PDA: Prevent Direct Access to Files, URLs & Folders; Create Private/Secure Links

The most powerful file protection plugin trusted by 50,000+ sites | 286+ Five-Star Reviews

🔒 Secure Your WordPress Files in 60 Seconds

⚡ One-click protection – Secure files directly from Media Library 🔗 Smart URL replacement – Auto-updates embedded links site-wide (Gold) 🛡️ Military-grade security – Even if they know the URL 📁 Folder protection – Secure thousands of files at once (Gold)

👉 Download Free | Get PDA Gold

📊 What Makes PDA Different

🚫 WITHOUT PDA: Upload a “private” PDF → Anyone with the URL can download it → AI & Google indexes it → Zero protection

✅ WITH PDA: Upload any file → One-click protection → Auto-updates all embedded URLs → True privacy + search engine blocking

Exclusive PDA features no other plugin offers: • Automatic URL replacement (no broken links!) (Gold) • Folder protection – secure entire directories (Gold) • Amazon S3 integration (Gold) • Magic links with expiration (Gold)

Note: For complete content protection including pages/posts, pair with Password Protect Page Pro.

🎯 The File Security Crisis Nobody Talks About

❌ The Actual Truth: – Anyone who knows your file URL can access it – even private files! – AI & Google indexes your “private” PDFs and shows them in search results – Competitors steal your premium content and resell it – Your client files are exposed to the public – WordPress has ZERO built-in file protection

✅ The PDA Solution: – True URL protection – Files secured even if URL is known – Automatic URL replacement – Updates all embedded links instantly – Search engine blocking – Your files stay OFF Google and AWAY from AI Scraping bots – Hotlink prevention – Stop bandwidth theft – One-click security – No complex configuration

🤔 Why Every WordPress Site Needs File Protection

With cybercrime damages predicted to hit $10.5 trillion by 2025, protecting your digital assets isn’t optional – it’s essential. Yet WordPress has a massive security hole: uploaded files are publicly accessible by default.

The Problem: Upload a “private” document to WordPress, and anyone with the URL can download it. Worse, AI bots and Google can index it, allowing competitors to easily find and steal your work. There’s no access control whatsoever.

The Solution: PDA transforms WordPress into a secure file vault while maintaining the ease of use you love. Protect files with one click, share secure links with authorized users, and sleep knowing your content is truly private.

⚡ Features That Make PDA #1

🆓 FREE Forever Features

🛡️ Direct URL Protection The core magic of PDA – files become inaccessible via direct URL access, even if someone knows the exact path. Only users with proper permissions can view protected files. Unauthorized visitors get your 404 page instead.

🎲 Auto-Generated Private Links Each protected file gets a unique, unguessable private download link (also known as an expiring link). These links aren’t indexed by search engines and are the only way to access protected files. While anyone with the link can access the file, you can set download limits and expiration times — ideal for temporary sharing like marketing campaigns.

🚫 AI Indexing & Search Engine Blocking PDA explicitly tells AI Indexing Scrapers, Google, Bing, and other search engines not to index your protected files. Your private PDFs, documents, and media will never appear in search results. This works at the server level for bulletproof protection.

🖼️ Image Hotlink Prevention Stop other sites from stealing your bandwidth by embedding your images. When enabled, images can only be displayed on your domain. This feature alone can save significant hosting costs for image-heavy sites.

🗂️ Upload Directory Protection Your entire wp-content/uploads folder becomes protected. Directory browsing is disabled, preventing anyone from seeing a list of all your uploaded files. A critical security layer most sites miss.

👤 IP-Based Access Control Block specific IP addresses from accessing your private links. Perfect for preventing access from problematic users or regions.

👥 File Author Permissions By default, file authors and admins can always access protected files directly. This ensures content creators maintain access to their uploads while blocking everyone else.

📊 Media Library Integration PDA adds a dedicated column to your Media Library list view. See protection status at a glance, configure settings without leaving the media screen, and manage hundreds of files efficiently.

💎 GOLD Power Features

🔗 Automatic URL Replacement (Exclusive to PDA Gold) This game-changing feature automatically finds and replaces unprotected file URLs already embedded in your posts and pages. No manual updating needed – PDA handles everything in the background. When you protect a file, every instance across your site updates instantly.

