--- title: "Get started with Filemonk" description: "Set up Filemonk in four steps, from your first file to a test purchase." url: https://help.filemonk.io/get-started-with-filemonk/ section: "Getting started" last_updated: 2026-09-08 --- # Get started with Filemonk > Set up Filemonk in four steps, from your first file to a test purchase. Filemonk delivers digital files to customers who buy them from your Shopify store. You upload the files, link them to products, and Filemonk sends the download links after checkout. This guide walks the four setup steps end to end, and finishes with a test purchase so you know it works before real customers arrive. The app shows the same four steps on **Home**, under **Set up Filemonk**, with a progress count so you can pick up where you left off. ## Before you begin - You need the products you want to sell already created in Shopify. Filemonk links files to products that exist, it does not create them. - Have your files ready on your computer, or hosted somewhere you can link to. ## What customers will see After buying a digital product, customers get an email with a download link, and a **Download** button on the Thank you page if you set one up. Both lead to your download page, where they get their files. ## Set it up ### 1. Upload a file 1. Click **Filemonk** in the left menu of your Shopify admin. 2. Click **Content library** in the app's menu. 3. On the **Files uploaded** tab, click **Upload files** and add your file. Almost every file type works. If your files already live in Google Drive or Dropbox, use **Create file from link** instead. See [Upload files](https://help.filemonk.io/upload-files/) and [Add files from Google Drive or Dropbox](https://help.filemonk.io/add-files-from-google-drive-or-dropbox/). ### 2. Link the file to a product 1. Click **Digital products** in the app's menu. 2. Start a new digital product and pick the Shopify product it applies to. 3. Work through the steps: **Product**, **Variants**, **Content type**, then **Files**. 4. On **Content type**, choose **Downloadable files** so customers get the file immediately after purchase. 5. On **Files**, pick the file you uploaded and save. A product with files linked is what Filemonk calls a digital product. See [Create a digital product](https://help.filemonk.io/create-a-digital-product/). ### 3. Add the Download button to your Thank you page 1. Click **Settings** in the app's menu, then open the **Thank You page** tab. 2. Turn on the **Download button** and click **Add button**. This gives customers their files straight after checkout, without waiting for email. See [Add a download button to the Thank you page](https://help.filemonk.io/thank-you-page-download-button/). ### 4. Place a test order Buy one of your own digital products with a 100% off discount code or Shopify's Bogus payment gateway, then open the link in the email you receive. See [Create a test order](https://help.filemonk.io/create-a-test-order/). ## Check your setup Your test order tells you everything. After placing it, confirm all three: 1. The order appears under **Orders** in the app's menu. 2. You received the download email. 3. The download link opens your download page and the file downloads. If all three work, real orders will work the same way. ## Troubleshooting ### The test order doesn't appear in Filemonk Filemonk only handles orders when order processing is on. Check **Settings**, then the **Email** tab, and confirm **Process digital orders** is turned on. See [Turn on order processing](https://help.filemonk.io/process-digital-orders/). ### The order appears but no email arrives **Send email** is a separate switch from order processing, and both need to be on. Check the **Email** tab. Then check the spam folder, and confirm the sender address is verified. See [Change the From address](https://help.filemonk.io/change-the-sender-address/). ### The customer gets an email with no files The product was bought before its file was linked, or the file is linked to a different variant than the one purchased. Open the order and check which variant it contains, then confirm that variant has files. ### The setup guide disappeared from Home The guide hides itself once setup is complete, and after the first seven days. Every step it covers is still reachable from the app's menu. ## FAQ ### Do I have to finish all four steps? The first two are required: without a file linked to a product, Filemonk has nothing to send. The Thank you page button is optional, and the test order is strongly recommended rather than required. ### What happens to orders placed before I installed Filemonk? Nothing, by default. Filemonk starts with new orders. You can bring older orders in if you want to. See [Process orders placed before you installed Filemonk](https://help.filemonk.io/process-orders-placed-before-install/). ### Can I sell a product where each customer gets a different file? Yes. Choose **Custom product** instead of **Downloadable files** on the **Content type** step, then upload each customer's file against their order. See [Sell customized or personalized digital products](https://help.filemonk.io/sell-personalized-digital-products/). ### I'm moving from another download app. Is the setup different? The four steps are the same. What differs is how you handle orders that app already delivered. See [Switch from another app to Filemonk](https://help.filemonk.io/switch-from-another-app/). ### Does Filemonk change my product pages or theme? No. Filemonk delivers files after checkout. Your product pages, cart, and checkout stay as they are. The optional Thank you page button and customer account links are added through Shopify's own extension settings. ## Related guides - [Upload files](https://help.filemonk.io/upload-files/), the first setup step in detail. - [Create a digital product](https://help.filemonk.io/create-a-digital-product/), to link files to what customers buy. - [Create a test order](https://help.filemonk.io/create-a-test-order/), to prove the whole flow works. - [Turn on order processing](https://help.filemonk.io/process-digital-orders/), if Filemonk isn't picking up orders.