Document Engine – Document Library, PDF Viewer & Post to PDF

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About this tool

Document Engine turns WordPress into a document library your visitors can actually use. Publish policies, meeting minutes, reports, forms and guides; let people search and filter them instantly; show PDFs in a fast viewer that runs on your own site; and let visitors save any post or page as a PDF. It is built for the block editor, works with any theme, and the free plugin has no document limits, no ads and no time limits . Made for councils and public bodies, schools and universities, housing and community associations, intranets and HR teams, nonprofits, law and accounting firms, and member sites. Try it live · Documentation · Free vs Pro · Pro features · Pricing Free vs Pro at a glance The free plugin is complete on its own. Document Engine Pro adds control, proof and scale for organisations, in the same screens. Document library. Free: table, grid and folder layouts, instant search, multi-select filters with counts, preview popup. Pro adds custom-field columns and filters, search inside files and ZIP downloads. PDF viewer. Free: self-hosted viewer with search, thumbnails, outline and links. Pro adds a secure view-only mode with the reader’s name on every page, and reading analytics. Who can open what. Free: drafts, private and password-protected documents (their files stay in the public uploads folder). Pro adds members-only documents by role, person or category, private file storage and tracked share links. Records and compliance. Free: download counts and accessible-format requests. Pro adds an audit log, read-and-confirm with evidence export, versions, and review and expiry dates. Post to PDF. Free: a Download PDF button with header, footer, custom CSS and PDF permissions. Pro adds text and image watermarks and Handbook PDFs. Moving in and automation. Free: migration from three plugins, blocks, shortcodes and Elementor widgets. Pro adds bulk and CSV import, submissions, webhooks, Slack and Teams, and WP-CLI. Support. Free: the community forum. Pro: email support, priority on the Agency plan. Compare every feature · See what Pro adds · Pro plans from $79 a year Why Document Engine A real document library, free. Table, grid and folder layouts with instant search, filters with counts, multi-select filters, click-to-sort columns and shareable links, all in the free plugin. A private PDF viewer. Built on PDF.js and served from your own site: no Google Docs viewer, no third-party requests, so it works on intranets and staging sites and helps with GDPR. A complete PDF viewer, free. Search inside PDFs, page thumbnails and outline, clickable links, links to a page ( #page=4 ), print, download and full screen. One link per document, for good. Downloads are counted (bots ignored), and replacing the file keeps the same link, so emails and printed QR codes never break. Accessibility first. Keyboard and screen-reader friendly libraries, viewer and admin screens, checked with automated WCAG 2.1 AA tests, plus an optional “Request an accessible version” form. Document library Documents with nested categories, tags, a description and their own page. Titles are filled in from the file name. Document Library block (and [document_engine_library] shortcode, and Elementor widget) with table, grid and folder layouts and a live preview in the editor. Instant search as visitors type, and it still works without JavaScript. Filters by category and file type (with document counts), tag, year and author. Visitors sort by clicking a column heading ; choose page numbers or a “Load more” button . Turn on “Let visitors pick several” to let people combine categories, tags or file types. Shareable filtered views : every search and filter has its own address, so you can link straight to “all 2026 minutes”. Preview popup : PDFs, images, audio and video open in a popup from the library, without leaving the page. Document Search block : put a search box in your header or home page that shows results in your library. Document List block : newest, recently updated, most downloaded or related documents, and optional related documents under each document page. Document Download block : one document as a card or a button, anywhere. Documents in your site search , with file type and size, and downloads in Google Analytics (GA4 file_download events). Download or open : set it for the whole site, or per document. Any file type : PDF, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, images, audio, video, archives, or a link to a file on another site (for example a Google Drive, Dropbox or OneDrive share link). Turn existing files into documents : select them in Media → Library and choose Create documents . Mobile friendly : libraries adapt to phones and narrow columns and use your theme’s fonts and colours. PDF viewer Self-hosted PDF.js viewer with page navigation, zoom, fit to width or page, print, download and full screen; each control can be switched off. Search inside the PDF with highlighted