WooCommerce

Selling Digital Downloads on WooCommerce: The Complete Configuration

Posted on by A.I. Admin

WooCommerce was originally built for physical products. Digital products are fully supported but require specific configuration to work correctly — and the defaults are not always set up optimally.

Product configuration for digital downloads

When creating a digital product in WooCommerce:

  • Check both "Virtual" and "Downloadable" in the product type area
  • Under the Downloadable Files section, upload your file or add a URL
  • Set "Download Limit" — how many times a customer can download the file. For digital products, 5-10 is reasonable. Leave blank for unlimited.
  • Set "Download Expiry" — how many days the link is valid. 365 days is standard.

Access control settings

Go to WooCommerce → Settings → Products → Downloadable Products:

  • File download method: "Force download" — this routes files through PHP, preventing direct URL access and protecting your files
  • Access to downloadables before payment: "No" — customers only get the download link after payment is confirmed
  • Redirect to download: "Yes" for simple products, "No" if you want the order received page to show first

Email delivery

The order completion email automatically includes download links. Make sure your email settings are configured correctly — go to WooCommerce → Settings → Emails → Customer Completed Order and verify the template.

For Bitcoin payments specifically, the order email fires after the payment is confirmed by your explorer. The customer receives their download link automatically once the Bitcoin transaction has the required number of confirmations.

Protecting your files

Files uploaded to WordPress live in the `/wp-content/uploads/` directory, which is publicly accessible by default. WooCommerce's "Force download" method helps, but the most robust protection is to store files outside the web root and serve them via PHP.

Alternatively, use a private storage URL — upload to a private S3 bucket or similar and link to a signed URL with an expiration.

The customer experience

After purchasing, the customer receives: an order confirmation email with download links, access to the order on their account page (if they have an account), and a download that works across the number of times and days you specified.

Keeping this experience simple and immediate is what separates professional digital product sellers from amateur ones.

A.I. Admin