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  4. Prevent Direct Access – Protect…
Prevent Direct Access – Protect WordPress Files icon

Prevent Direct Access – Protect WordPress Files

A simple way to prevent search engines and the public from indexing and accessing your files without complex user authentication.

By WP Folio Team·Uploads·Free
4.7(292 reviews)
·10K+ active installs·Updated 1 week ago
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As of April 2026, Prevent Direct Access is a WordPress uploads plugin with 10K+ active installations and a 4.7/5 rating from 292 reviews. It has been downloaded 264K+ times in total. Requires WordPress 4.7+ and PHP 5.6.1+. Available on WordPress.org since 2015. Actively maintained — updated within the last month. Downloads are down 84% this week. Support resolution rate: 0%. Top alternative: Add From Server.

4.7/5292 reviews
10K+active installs
0%resolved
11 yearssince 2015

Overview

Prevent Direct Access (PDA) offers a simple solution to protect your WordPress files as well as prevent Google, other search engines and unwanted users from indexing and stealing your hard-to-produce ebooks, documents, and videos.

We’ve created an intuitive user interface directly in your Media Library. It’s simple and easy to use. You’ll be able to protect your private files in no time.

An Inside Look at Prevent Direct Access (PDA) Gold

Our PDA Lite version offers the following features:

Protect Unlimited WordPress Media Library File Uploads

Prevent Direct Access is designed to protect all your WordPress media files such as images (PNG, JPEG), documents (PDF, DOCX, PPTX), audios, and videos (MP4, MP3) that you upload to your website under Media Library or via Media, Pa…

Read full description on WordPress.org

Screenshots

Ratings & Reviews

4.7292 reviews
5 ★
262
4 ★
3
3 ★
3
2 ★
4
1 ★
20

Recent Reviews

Great protection
by Wild·1 month ago·4 replies

The pro plugin delivers, providing protection and security to files which contain commercial, sensitive or personal information.

I have had a pro license for some time and even though the license has expired in 2024 I have been billed afterwards. The support staff of PDA have handled this swiftly and professionally (see thread). In case you are unable to stop the payment through your payment provider, get in touch with them before the renewal takes place.

  • This topic was modified 1 month, 2 weeks ago by Wild.
Free Version barely usable
by xsonic·1 month ago·1 reply

Almost every useful feature is locked away. Uninstalled immediately.

I’m completely impressed…
by rycreat10·4 months ago·2 replies

I’m not one to write reviews, but the WP Folio Team definitely deserves one. I’m completely impressed with their support. They are unparalleled! Whatever you need, you can be sure they will do everything to help and guide you. They are simply polite, kind, and have immense patience to ensure customer satisfaction in resolving problems. Regarding the products (plugins), they are of the same exceptional quality as the support, and that’s very rare. Thank you so much Quinnie, Muhammad, and everyone at the WP Folio Team! You are all amazing!

Great support
by morrischapman·6 months ago·2 replies

Great support.

Excellent Support for a Custom Solution
by sasha49·8 months ago·2 replies

The team at Prevent Direct Access helped me find a custom solution that I wouldn’t have been able to complete without their help. They were responsive, kind, and came to a solution that worked well on the website. We had to protect a website’s files mid project and with the team at Prevent Direct Access, we were able to redirect URLS on mass. This plugin is great for any developers looking to prevent access to documents and files. Highly recommend the plugin and their support team!

Download Trends

Today: 205Yesterday: 215This week: 2KPeriod total: 61K

Compatibility

WordPress4.7+ requiredTested up to 6.9.4
PHP5.6.1+ required

Version Adoption

v2.8
97.5%
Other
2.5%

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Frequently Asked Questions

Changelog

2.8.8.6 March 23, 2026

  • [Bugfix] Fixed an issue where the reason for plugin deactivation was not being captured correctly.
View full changelog on WordPress.org

Contributors

gaupoitgaupoitWP Folio TeamWP Folio TeamrexhoangrexhoangProtect WordPress Media Files SupportProtect WordPress Media Files Support
Plugin Info
Version
2.8.8.6
Last Updated
Mar 23, 2026
WP Requires
4.7+
Tested Up To
6.9.4
PHP Requires
5.6.1+
Active Installs
10K+
Downloads
264K+
Added
Nov 27, 2015
Business
Free

Tags

uploadsdownloadsprotectioncopy protectionfolder protection

Developer

W
WP Folio Team
2 plugins0.0M+ total installs
View all plugins →

Quick Compare

Prevent Direct Access – Protect… vs Add From Server→Prevent Direct Access – Protect… vs Media Sync→Prevent Direct Access – Protect… vs Protect Uploads→

Plugin data sourced from WordPress.org. Analysis and metrics by PluginSift.