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

• 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 , and downloads in Google Analytics (GA4 file_download events).
• 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; most controls can be switched off.
• Search inside the PDF with highlighted matches.
• Page thumbnails and outline (bookmarks) sidebar.
• Link to a page : add #page=12 to a document’s address.
• 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 (their addresses then go straight to the file), and templates can be 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 posts, and password-protected posts only for visitors who entered the password).

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.
• Roles : choose which roles manage all documents, publish their own, or only draft.
• 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

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.
• One shared password for a whole category , no accounts needed.
• 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 download; returning visitors pass straight through. Leads are listed, exported to CSV, emailed to you or sent to a webhook (Zapier, Make), and deleted after your retention period.
• Accept terms : everyone ticks “I agree” to your licence or disclaimer before opening a document; each acceptance is logged.
• Office previews (opt