👤 IP-Based Access Control Aside from blocking IP addresses from accessing private links, you can also whitelist IPs at different levels: – Global level – File level – Entire site

📁 One-Click Folder Protection Protect entire folders without manually updating individual files. Simply specify a folder path and all current and future files inside are automatically secured. Perfect for: – Course materials organized by module – Client project folders – Monthly content archives – Departmental documents

🧙‍♂️ Private Magic Links An upgrade from standard private links, Private Magic Links let you control who can access your files — just like protected links. Perfect for: – Portfolio previews – Document review without distribution – Temporary access for contractors – Preview-before-purchase scenarios

Even when set to “anyone,” Magic Links can expire just 1 second after page load, ideal for view-only access — preventing sharing or reuse. Once expired, refreshing the page auto-generates a new link for seamless access.

🔐 Shared Private Links Create a single download link that tracks usage per logged-in user. Features: – Individual download limits per user – Detailed usage analytics – Perfect for licensed content – Prevents password sharing abuse

☁️ Amazon S3 Integration Extend PDA protection to cloud storage. Features: – Protect S3-hosted files – Generate expiring S3 URLs – Sync local and cloud protection – Search & replace S3 URLs in content – Multi-bucket support – Wasabi storage compatible

🛒 Advanced WooCommerce Integration Transform WooCommerce into a digital content powerhouse: – IP restrictions for order pages – Prevent order sharing – Time-limited download access – Set expiration after purchase – Product-specific file protection – Different rules per product – Download attempt tracking – Monitor usage patterns – Reset download limit and expiry of WooCommerce “parent” products

👤 Custom Role Integration Go beyond WordPress defaults with granular permissions: – Membership plugin support – Integrate with MemberPress, Paid Memberships Pro, etc. – Custom role selection – Use roles from any plugin – Bulk permission updates – Change access for hundreds of files at once – Role-based folders – Auto-assign permissions based on upload location

🔍 Advanced Access Restrictions The AR Extension adds enterprise-grade control: – Geographic restrictions – Limit access by country – Referrer requirements – Must come from specific sites – Custom access rules – Build complex permission logic

🚀 Performance Features – CDN compatibility – Works with all major CDNs – Caching optimization – Smart cache bypassing for protected content – Lazy permission checking – Minimal performance impact – Bulk operations – Update thousands of files efficiently

📈 Professional Features – Access logs – Track every file access attempt – Bandwidth monitoring – See how much you’re saving – Suspicious activity alerts – Get notified of potential breaches – White-label options – Remove PDA branding – Multi-site support – Network-wide protection – REST API – Integrate with external systems

💡 REAL-WORLD USE CASES

📚 USE CASE #1: DIGITAL PRODUCT CREATOR

You sell ebooks, courses, and templates. Problem: Customers share download links, costing you thousands in lost sales.

👉 PDA Solution: Generate unique Shared Private Links for each customer.

• Set up download limits and expiry time, link access permission
• Track download limits and expiry time per user
• Shared private links won’t work for others if don’t have correct permission

📸 USE CASE #2: PHOTOGRAPHY BUSINESS

You deliver high-resolution images to clients but must prevent unauthorized downloads and Google indexing.

👉 PDA Solution:

• Use PDA Magic Private Links that allow viewing but block downloads
• Set an expiration after the review period
• Keep images off Google while clients browse galleries

🏢 USE CASE #3: CORPORATE DOCUMENT MANAGEMENT

Internal documents are appearing in Google searches, creating security risks.

👉 PDA Solution:

• Folder Protection secures entire department directories
• S3 Integration protects cloud storage
• IP restrictions ensure office-only access

🎓 USE CASE #4: ONLINE COURSE PLATFORM

Course materials require different access levels for different membership tiers.

👉 PDA Solution:

• Custom Role Integration works with your LMS
• Folder Protection organizes content by course
• WooCommerce Integration automates access after purchase

🏥 USE CASE #5: HEALTHCARE / LEGAL FILES

Sensitive documents need audit trails and strict access control.

