Download Plugin

Description

  1. Just activate this plugin.
  2. You can see Download link below each plugin name on plugins page.
  3. Click on any of them and that plugin’s zip will be downloaded to your computer.
  4. Cheers!

Must-have utility plugin that allows you to download any plugin directly from WordPress Dashboard!

WordPress download plugin is a utility plugin that does one thing, and does it perfectly. It may sound simple, but this feature plugs a hole in current set of WordPress plugin functionality. As a site admin you must be aware that you can search and install WordPress plugins directly from the dashboard, or you can upload the plugin as zip files, assuming you received it from another site (for example, a commercial plugin). Once installed, all plugins list themselves inside Dashboard -> Plugins page. After deactivating and deleting them, they simply disappear. All files are removed from the server instantly. WordPress does not allow you to backup or download the plugins before you jettison them from your site. If you also manage your server and are fairly comfortable doing so, you may find a more contrived way to download installed plugins via directory manager app or FTP. Obviously, this requires more than a single click and not for everyone.

What exactly are plugins and how this plugin helps you save time or bail you out from difficult situations? Plugins are files and/ or directories, which are created inside your WordPress installation (defined by WordPress) when you first install them. Both active and deactivated files reside inside them. When you upload zip package of a plugin, WordPress extracts it and places the directory inside it in the plugins folder. Our plugin allows you to reverse the process. It will convert any plugin installed on your site into a zip package ready to be reinstalled later or moved to another site. It accomplishes this by simply adding a new link “Download” under the plugin title to already existing links. It is a single click process and hardly takes any time. Our plugin does not create any other page in the dashboard or clutter menus. It is lightweight, efficient and completely invisible until you need it.

So why would you need it? While there can be many reasons, here are the primary we think you will find it useful.

A. Backup

The foremost and most common reason – when you wish to make backup of the plugin for future installation.

B. Premium/ Commercial Plugins

If you have purchased the plugin from a vendor site, you may want to make a backup of your new purchase to make sure you have it handy if the vendor is no longer available or your account is expired. Please note: Do check terms of use for commercial plugins on publisher’s site.

C. Migrating to a different site

So you have found yourselves dependent on some specific plugins that you want to use on all of your sites? You can download these plugins from your current site do a folder on your hard disk from where you can upload to your other sites.

D. Preserving Changes

If you DIY type and made modifications to plugin files to suit your requirements, you will want to make sure you have an archived copy of the plugin if the files get overwritten by an update etc.

Starter Guide

Checkout Download plugin guide for more information.

Recommended Plugins (Free Download From WordPress.org)

Download Theme Plugin: allows you to download any theme from your WordPress admin panel’s Appearance page.

User Registration and Login Plugin: Take total control of end-to-end user registration process on your site with RegistrationMagic plugin.

User Profiles and Membership Plugin: Build awesome user profiles, restrict content and launch memberships with ProfileGrid plugin.

User Events and Calendar Plugin: Manage user events, sell tickets and publish event calendar with EventPrime plugin.

Screenshots

  • Download link below each plugin name. Click on any of them and that plugin's zip will be downloaded to your computer.

Installation

  1. Activate the plugin through the ‘Plugins’ menu in WordPress.
  2. Extract the zipped file and upload the folder download-plugin to /wp-content/plugins/ directory.

Reviews

March 13, 2023
Thanks to the author for a much-needed plugin. The plugin does a great job, most simply and eloquently. Do you need to quickly add a plugin from Site A to Site B? This is for you. Do you need to back up a plugin that can not be rolled back before updating it? This is for you. Good job Metagauss
March 25, 2022 5 replies
The plugin works but it displays an annoying admin notice on every page that cannot be dismissed. It also adds an unnecessary top level menu item that just links to documentation.
May 12, 2022 4 replies
I use this plugin on a couple sites to quickly grab a copy of my plugins when I set up a new installation. Although I once had issues when uploading multiple plugins at a time, the key functionality of the plugin works great for me - solid 5 stars on that. My main concern is that the plugin adds a non-dismissible admin notice. Having that show up on a bunch of my sites for a couple weeks now and it is extremely annoying. In addition to that, the plugin creates a top-level menu item in the WordPress admin area which is - in my honest opinion - simply not necessary. All it does is display documentation. This could easily be moved under the "Settings" tab. I'd love to see these changes implemented in the future. ----- Update: The plugin author listens to community feedback. I've changed the 2-star review into a 5-star review. No complaints, the plugin does exactly what it's supposed to and the annoying top-level admin menu has gone. Also, the admin notice is now dismissible. Thanks!
January 24, 2022
This is what i was looking for to clone my site
Read all 17 reviews

Contributors & Developers

“Download Plugin” is open source software. The following people have contributed to this plugin.

Contributors

“Download Plugin” has been translated into 8 locales. Thank you to the translators for their contributions.

Translate “Download Plugin” into your language.

Interested in development?

Browse the code, check out the SVN repository, or subscribe to the development log by RSS.

Changelog

2.0.8: January 24, 2024

  • Fixed: UI and PHP 8.2 Compatibility Issues.

2.0.7: December 21, 2023

  • Fixed: UI Issues.
  • Updated: WP 6.4 and PHP 8.2 Compatibility Changes.

2.0.6

  • UI fixes.

2.0.5

  • Security updates

2.0.4

  • Updated: Admin menu is no longer visible.
  • Fixed: An issue where an admin notice returned after being dismissed.

2.0.3

  • Added: Admin notice for Download Users.

2.0.2

  • Removed: Intro popup.

2.0.1

  • Fixed: Warning at the time of plugin uninstallation.
  • Minor UI improvements.

2.0.0

  • New: Completely revamped code – more efficient, secure and modern.
  • New: Download Themes – download themes from dashboard Appearance -> Themes page.
  • New: Download Users – optional extension for downloading and uploading user accounts from dashboard.

1.6.2

  • Fixed: Security issue.

1.6.1

  • Added: User role restrictions on activating the plugin.
  • Improved: Error handling when the zipArchive extension is not available on host server.

1.6.0

  • Updated: Nonce fields handling for improved security.

1.5.9

  • Fixed: A security issue related to authorization check.

1.5.8

  • Fixed: An issue with scripts and styles restrictions.

1.5.7

  • Fixed: An issue with server memory size.

1.5.6

  • New: Intro p
  • Removed: Promotions
  • Fixed: Some UI issues

1.5.5

  • UI Update.
  • Fixed: Minor issues.

1.5.4

  • Compatibility update for WordPress 5.7

1.5.3

  • Compatibility fixes with macOS.
  • Added WordPress 5.4 compatibility.

1.5.2

  • Fixed a bug

1.5.1

  • Fixed a bug
  • UI Tweaks

1.5.0

  • New Feature: You can now download multiple plugins!
  • New Feature: You can now upload and install multiple plugins simultaneously.

1.1.0

  • Now works with macOS and Linux!
  • Bug fixes

1.0.3 – 20/9/2017

  • Checked compatibility with WordPress version 4.8.

1.0.2 – 16/7/2016

  • Improved security of download.

1.0.1 – 5/4/2016

  • Added support for WordPress translations.

1.0.0 – 1/3/2016

  • Initial Release