Written by Admin on 2025-05-06

Adding a Download Button to your WordPress Media Player

WordPress, being the most extensively used Content Management System (CMS) today, has built-in features that cater to many needs of website owners. One of these features is media player, which allows you to embed audio and video files in your posts and pages.

The default media player is functional and easy-to-use, but it lacks a download button. Therefore, if you want to provide downloadable files to your visitors, you'll need to look for alternate solutions.

Fortunately, there are several plugins available in the WordPress repository that can add a download button to your media player. In this article, we will discuss how to integrate a download button using two of the most popular plugins.

Installing a Media Player Plugin

The first step is to install a media player plugin that is compatible with your WordPress version. There are many media player plugins available to choose from like MediaElement.js, JW Player, and Flowplayer, among others.

For this tutorial, we will be using the MediaElement.js plugin, which is widely supported across various browsers.

1. Login to your WordPress dashboard.
2. Go to Plugins > Add New.
3. Search for MediaElement.js – HTML5 Audio and Video plugin and install and activate it.

Adding a Download Button to Media Player

Once you have installed and activated the media player plugin, you can add a download button to your media player using the methods below:

Method 1: Using MediaElement.js Plugin Settings

1. Go to Settings > MediaElement.js.
2. Under the "Downloads" tab, select "Yes" for "Download link?".
3. Save your changes.

Now, you can add media files to your posts or pages as usual, and the download link will appear next to the player.

Method 2: Using a WordPress Shortcode

Another way to add a download button to your media player is by using a shortcode.

1. Open a post or page where you want to embed your audio or video file.
2. Click on the "Add Media" button.
3. Select your audio or video file and select "Insert into post."
4. Once inserted, click on the media file, and select "Edit."
5. Under "Attachment Details," change the "Link To" drop-down menu to "Media File."
6. In the "shortcode" field, add a "download" attribute and set it to "true," as shown below:

[audio src="url-to-audio-file" download="true"]

That's it - you have added a download button to your media player.

Conclusion

Adding a download button to your WordPress media player is a useful feature that provides your visitors with the ability to download your audio and video files. While the MediaElement.js plugin is one of the most straightforward and hassle-free ways to do this, you can always explore other options available and select the one that suits your business needs the most.