by Protect Uploads 4.8 (12 reviews)

Protect Uploads

Name: Protect Uploads
Rating: 4.8 (12 reviews)
Author: Protect Uploads

Protect your uploads directory. Prevent browsing, password-protect files, add watermarks, and discourage right-click copying.

Protect Uploads ranks #912 among WordPress.org plugins with 30,000+ active installations, is #122 of 5,058 in the Security category, a 4.8/5 rating from 12 reviews, and was last updated Oct 7, 2026. Data from WordPress.org, refreshed twice daily — see methodology.

Compatible with WP 7.1

v0.8.0 Current Version v0.8.0

Updated 3 weeks ago Last Update on 07 Oct, 2026

Refreshed 2 days ago Last Refreshed on

#122 of 5,058 in Security Top 5% by installs Downloads -53.3% this week Actively maintained

View on WordPress.org

Rank

#912

— No change

Active Installs

30K+

-24.6%

KW Avg Position

10.8

0.3 worse

Downloads

1.4M

+170 today

Support Resolved

— No change

Rating

96%

Review 4.8 out of 5

4.8 (12 reviews)

Next Milestone 40K

Total Progress 100%

30K+ 40K+

Ranks to Climb

Growth Needed

8,000,000

Active Installs

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Rank Changes

Current #912

Change

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Active Installs Growth

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Active Installs 0,000,000+

Growth +0.0%

Peak 0,000,000

Downloads Growth

Downloads

Growth

Peak

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Reviews & Ratings

4.8

12 reviews

Overall 96%

11 (92%)

0 (0%)

1 (8%)

0 (0%)

Support Threads Overview

Resolved

Unresolved

Total Threads

Resolved

Unresolved

Resolution Rate

Security History

Source: WPVulnerability

1 known vulnerability on record · 0 in the last 24 months · checked 1 week ago

Aug 13, 2022

Protect Uploads [protect-uploads] < 0.4

Fixed in v0.4

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Plugin Details

Version: 0.8.0
Last Updated: Oct 07, 2026
Requires WP: 5.0+
Tested Up To: 7.1
PHP Version: 7.4 or higher
Author: Protect Uploads

Support & Rating

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 4.8
Reviews: 12
Support Threads: 1
Resolved: 0%

Keywords

directory listing password protection private files security watermark

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TL;DR

AI summary of the plugin's readme

This plugin is for WordPress site owners who want to keep their media library private and secure. It prevents visitors from browsing or downloading uploads directly, and adds optional watermarking, password protection, and access logging for media files.

Directory browsing protection
Image watermarking
Right-click protection
Password protection for files
Multiple passwords per file
Access logging with IP tracking
Site Health checks

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about Protect Uploads

Enable password protection in Media → Protect Uploads, on the Image Protection tab Open any media file's edit screen (Media → Library, select the file, then "Edit more details") Find the "Password Protection" box in the sidebar Add one or more passwords with descriptive labels

- The watermark text (defaults to your site name) - Position (top-left, top-right, bottom-left, bottom-right, center) - Opacity (0-100%) - Font size (small, medium, large) The watermark is applied to new uploads only. Animated GIFs are left unchanged.

Yes: the watermark is drawn on the uploaded file itself, so every size WordPress generates from it carries the mark. Before drawing it, the plugin keeps an untouched copy of the original in wp-content/uploads/protect-uploads-originals/, in the same year/month folders. That folder is blocked from web access on Apache and LiteSpeed; on Nginx each copy has a random name so its URL cannot be guessed. Deleting a media file deletes its copy. Deleting the plugin keeps the copies, since they may be your only originals.

You choose files one by one: any media file, including PDFs, images, videos and documents, can have its own passwords.

On Apache and LiteSpeed, yes: the plugin adds rules to the uploads .htaccess file that send the file's direct URL to the password prompt. Nginx does not read .htaccess files, so there the password protects the links WordPress shows but the file itself stays reachable at its uploads URL. The password box on the media screen tells you when this applies, and Tools → Site Health warns you when protected files are reachable at their direct URL.

Partly. The index.php method, watermarking, right-click protection and the password prompt work on any server. Nginx does not read .htaccess files, so the .htaccess method is not available and a password-protected file can still be downloaded at its direct uploads URL by anyone who knows it. To block directory listing on Nginx, also make sure "autoindex" is off for your uploads directory.

Protect Uploads Pro is a paid add-on that works alongside this plugin. It adds logo (image) watermarks, more watermark positions and bulk watermarking of existing images, expiring, single-use and limited-use passwords, expiring download links, role-based access to files, hotlink protection, download analytics, and a Protected Download block.

Its settings, its password and access-log tables, the index.php files it created and the rules it added to .htaccess. Untouched copies of watermarked images are kept.