Digital Downloads

Digital Downloads

Install Digital Downloads from the Shopify App Store.

With Shopify's free Digital Downloads app, you can upload digital files such as videos, songs, and graphic art as products in your store. When a customer purchases a product with a digital file, they receive a link to download the file.

The Digital Downloads app has the following main sections:

• Dashboard - View, filter, and manage all your products with digital files. The dashboard displays only Active products by default. You can search, sort, and filter by attachment status.
• Orders - View, search, and manage all orders containing digital products that have been purchased through your store.
• Settings - Customize email templates and configure checkout download options.

Considerations for the Digital Downloads app

Before you use the Digital Downloads app, review the following considerations:

• If you have a product with a physical and digital component, and you have automatic fulfillment set up for the digital file, then the digital file is automatically sent and marked as fulfilled within the Digital Downloads app. The fulfillment of your product's physical component depends on your physical fulfillment settings.
• By default, your digital products are set to fulfill automatically with unlimited downloads. You can update this setting at any time.
• The maximum file size is 5 GB. Uploading large files can seem to take a long time because many internet service providers give priority to downloads.
• You can upload multiple files per product variant. You can also use a .zip file or another type of archive file that can contain files within it. You can't upload file folders.
• You can limit the number of times each customer can download a product. This is set in the fulfillment settings for each variant.
• If you delete your digital product from your products in your admin, then it also removes the product from the Digital Downloads app.
• There is no bandwidth limit for downloads. The bandwidth statistic in the app's main menu is for your information only.
• If manual fulfillment is turned on, the download link will not show in the Thank You/Order Status page even after the order has been fulfilled.

Install the Digital Downloads app

Add a digital product

To add a digital product, upload files and provide a product name in the Add digital product dialog, and then configure the product details in your Shopify admin.

You can add multiple files. You can also use a .zip file or another archive file format to bundle files together under a single file name.

Steps:

1. From your Shopify admin, go to Apps > Digital Downloads.

2. Click Add digital product.

3. Optional: In the dialog, enter a custom product name. By default, the product name is Digital product.

4. Click Upload file or drag and drop files.

5. Optional: Upload additional files.

6. Click Next: Set up product to create the product and open it in your Shopify admin.

7. Enter the information for your digital product, such as Title, Description, and Price.

8. In the Inventory section, ensure that the Inventory not tracked setting is activated.

9. In the Shipping section, ensure that the Not a physical product setting is activated.

10. In the Status section, use the drop-down to select any of the following options:

    • Active: Available on select sales channels and markets.
    • Draft: Not visible on selected sales channels or markets.
    • Unlisted: Accessible only by direct link.

11. Click the icon, select the sales channels where you want to make the digital product available, and then click Done.

12. In the Product organization section, add the following additional information:

    • Select a Type.
    • Select a Vendor.
    • Click Add collections to add the digital product to your collections.
    • Click Add tags to add tags to your digital product.

13. Optional: In the Theme template section, you can select a different theme template for your digital product.

14. Click Save.

Add digital files to an existing product

As well as creating digital products, you can add a digital download to products that are already in your online store. This includes physical products. For example, if you're selling vinyl records, then you can use the Digital Downloads app to add an MP3 copy of the album that the customer can download.

You can add multiple files per variant. You can also use a .zip file or another archive file format, which can bundle files together under a single file name.

Steps:

1. From your Shopify admin, go to Apps > Digital Downloads.

2. Click the product with the digital file that you want to edit.

3. If the Digital Downloads block isn't displayed, then, in the Blocks section, click + Block.

4. Click Add assets.

5. Click Add files or drag and drop the files into the modal.

6. In Fulfillment settings, you can complete the following actions:

   1. Set the Default download limit: By default, the download limit is Unlimited. You can toggle Limited downloads, and then select the number of Max downloads from the drop down menu.
   2. Set the Fulfillment type: By default, the fulfillment type is Sent automatically. You can toggle Sent manually.

7. Click Save.

Adjust the fulfillment settings for your digital products

You can review your digital files and adjust your fulfillment settings directly from the product details page in the Digital Downloads app. Fulfillment settings display inline with each variant.

You need to have a digital file added to edit the fulfillment settings. If you have multiple variants, then you need to individually set your preferred fulfillment method for each variant.

Digital products have the following fulfillment options:

• Automatically send files - If you select this option, then after a successful payment, customers are automatically emailed a download link and the order is marked as fulfilled. Use this option for entirely digital products, such as an MP3 or a PDF.
• Manually send files - If you select this option, then you need to manually mark the order as fulfilled before a download link is emailed to the customer. Use this option when the product is a mix of a digital and physical products, such as a vinyl record with an MP3 download.

Steps:

1. From your Shopify admin, go to Apps > Digital Downloads.

2. Click the product with the digital file that you want to edit.

3. In the variant's digital files section, update the Fulfillment type to either Automatically send files or Manually send files.

4. Optional: Update the Default download limit from Unlimited to Limited, and then select or enter the maximum number of downloads.

5. Click Save.

Share a download link

If you want to share a download link for a variant, then you can copy a shareable link directly from the product details page. For example, you might need to share a download link if you need to re-send a link to a customer whose email bounced, or to send a file to a gifted recipient.

Steps:

1. From your Shopify admin, go to Apps > Digital Downloads.

2. Click the digital product that you want to share a download link for.

3. For products with a single variant, click Share in the page header. For products with multiple variants, click Share in the variant's digital files section.

4. The download link is copied to your clipboard. You can share this link with a customer by email or other means.

Set a download limit

You can set a download limit for your digital files. A download limit controls the number of times that a customer can download a digital product. By default, all variants are set to unlimited.

