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Free Plugin by swinggraphics v2.0.0

Hotlink File Prevention

Simple hotlink protection for individual files in the media library.

Hotlink File Prevention

The facts

Rating
4.9★ from 7
Active installs
600+
Price
Free
Last updated
15 Apr 2024
Added
Aug 2014
Requires WP
4.6
Tested up to
WP 6.5.10
Requires PHP
5.6
Downloads
8,423

Our analysis

AI-assisted

Hotlink File Prevention (HFP) is a WordPress plugin designed to protect your media files from being hotlinked by other websites. It allows you to enable or disable hotlink protection for individual files in your WordPress media library, ensuring that your files can only be viewed on your site.

Once activated, HFP adds a 'Hotlink Prevention' column to the media library, allowing you to easily manage the hotlink protection status of your files. This plugin is suitable for website owners who want to safeguard their media assets from unauthorized use.

Best for: Website owners looking to protect their media files from hotlinking.

What it does well

  • Provides simple hotlink protection for media files
  • Allows individual file protection settings
  • Easy to manage through the media library interface
  • Utilises .htaccess rules for protection

Where it falls short

  • Limited information on additional features or support
  • No advanced settings or customisation options mentioned

Verdict

Hotlink File Prevention offers a straightforward solution for media file protection, but its features are basic and may not meet the needs of all users.

From the developer

swinggraphics's own description of Hotlink File Prevention, lightly tidied.

Hotlink File Prevention (HFP) offers simple hotlink protection that can be turned on/off for individual files in the WordPress media library.

“Hotlinking” is when a file, such as an image or PDF, is linked to from another website or entered manually in a web browser’s location bar. HFP only allows your file to be viewed on your website.

Hotlink protection is provided via .htaccess rules in the wp-content/uploads directory.

Basic Usage

Once the HFP plugin is activated, you will have two new features in the media library:

  1. Within the Screen Options tab (list view only), check box for the “Hotlink Prevention” column.
  2. To protect a file, edit the file and scroll down to the checkbox labelled “Hotlink Protection”.

Any asset that is checked will have “Yes” displayed in the “Hotlink Prevention” column; otherwise, this column will be blank.

Note about “Open in new tab” option

When you use the “Open in new tab” option for links, WordPress adds rel="noreferrer", which effectively makes the link act like direct access, and the link will be blocked for files protected using HFP.

Read the full description on the official page →

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