WordPress</li>
<li>Clean and simple code using WP APIs</li>
<li>Lightweight with minimal useless features</li>
<li>Supports all local and remote downloads</li>
<li>No automatically created posts or pages</li>
<li>No advertisements or weird admin notifications</li>
<li>No obtuse styling of default WP Admin elements</li>
<li>Download posts are visible only in the Admin Area</li>
<li>Descriptive error handling for upload files</li>
<li>No redundant or sloppy coding practices</li>
<li>No requirement for cookies or sessions</li>
<li>No requirement for Apache/.htaccess</li>
<li>No weird database shenanigans</li>
</ul>
So I decided to build my own. Let me emphasize the utter simplicity of this plugin. It does one thing and does it well: counts the number of downloads for your files. And makes it easy to display download links and download counts anywhere on the front end.
Privacy
This plugin does not collect or store any user data. It does not set any cookies, and it does not connect to any third-party locations. The only thing this plugin does is count the number of times files are downloaded. So 100% privacy friendly for everyone.
Simple Download Counter is developed and maintained by <a href="https://x.com/perishable" rel="nofollow ugc">Jeff Starr</a>, 15-year <a href="https://plugin-planet.com/" rel="nofollow ugc">WordPress developer</a> and <a href="https://books.perishablepress.com/" rel="nofollow ugc">book author</a>.
Support development
I develop and maintain this free plugin with love for the WordPress community. To show support, you can <a href="https://monzillamedia.com/donate.html" rel="nofollow ugc">make a donation</a> or purchase one of my books:
<ul>
<li><a href="https://wp-tao.com/" rel="nofollow ugc">The Tao of WordPress</a></li>
<li><a href="https://digwp.com/" rel="nofollow ugc">Digging into WordPress</a></li>
<li><a href="https://htaccessbook.com/" rel="nofollow ugc">.htaccess made easy</a></li>
<li><a href="https://wp-tao.com/wordpress-themes-book/" rel="nofollow ugc">WordPress Themes In Depth</a></li>
<li><a href="https://books.perishablepress.com/downloads/wizards-collection-sql-recipes-wordpress/" rel="nofollow ugc">Wizard’s SQL Recipes for WordPress</a></li>
</ul>
And/or purchase one of my premium WordPress plugins:
<ul>
<li><a href="https://plugin-planet.com/bbq-pro/" rel="nofollow ugc">BBQ Pro</a> – Blazing fast WordPress firewall</li>
<li><a href="https://plugin-planet.com/blackhole-pro/" rel="nofollow ugc">Blackhole Pro</a> – Automatically block bad bots</li>
<li><a href="https://plugin-planet.com/banhammer-pro/" rel="nofollow ugc">Banhammer Pro</a> – Monitor traffic and ban the bad guys</li>
<li><a href="https://plugin-planet.com/ga-google-analytics-pro/" rel="nofollow ugc">GA Google Analytics Pro</a> – Connect WordPress to Google Analytics</li>
<li><a href="https://plugin-planet.com/head-meta-pro/" rel="nofollow ugc">Head Meta Pro</a> – Ultimate Meta Tags for WordPress</li>
<li><a href="https://plugin-planet.com/rest-pro-tools/" rel="nofollow ugc">REST Pro Tools</a> – Awesome tools for managing the WP REST API</li>
<li><a href="https://plugin-planet.com/simple-ajax-chat-pro/" rel="nofollow ugc">Simple Ajax Chat Pro</a> – Unlimited chat rooms</li>
<li><a href="https://plugin-planet.com/usp-pro/" rel="nofollow ugc">USP Pro</a> – Unlimited front-end forms</li>
</ul>
Links, tweets and likes also appreciated. Thanks! 🙂

Simple Download Counter

Thanks a lot for this great Plugin. 
It does exactly what it is supposed to do, simply count how often a file is downloaded. And the plugin is very lightweight. The additional options in connection with the shortcode leave nothing to be desired.

Simply a great Plugin

Simply counts the number of times your files are downloaded. Display download links and counts using shortcodes.

Frontend File Explorer vs Simple Download Counter