Hotlink File Prevention
by swinggraphics 4.9 (7 reviews)

Hotlink File Prevention

Simple hotlink protection for individual files in the media library.

Hotlink File Prevention ranks #8,349 among WordPress.org plugins with 600+ active installations, is #951 of 6,303 in the Media category, a 4.9/5 rating from 7 reviews, and was last updated Apr 15, 2024. Data from WordPress.org, refreshed twice daily — see methodology.

Tested up to WP 6.5 (Current: 7.1)
v2.0.0 Current Version v2.0.0
Updated 2 years ago Last Update on 15 Apr, 2024
Refreshed 9 hours ago Last Refreshed on
#951 of 6,303 in Media Top 25% by installs No update in over a year
View on WordPress.org
Rank
#8,349
-2 this week
Active Installs
600+
-11.6%
KW Avg Position
10
No change
Downloads
7.9K
+8 today
Support Resolved
0%
No change
Rating
98%
Review 4.9 out of 5
4.9 (7 reviews)

Next Milestone 700

Total Progress 68%
600+ 700+
237
Ranks to Climb
-
Growth Needed
8,000,000
Active Installs
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Rank Changes

8,303 8,316 8,329 8,342 8,355 09-09-2026 10-09-2026 11-09-2026 12-09-2026 13-09-2026 14-09-2026 15-09-2026 16-09-2026
8,302 8,317 8,333 8,349 8,364 01-09-2026 02-09-2026 03-09-2026 04-09-2026 05-09-2026 06-09-2026 07-09-2026 08-09-2026 09-09-2026 10-09-2026 11-09-2026 12-09-2026 13-09-2026 14-09-2026 15-09-2026 16-09-2026
Current #8,349
Change
Best #

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Active Installs Growth

Active Installs 0,000,000+
Growth +0.0%
Peak 0,000,000

Downloads Growth

0 10 09-09-2026 10-09-2026 11-09-2026 12-09-2026 13-09-2026 14-09-2026 15-09-2026 16-09-2026
0 10 01-09-2026 02-09-2026 03-09-2026 04-09-2026 05-09-2026 06-09-2026 07-09-2026 08-09-2026 09-09-2026 10-09-2026 11-09-2026 12-09-2026 13-09-2026 14-09-2026 15-09-2026 16-09-2026
Downloads
Growth
Peak

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Reviews & Ratings

4.9
7 reviews
Overall 98%
5
6 (86%)
4
1 (14%)
3
0 (0%)
2
0 (0%)
1
0 (0%)

Security History

Source: WPVulnerability

No known vulnerabilities on record for Hotlink File Prevention. Checked 1 month ago.

TL;DR

AI summary of the plugin's readme

This plugin is for WordPress site owners who manage files in the media library and want to control external access to specific assets. It solves the problem of hotlinking by letting admins block direct or external access to individual files via .htaccess rules.

  • Per-file hotlink protection toggle
  • Media library column for status
  • Hotlink Protection checkbox on file edit
  • Uses .htaccess rules in uploads directory
  • Screen Options column display

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about Hotlink File Prevention

HFP creates an Apache .htaccess file in the wp-content/uploads directory. It sets a HTTP_REFERER check and RewriteRule for each file that has hotlink protection applied. Toggling hotlink protection on/off dynamically adds/removes RewriteRule statements.
Yes, it works with any file that you upload to the media library.
Here's the deal: This plugin makes it harder for people to hotlink to your files, but if they are highly technical, they will be able to do things like fake the HTTP referrer.
The server must process rewrite rules in .htaccess. So HFP will work on Apache and LightSpeed servers, but not NGINX.

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