WooCommerce: Copy Download Files Between Downloadable Products

If you sell digital goods in WooCommerce, you will often find yourself needing to attach the same file to multiple products. Whether it is a universal installation guide, a standard licensing agreement, or a free bonus PDF included with every purchase, setting this up natively in WooCommerce is a tedious process.

By default, WooCommerce does not allow you to copy download files between downloadable products. To share a file across multiple items, you are forced to open each product individually, click “Add File,” paste the URL, type the file name, save the changes, and repeat the process for your entire catalog.

In this guide, you will learn how to bypass this manual work and copy downloadable files across dozens or hundreds of products simultaneously using a spreadsheet interface.

How Do I Copy Download Files Between WooCommerce Products in Bulk?

To copy download file names and URLs across multiple WooCommerce products, use the WP Sheet Editor plugin. Open the products spreadsheet, filter your store to show only your downloadable products, and copy the cell data from your source product. You can then paste this data directly into other rows, or use the Bulk Edit tool to apply the exact same download files to hundreds of products at once.

Video Tutorial: Copying Download Files

Common Scenarios for Copying Download Files

• Shared Manuals: Attaching a universal PDF instruction manual to an entire category of software or physical products.
• Bonus Content: Adding a promotional file or digital freebie to hundreds of existing digital products.
• Updating Links: Quickly replacing a hosted file URL across multiple products without opening them one by one.

Prerequisites: Install WP Sheet Editor

To manage your WooCommerce data in a spreadsheet, you will need the WP Sheet Editor – WooCommerce Products plugin. This tool allows you to view, filter, and edit all product data—including complex file arrays—from a single screen.

Note: You can skip this step if you already have the plugin installed and activated.

Step 1: Open the Products Spreadsheet

Once the plugin is installed and your license is active, navigate to WP Sheet Editor > Edit products in your WordPress dashboard.

You will see a spreadsheet displaying your entire WooCommerce catalog, with all product data neatly organized into columns and rows.

Step 2: Search for Your Downloadable Products

If your store consists exclusively of downloadable products, you can skip this step. However, if you sell a mix of physical and digital items, it is best practice to filter your view so you are only working with digital products.

To do this, click the Search tool located on the plugin’s top toolbar.

Inside the Search window, configure the following values to isolate your downloadable products:

• Tick the Enable advanced filters checkbox.
• Field: Downloadable
• Operator: =
• Value: Yes

Click the Run search button to apply the filter.

The spreadsheet will now display only products marked as downloadable. You can verify your active filters by looking at the search parameters displayed directly above the data grid.

Method 1: Copy Download Files Between Products Using the Grid

If you only need to copy files to a handful of products, you can do this directly within the spreadsheet grid, exactly like you would in Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets.

WP Sheet Editor automatically creates columns for your digital file metadata. Scroll horizontally until you find the following columns:

• Download files : names
• Download files : URLs
• Download files

The Download files: names and Download files: URLs columns contain your file data in a raw text format. The Download files column acts as a comprehensive manager.

If you click the Edit files button in any product row, a popup file manager will open, allowing you to add, edit, or remove files specifically for that product.

Copying and Pasting the File Data

To transfer files from one product to another, locate the cell under the Download files column for your source product. Right-click the cell and select Copy.

Next, select the cell of the target product where you want to add the files and paste the data using CTRL + V (or CMD + V on Mac).

Implementation Note: Just like standard spreadsheet software, you can also use the drag-down autofill handle in the corner of the cell to drag and copy the file data down across multiple consecutive rows.

Once you have pasted the data into your target products, click the Save button on the toolbar to commit the changes to your WooCommerce database.

After the spreadsheet saves and reloads, you will notice that the accompanying text columns (Download files: names and Download files: URLs) have automatically populated with the correct data.

Method 2: Copy Download Files Between Products in Bulk

If you need to assign a download file to dozens or hundreds of products, copying and pasting cells is not the most efficient workflow. Instead, you can use the Bulk Edit tool to apply the files to your entire search query.

Step 1: Copy the Source Data

First, find the product that already contains the correct download files. In the Download files column, click on that specific cell and copy its contents.

Step 2: Select Your Target Products

You need to tell the plugin which products should receive this file data. You have two options:

1. Filter your target products using the Search tool (as explained earlier in this guide).
2. Manually select specific products by ticking the checkbox in the very first column of their respective rows.

Step 3: Run the Bulk Edit Tool

Once your target products are selected or filtered, click the Bulk Edit tool icon on the top toolbar.

Configure the Bulk Edit window with the following precise values to deploy your file data:

• Select the rows that you want to update: Choose either “Edit all the rows from my current search” or “Edit all the rows that I selected manually” depending on the method you used.
• What field do you want to edit: Download files
• Select type of edit: Set value
• We will save these files: Paste the exact values you copied from the source cell.
• Check the Edit only parent products option.

Finally, click the Execute Now button.

The plugin will process the request and apply the download files to every product you selected.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will this overwrite existing files on my target products?

Yes. Because the bulk edit uses the “Set value” option, it replaces whatever data currently exists in the Download files column of the target products with the copied data. Ensure your source cell contains the complete list of files you want the target products to have.

Does this duplicate the actual file on my server?

No. WP Sheet Editor is simply copying the file URL and name data within WooCommerce. All your products will efficiently link back to the single original file stored in your WordPress media library or external server, saving you disk space.

Transform Your Digital Inventory in WooCommerce

Managing digital products does not have to involve endless clicking and page reloading. By using WP Sheet Editor, you can copy download files between WooCommerce downloadable products using simple spreadsheet operations, keeping your catalog accurate and up to date.