matches. Page thumbnails and outline (bookmarks) sidebar. Clickable links inside PDFs, including links to other pages of the same PDF. Link to a page : add #page=12 to a document’s address. Fast : the viewer loads when it scrolls into view and renders pages as you read. Text stays selectable. Show a document, a Media Library PDF or a PDF from another site with the PDF Viewer block or [document_engine_viewer] . Document pages Every document gets a clean page with its file type, size, last update, categories, a download button and, for PDFs, the viewer. Pages can be switched off, and templates overridden in your theme. Post to PDF A “Download PDF” button on the post types you choose, placed before or after the content, or anywhere with the Save as PDF block or [document_engine_pdf_button] . Header logo, title and page numbers, footer text, paper size (A4, Letter, Legal, A5, A3), your own fonts (including Chinese, Japanese, Korean), orientation, margins, custom CSS. Right-to-left languages are supported. Optional PDF protection (print, copy and edit permissions). PDF-only shortcodes for page breaks, columns and content hidden from the PDF. Fast and safe : generated PDFs are cached, each visitor has a per-minute limit, and only public content is exported (never private or password-protected posts). Moving from another plugin Document Engine copies your documents from Document Library (Barn2) , Download Monitor , WordPress Download Manager , Simple Download Monitor and Simple File List : titles, descriptions, categories, tags, files, download counts, dates and passwords. You see a preview first, the original data is never changed, and old shortcodes and download links keep working afterwards. For editors and admins QR code for every document (PNG or SVG) to print on notices, agendas and handouts. Command palette (Ctrl/Cmd + K): add a document or jump to any document from anywhere in the admin. Documents list with file type and size, category and download counts, and filters by category and file type. Roles : choose which roles manage all documents, publish their own, or only draft. Documentation built in under Documents → Docs. Multilingual : WPML and Polylang configuration included. Ready for AI assistants : the WordPress Abilities API lets assistants search and read your library, only ever returning documents the signed-in user may open. Document Engine Pro The free plugin publishes documents. Pro controls who can open them, proves who read them, and keeps them up to date , for councils, schools, HR teams, intranets, client portals and member sites. Pro is an add-on: install it next to the free plugin and its features appear in the same screens. Your documents, pages and settings stay exactly as they are. See Document Engine Pro Pro is for you if you need to… Publish staff-only or members-only documents without a membership plugin: restrict a document, or a whole category, to logged-in users, chosen roles or named people. Stop files being shared by their address : restricted files move out of the public uploads folder and are only served to people allowed to open them. Send a document to someone outside your site , such as an auditor, a board member or a client, with a link that expires and tells you when they opened it. Make staff confirm they’ve read a policy , with deadlines, reminders and evidence you can export for an inspection or audit. See which documents people read , for how long, and what they search for but can’t find. Collect leads before a download (name, email, consent), for brochures, reports and whitepapers. Keep a register of documents with your own fields (reference number, department, review date) that visitors can filter and sort by. Move hundreds of files in at once from a spreadsheet, and keep them current with versions, review dates and automatic expiry. Everything Pro adds Screenshots and details of every feature are on the Document Engine Pro page . Access control Members-only documents by logged-in users, roles, named people or membership levels (Paid Memberships Pro, WooCommerce Memberships), per document or category. Restricted documents shown with a lock or hidden from people who can’t open them, and left out of site search, feeds and file-content search. Private file storage for restricted files, with a Site Health test that checks the folder really is private (and shows the nginx rule when it isn’t). Share links for people without an account: expiring, named per recipient , with open tracking , single-use or limited uses , an optional email on first open, and one-click revoke. “My documents” block : a client or staff area listing the documents shared with the signed-in person, with what’s new since their last visit. Secure viewing and downloads Secure viewer for PDFs : read-only, with no download, print or copy buttons, and the reader’s name, email and date watermarked on every page . Stamped PDF downloads : every downloaded PDF carries the reader’s details. Email gate : name and email (and optionally organisation) with your consent text before a downlo