👉 PDA Solution: PDA Gold Statistics

• Access logging tracks every file view
• Geographic restrictions ensure compliance
• Time-based access limits exposure windows

🎬 USE CASE #6: VIDEO CONTENT PROTECTION

Large video files on S3 need protection without sacrificing performance.

👉 PDA Solution:

• Generate time-limited streaming URLs via S3 Integration
• CDN compatibility ensures fast delivery
• Bandwidth monitoring shows cost savings

🛠️ Technical Excellence

Server Compatibility ✅ Apache – Works out of the box ✅ Nginx – Configuration guide provided ✅ LiteSpeed – Fully compatible ✅ IIS – Supported with guide

Hosting Compatibility ✅ WP Engine    ✅ SiteGround    ✅ Kinsta ✅ Cloudways    ✅ GoDaddy    ✅ Bluehost

Developer Features // Extensive hooks for customization pda_before_file_protection pda_after_url_generation pda_access_check_override

// REST API endpoints /wp-json/pda/v1/protect /wp-json/pda/v1/generate-link

🪙 Simple, Transparent Pricing

Feature | Free Forever | PDA Gold ------------------------------------------------------ Perfect for basic protection | ✅ | ✅ Unlimited file protection | ✅ | ✅ Private download links | ✅ | ✅ Search engine blocking | ✅ | ✅ Hotlink prevention | ❌ | ✅ WordPress.org support | ✅ | ✅ URL auto-replacement | ❌ | ✅ Folder Protection | ❌ | ✅ Amazon S3 Integration | ❌ | ✅ WooCommerce Integration | ❌ | ✅ Magic Links | ❌ | ✅ Priority support | ❌ | ✅ Lifetime updates | ❌ | ✅ Price | $0 forever | From $179 one-time

💡30-Day Money Back Guarantee – No risk, no questions asked

What Gold Members Say:

“The folder protection alone saved me 20 hours of work. Best investment ever!” — Tom K.

“S3 integration + Magic Links = game changer for my photography business” — Lisa M.

⭐ Why 50,000+ Sites Choose PDA

Success Metrics: 📈 $2.3M+ saved from prevented content theft 🛡️ 1.2B+ unauthorized access attempts blocked ⚡ 4.7/5 average review rating 🌍 147 countries using PDA

Recent Reviews:

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “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.” — sasha49

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “Muhammad and the PPWP team are very helpful. We had an issue with caching and anchor tags not working on our website. PPWP investigated the issue immediately and provided us with some custom code snippets to fix the website within 24 hours.” — vfactoruk

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “I am extremely happy with simplicity and effectiveness of even this free product. The support I received from Quinnie was phenomenal and unusual for a free product. She was patient and persistent in helping and solving the issue. Thanks.” — sbdesh

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “PPWP adds password protection options not found in WP. It was essential for us to block password protected pages from our RSS feed, which PPWP does great. Furthermore, WPFolio support was fast and very helpful identifying what, in the end, was my mistake and not an issue with their plugin.” — qrusnell

🎯 Ready to Secure Your Files?

Every day you wait, your files remain exposed. Google is indexing them. Competitors are downloading them. Your revenue is walking out the door.

Secure Your Files Now: 🆓 Download Free Version – Core protection forever 💎 Get Gold Access – Complete file security suite

Why Choose PDA:

✅ Most comprehensive file protection available ✅ Exclusive features like automatic URL replacement ✅ Proven track record – 7+ years, 50,000+ users ✅ Outstanding support – 286+ five-star reviews ✅ Risk-free – 30-day money-back guarantee

Don’t let another day pass with your valuable files exposed. Install PDA now and lock down your content in 60 seconds.

Additional Resources

• Documentation: Setup Guides | Video Tutorials
• Compatibility: WordPress 5.0+, PHP 7.2+, all major hosting providers
• Privacy: Privacy Policy – GDPR compliant
• Support: Free Support | Gold Priority Support
• Complete Protection: For full page, post, and content protection, check out PPWP Pro or Protect Pages & Post (PPP) Gold

Prevent Direct Access – Because “private” should mean PRIVATE 🔒