simple-remote-file-fetcher

Simple Remote File Fetcher — Download Any Remote File Directly to Your WordPress Server

If you’ve ever needed to download a large file directly to your WordPress server without going through your browser or FTP client, Simple Remote File Fetcher is the plugin for you. Just paste a URL, click a button, and the file lands straight on your server — no terminal, no FTP, no hassle.

What Is Simple Remote File Fetcher?

Simple Remote File Fetcher is a lightweight WordPress admin plugin that lets you fetch any publicly accessible file by URL and save it directly into your WordPress installation. It runs entirely server-side, so even large files download fast without taxing your browser or local internet connection.

It was built for developers, site administrators, and anyone who regularly needs to move files onto a WordPress server quickly.

Key Features

  • Paste any direct file URL and download it to your WP root in one click
  • Live progress bar with download speed and estimated time remaining
  • Automatic file conflict detection — choose to overwrite or auto-rename
  • Full download history with filename, source URL, save path, and timestamp
  • Restricted to Administrators only for security
  • No external dependencies — uses PHP cURL built into WordPress hosting

How to Install

  1. Download the plugin file: simple-remote-file-fetcher.php
  2. Upload it to your server at: /wp-content/plugins/simple-remote-file-fetcher/
  3. Go to WordPress Admin → Plugins → Installed Plugins
  4. Find Simple Remote File Fetcher and click Activate

You can also install it by going to Plugins → Add New → Upload Plugin and uploading the file directly.

How to Use It

Once activated, you will see a new File Fetcher menu item in your WordPress admin sidebar.

  1. Click File Fetcher in the admin menu
  2. Paste the full URL of the file you want to download into the input field
  3. Click Fetch File
  4. Watch the live progress bar — it shows bytes downloaded, speed, and estimated time remaining
  5. Once done, the file is saved to your WordPress root directory with the same filename as in the URL

What Happens If the File Already Exists?

The plugin checks for filename conflicts before downloading. If a file with the same name already exists on your server, you will be prompted to choose:

  • Overwrite — replaces the existing file
  • Rename — saves the new file with an incremented name (e.g. file_1.zip, file_2.zip)

No accidental overwrites, ever.

Download History

Every successful download is automatically logged in a history table right on the plugin page. The table shows:

  • Filename
  • Source URL
  • Full server path where the file was saved
  • Date and time of download

No need to remember what you downloaded or where it went.

Requirements

  • WordPress 5.0 or higher
  • PHP 7.2 or higher
  • cURL enabled on your server (standard on all major hosts)
  • Administrator role to access the plugin

Download & Source Code

The plugin is free and open source under the GPL v2 license.

View on GitHub

Need Custom WordPress Development?

This plugin was built by Hfarazm Software LLC. If you need custom WordPress plugins, theme development, or SEO work, you can hire us on:

If this plugin saved you time, consider buying us a coffee via PayPal. It helps keep free plugins like this maintained and updated.