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Getting started

In Plugins → Add New , search for “Document Engine”, then install and activate it. Go to Documents → Add New Document and upload a file, or select existing files in Media → Library (list view) and choose Bulk actions → Create documents . Create a page and add the Document Library block. Choose the layout, columns and filters in the block settings. Optional: in Documents → Settings → Post to PDF , choose which post types get a “Download PDF” button. Optional: moving from another document plugin? Open Documents → Tools → Migrate . Requirements: WordPress 6.6 or newer and PHP 7.4 or newer. Post to PDF needs the PHP mbstring and gd extensions.

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Frequently asked questions

Is the free plugin limited? No. There’s no limit on documents, libraries, downloads or time, and no ads. Pro adds features for organisations; it doesn’t unlock anything that was taken out of the free plugin. Does the PDF viewer use Google? No. Document Engine includes its own viewer (PDF.js) and never contacts Google. The only exception is PDF Viewer blocks created with version 1 on sites that upgraded: they keep Google’s viewer until you switch on Documents → Settings → PDF Viewer → Version 1 blocks (see “External services”). Do I need Pro? Not to publish documents. The free plugin is a complete library with the viewer, search, filters and Post to PDF. You need Pro when documents must be limited to certain people, when you need proof of who read something, or when you manage enough documents to want versions, review dates, custom fields, bulk import and analytics. How do I upgrade to Pro? Choose a plan on the Document Engine Pro page , then either upload the Pro plugin from your account, or enter your licence key at the bottom of Documents → Free vs Pro and it installs in one step. Keep the free plugin active; Pro builds on it, and nothing needs to be moved or set up again. Can I keep documents private? With the free plugin you can keep documents as drafts, private posts or password-protected, and their download links respect that. Their files still live in the public uploads folder, so anyone who has a file’s exact address could open it. Pro adds members-only documents by role, person or category and moves restricted files to private storage. Will my version 1 content keep working? Yes. Your settings, the five PDF shortcodes, the PDF Viewer block and the settings page link all keep working. The Post to PDF settings are now under Documents → Settings → Post to PDF . Can I move from Download Monitor, WordPress Download Manager, Barn2’s Document Library, Simple Download Monitor or Simple File List? Yes, from Documents → Tools → Migrate . Files, categories, tags, dates, download counts and passwords come across; the old shortcodes keep working and old download links redirect. The original plugin’s data isn’t changed. Simple File List (closed on WordPress.org in July 2026) folders become nested categories, and [eeSFL] pages keep working. Can I stop people downloading a PDF? Hiding the viewer’s download and print buttons doesn’t stop a determined visitor: browsers can still save the file. Document Engine Pro’s secure viewer shows the PDF read-only with the reader’s name on every page, and keeps the file out of the public uploads folder. Does it work with membership plugins? Free: documents can be private or password-protected. Pro restricts documents by role (which works with MemberPress, Restrict Content Pro and other plugins that give members a role), by named people, or by Paid Memberships Pro level or WooCommerce Memberships plan. Can documents be stored in the cloud (Amazon S3, Cloudflare R2)? Document Engine keeps files in your Media Library, so a media offload plugin can move public files to a bucket. With Pro, exclude the protected documents folder from offloading; Site Health warns you if an offload plugin is active. Can PDFs use Chinese, Japanese or Korean text? Yes: upload a font that has those characters (for example Noto Sans SC) to the Media Library and choose it in Settings → Post to PDF → Page & protection . Can I show PDFs hosted on another website? Yes, if that website allows it (CORS). If it doesn’t, visitors see a link to open the PDF instead. Does it work with my theme and page builder? Libraries use your theme’s fonts and colours and adapt to the space they get. Blocks work in the block and site editors, Elementor has its own widgets, and shortcodes work everywhere else, including Divi, Bricks, Beaver Builder and WPBakery. Copy any file from the plugin’s templates folder to your-theme/document_engine/ to change it, and adjust colours with CSS custom properties such as --dengine-accent . Is it accessible? The library, filters and viewer are keyboard and screen-reader friendly, with labelled controls, live regions and visible focus, and the libraries, viewer and admin screens pass automated WCAG 2.1 AA checks. PDFs keep a text layer, so browser search and screen readers work. You can also switch on a “Request an accessible version” form ( Documents → Settings → Documents → Accessibility ). Does it slow my site down? Styles and scripts load only on pages that use them, the viewer loads when it scrolls into view, and generated PDFs are cached. Libraries were tested with 10,000 documents. What happens when I uninstall? Nothing is deleted unless you choose to: turn on Documents → Settings → Advanced → When deleting the plugin first if you want documents and settings removed. Files in your Media Library are never deleted. Where is the documentation, and how do I get help? In your admin under Documents → Docs : getting started, every feature, settings, how-to guides, troubleshooting and developer notes, with search. The full documentation is also online . Questions about the free plugin: the support forum here on WordPress.org. Document Engine Pro: features, plans and FAQ and pre-sales questions . Pro customers get email support (priority support on the Agency plan). Does it track visitors? The free plugin stores documents, categories and tags as normal WordPress content, plus a download count per document. Accessible-format requests (when switched on) store the requester’s name and email; they are included in WordPress’s personal data export and erase tools. The plugin does not track visitors, set tracking cookies or send data to other services, apart from the optional cases listed under “External services”. Which shortcodes are there? Every block has a shortcode for classic themes and page builders: [document_engine_library layout="table|grid|folders" categories="slug" file_types="pdf,word" per_page="20" filters="category,tag,type,year,author,sort" multi_filters="yes"] [document_engine_search page="123"] [document_engine_viewer id="document ID" file="attachment ID" url="https://…" height="800px" page="1"] [document_engine_document id="12" style="card|button"] [document_engine_documents mode="recent|updated|popular|related" count="5" category="slug" title="Latest"] [document_engine_pdf_button] , [document_engine_pdf_remove]…[/document_engine_pdf_remove] , [document_engine_pdf_page_break] , [document_engine_pdf_columns]…[/document_engine_pdf_columns] , [document_engine_pdf_column_break] All attributes are listed in Documents → Docs → Developers .

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