What to do after installing Filemonk
Installing Filemonk changes nothing for your customers on its own. Nothing is delivered until you link a file to a product, so there is no rush and nothing to undo. This guide covers what you are looking at on day one and which parts matter.
The welcome screen
The first time you open Filemonk you get a Welcome to Filemonk screen with a short summary of what the app does, one setting, and a Get started button.
The setting is Select your language, and it is worth a moment's thought. It sets the language of your download page and the emails Filemonk sends your customers, not the language of the admin you are looking at. Pick the language most of your customers read. If you sell across several languages, choose your main one now: you can add the others later. See Change the app language for email and the download page.
Click Get started to go through to the app.
Home, before you have set anything up
Home is where you land, and on day one it shows:
A setup checklist, headed Set up Filemonk, with four steps: upload a file, link it to a product, add the Download button to your Thank you page, and create a test order. It tracks how many you have finished, alongside a countdown for your first week. Work through it and you have a working store. Those four steps are covered in Get started with Filemonk.
A delivery status line, which is the most useful thing on the page. It tells you whether customers can actually receive files, and says how: via email, via the Thank you page button, or both. If it says delivery or order processing is disabled, it gives you a button to turn it on. See Turn on order processing.
An Analytics card, which will say there is not enough data yet. It fills in as orders arrive. See See your downloads and sales analytics.
A Usage card, showing your plan and how much of it you have used. Worth knowing where it is before you need it. See Usage alerts.
What the menu holds
| Menu item | What it is for |
|---|---|
| Home | The checklist, delivery status, analytics, and usage |
| Digital products | Linking your files to the Shopify products customers buy |
| Content library | Your files, and your licence keys on their own tab |
| Orders | Every order Filemonk has processed, and where you fix the ones that go wrong |
| Plans | Your plan and its limits |
| Settings | Everything else: the download page, email, order rules, PDF protection |
Both Digital products and Content library will be empty, prompting you to add your first file or product. That is expected.
What to do first
- Follow the four steps in Get started with Filemonk.
- Place a test order before you tell anyone you are open. It is the only way to see what your customers get. See Create a test order.
If you are moving from another download app, read Switch from another app to Filemonk first: the setup is the same, but you have a decision to make about orders the other app already delivered.
Check your setup
Once the checklist shows all four steps complete and your test order delivered a file you could open, you are set up. The delivery status line on Home should say delivery is enabled.
Troubleshooting
The setup checklist disappeared from Home
It hides once your first week is up. Nothing is lost: every step it covered is still reachable from the menu, and the guides are all in this help center.
Home says delivery is disabled
Order processing or email sending is switched off, and until one of them is on, customers get nothing. Use the button on that line to turn it on. See Turn on order processing.
I picked the wrong language on the welcome screen
Change it under Settings, on the Other tab. It is not a one-time choice. See Change the app language for email and the download page.
I have orders in Shopify but Orders is empty
Filemonk only handles orders placed after it was installed, and only ones containing products with files linked. Both are normal on day one. To bring earlier orders in, see Process orders placed before you installed Filemonk.
I never saw the welcome screen
It appears once. If someone else on your team installed the app, they will have seen it. Everything on it is available from the menu afterwards.
FAQ
Does installing Filemonk change my storefront?
No. Filemonk works after checkout. Your product pages, cart, and checkout are untouched. The optional Thank you page button and customer account links are added through Shopify's own extension settings when you choose to.
Will my existing customers be emailed?
Not unless you ask for it. Filemonk starts with new orders. Importing past orders is a deliberate step, with its own choice about whether those customers hear from you. See Process orders placed before you installed Filemonk.
Do I have to pay to start?
No. There is a free plan, and you can see what each plan includes under Plans. See Filemonk pricing and plans.
How long does setup take?
Uploading one file and linking it to a product takes a few minutes. Most of the time goes on the test order and on deciding your download page, email, and protection settings, which you can do gradually.
What if I uninstall?
Delivery stops and customers lose access to their links, so keep your own copies of the files you sell. See Cancel your subscription.
Related guides
- Get started with Filemonk, the four setup steps in detail.
- Create a test order, to prove it works before you sell.
- Switch from another app to Filemonk, if you are migrating.
- Turn on order processing, if Home says delivery is disabled.