Steps:

1. From your Shopify admin, go to Apps > Digital Downloads.

2. Click the digital product that you want to set a download limit for.

3. In the variant's digital files section, change the Default download limit from Unlimited to Limited, and then select or enter the maximum number of downloads.

4. Optional: Update the Fulfillment type to either Automatically send files or Manually send files.

5. Click Save.

Filter your digital products

You can filter your products by whether or not they have a digital file added. The dashboard displays Active products by default.

Steps:

1. From your Shopify admin, go to Apps > Digital Downloads.

2. Use the filter tabs to filter products by any of the following values:

• Has digital file: display only products with digital files.
• No digital file: display only products without digital files.
• Show all: display a list of all your products.

3. Optional: Use the search field to find products by keyword, or click Sort to change the sort order.

Modify Digital Downloads orders

The Orders section provides you with an overview of all orders containing digital downloads that have been purchased through your store. This section displays:

• order number
• date and time
• customer's name
• customer's email
• fulfillment status
• number of downloads per order

Similar to the Orders page in the admin, you can click each entry to view that order's details.

Each order includes:

• customer name
• customer email
• option to update the customer email address
• option to resend the fulfillment email
• option to view the download link

The Orders section also displays any time a download was completed, the customer's IP, as well as which browser and operating system were used to download the digital item.

Search for an order

If you have a long list of digital orders, then you can use the search field at the top of the Orders page to find a specific order by its order number.

Steps:

1. From your Shopify admin, go to Apps > Digital Downloads.

2. Click Orders.

3. In the Search by order number field, enter all or part of an order number.

4. Click the order in the filtered list to view its details.

Resend a download link

1. From your Shopify admin, go to Apps > Digital Downloads.

2. Click Orders.

3. Click the order number of the order you want to reissue a download link for.

4. Click Resend download email.

Cancel a download

You can deactivate a customer's download link to prevent them from being able to download the product.

Steps:

1. From your Shopify admin, go to Apps > Digital Downloads.

2. Click Orders.

3. Click the number of the order that you want to cancel the download for.

4. Under the Product details heading, click Deactivate.

If you want to reactivate a customer's ability to download a digital product, then return to the order page in the Digital Downloads app, and then click Activate under the Product details heading.

Export a CSV file of orders

The CSV file export option, which is at the bottom of the Orders page, generates a spreadsheet file of all digital orders that have been processed by the app. The export is delivered by email to your account email address.

The report includes:

• order date and time
• number of downloads
• customer's email address
• customer's first name
• checkout ID associated with the order
• customer's last name
• total number of line items in the order
• order total (including shipping and tax)
• SKUs included in the order
• order number (listed as title)
• date of last update

Steps:

1. From your Shopify admin, go to Apps > Digital Downloads.

2. Click Orders.

3. Click Export all orders.

Edit email templates

You can use the Settings section to customize the emails sent to customers under Downloads via email. There are two email templates associated with digital products:

• Downloads ready: Customers receive this email when their digital product is ready to download.
• Digital file update: Customers receive this email when a digital product they've purchased has been updated.

Steps:

1. From your Shopify admin, go to Apps > Digital Downloads.

2. Click Settings.

3. Click Edit template for the email that you want to customize.

4. Make the desired changes.

5. Optional: to revert the template to the default template, click Revert to default template, and then click Revert to default.

6. Click Save.

Configure Digital Downloads app in your checkout

You can set whether customers can download the digital product directly on the checkout page. To display a download link, you need to activate the feature in the Digital Downloads app and add the Digital Downloads widget to your checkout pages.

Steps:

1. From your Shopify admin, go to Apps > Digital Downloads.

2. Click Settings.

3. In the Downloads at checkout section, select Enable digital product downloads at checkout.

4. To configure the checkout, click Configure, and then do the following:

   1. In the Digital downloads section, click +, and then click to add the block to either Thank you or Order status pages.
   2. To change the appearance of the block, you can click the icon to access the settings for Color, Typography, and other checkout settings. Learn more about checkout settings.
   3. Optional: You can configure the other page by selecting the page that you haven't configured from the page selector dropdown.
   4. Click Save.

After you complete these steps, a Download now link displays on the order confirmation page. The customer also receives an email with the ability to download the file.

Deactivate download links on the checkout page

If you don't want a download link to display on the checkout page, then you can deactivate the feature.

Steps:

1. From your Shopify admin, go to Apps > Digital Downloads.

2. Click Settings.

3. In the Downloads at checkout section, click Deactivate.

When deactivated, a Download now link won't display on the order confirmation page. Instead, the customer only receives an email with the ability to download the file.

Delete a digital file

You can delete digital files from within the Digital Downloads app.

Steps:

1. From your Shopify admin, go to Apps > Digital Downloads.

2. Click a product that has the file that you want to delete.

3. Click the icon.

4. Click Delete.

5. Optional: If your product is already published, then make sure that you want to delete the file, and then click Delete.

6. Click Save.

7. Choose whether or not to send an email to existing customers with the updated link.

Replace a digital file

You might want to replace a digital file either before or after you have published it and sold it to customers. For example, if you're selling a .PDF file for a knitting pattern and then you notice an error in the pattern, then you might want to upload a new .PDF file.

Steps:

1. From your Shopify admin, go to Apps > Digital Downloads.

2. Click a product that has the file that you want to replace.

3. Click Add files to upload a new file.

4. Next to the old file, click the icon.

5. Click Delete.

6. Click Save.

7. Choose whether or not to send an email to existing customers with the updated link.