How to Sell Digital Downloads in WordPress with WooCommerce

Introduction

Selling digital products is one of the most profitable business models that exist. You don’t need a warehouse, you don’t manage shipping, and you can sell the same product thousands of times at no additional cost. Examples: ebooks, templates, video courses, music, software, photos or PDF documents.

WooCommerce includes everything you need to sell digital downloads out of the box. In this article you’ll see how to set it up step by step.

What you need before you start

Before creating your digital product, make sure you have:

1. WordPress and WooCommerce installed and working.
2. An active SSL certificate. It’s mandatory to process payments securely.
3. At least one configured payment gateway (Stripe, PayPal, etc.).
4. The file you’re going to sell already prepared and optimized (PDF, ZIP, MP4, etc.).

[Imagen sugerida: screenshot of the most sold types of digital products]

File size matters. If your product is very large (several GB), check that your hosting allows you to upload it and that the customer can download it without problems.

Step 1: Create a digital product

1. Log in to the WordPress admin panel (yourdomain.com/wp-admin).
2. Go to Products → Add New.
3. Write the product name and description.

[Imagen sugerida: screenshot of the product creation screen in WooCommerce]

Step 2: Mark the product as virtual and downloadable

This is the key part for selling digital products. In the Product data panel, check both boxes:

• Virtual: indicates the product doesn’t need physical shipping.
• Downloadable: indicates the customer receives a downloadable file after purchase.

[Imagen sugerida: screenshot of the Virtual and Downloadable checkboxes in product data]

When you enable these options, WooCommerce hides all fields related to shipping, weight and dimensions, because they’re not needed.

Step 3: Upload the downloadable file

In the same Product data section, go to the Downloads tab:

1. Click Add downloadable.
2. Write a name for the file (for example, “Complete ebook in PDF”).
3. In File URL, upload the file from your computer or enter the URL where it’s hosted.
4. Define the download limit: how many times the customer can download the file. If you leave it blank, it’s unlimited.
5. Set the download expiry if you want it to expire after a few days.

Recommendation: set the download limit to a reasonable number (for example, 5) to prevent the file from being improperly shared, but enough for the customer to recover it if they have problems.

Step 4: Configure the price

1. In the General tab, set the product’s regular price.
2. If you want to offer a temporary discount, also set the sale price.

Digital products are often associated with a one-time price. If you want to sell subscriptions (recurring access), you need an additional extension like WooCommerce Subscriptions.

Step 5: Check the purchase process

Before publishing, test the full process:

1. Enable test mode on your payment gateway.
2. Add the digital product to the cart.
3. Complete the purchase with a test card.
4. Verify that:
   • The order appears as completed.
   • The customer receives an email with the download link.
   • The download link works correctly.

[Imagen sugerida: screenshot of the email the customer receives with the download link]

How the customer receives their file

When the customer completes the purchase, WooCommerce does two things automatically:

1. Sends an email with the product’s download link.
2. Shows the download link on the order confirmation page and in the customer’s My Account section.

The customer can download the file from the email, from the website, or from their account, without you having to do anything manually.

Useful tips

• Optimize the file size. A 100 MB PDF can cause download problems. Reduce the weight before uploading.
• Protect your files. WooCommerce generates unique, temporary download links. Don’t upload the file to a public folder with an easy-to-guess name.
• Offer a free sample. If you sell an ebook or course, offering the first chapter free increases sales.
• Add a good description. The customer can’t touch or see the product before buying. A detailed description with screenshots or sample videos is key.
• Configure transactional emails. Customize the email the customer receives so it conveys your brand and clearly explains how to download the product.

Common problems

The download link doesn’t work

Check that the file is correctly uploaded and that the URL in the “File URL” field is correct. If you uploaded the file via FTP, verify the path.

The file is too large to upload

The upload limit depends on your hosting’s PHP configuration. If you need to upload large files, you can increase upload_max_filesize and post_max_size from cPanel, or upload the file via FTP and link it manually.

The customer says they didn’t receive the email

Ask the customer to check the spam folder. If the problem persists, check WooCommerce’s email configuration and that your hosting allows email sending.

The link expires too soon

Review the “Download expiry” field in the product data. If you want it unlimited, leave it blank.

My file is shared online

WooCommerce protects files with unique links. For added security, you can use extensions that limit the number of downloads per IP or add watermarks to PDFs.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a special extension to sell digital products?

No. WooCommerce includes everything you need to sell downloadable products out of the box. You just need to check the “Virtual” and “Downloadable” boxes.

Can I limit the number of downloads?

Yes. In the product data, in the Downloads tab, you can define a maximum number of downloads per customer.

Can I sell subscriptions or recurring access?

Yes, but you need an additional extension like WooCommerce Subscriptions, which allows recurring charges for content access.

What kind of files can I sell?

Practically any format: PDF, ZIP, MP4, MP3, images, documents, templates, software. The customer will download them as you upload them.

Can the customer download the file again later?

Yes. The customer can access their downloads from the My Account section of your store, as long as the link hasn’t expired.

Start selling digital products

Selling digital downloads with WooCommerce is one of the simplest and most profitable online business models. You don’t need a warehouse, you don’t manage shipping, and WooCommerce automates the entire delivery process.

You just need to create the product, mark it as virtual and downloadable, upload the file, configure the price, and test the purchase process.

If you need suitable hosting for your digital products store, at miHosting we have plans with free SSL, LiteSpeed cache and support from real technicians. We can also design your complete store from €350. Open a ticket from your client panel and we’ll help.