Get started with Filemonk
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
- Click Filemonk in the left menu of your Shopify admin.
- Click Content library in the app's menu.
- 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 and Add files from Google Drive or Dropbox.
2. Link the file to a product
- Click Digital products in the app's menu.
- Start a new digital product and pick the Shopify product it applies to.
- Work through the steps: Product, Variants, Content type, then Files.
- On Content type, choose Downloadable files so customers get the file immediately after purchase.
- 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.
3. Add the Download button to your Thank you page
- Click Settings in the app's menu, then open the Thank You page tab.
- 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.
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.
Check your setup
Your test order tells you everything. After placing it, confirm all three:
- The order appears under Orders in the app's menu.
- You received the download email.
- 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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, the first setup step in detail.
- Create a digital product, to link files to what customers buy.
- Create a test order, to prove the whole flow works.
- Turn on order processing, if Filemonk isn't picking up orders.
