Prevent Direct Access – Protect WordPress Files
v2.8.9.1by WP Folio Team · updated 2 months ago
A simple way to prevent search engines and the public from indexing and accessing your files without complex user authentication.
- Rank
- #1,844
- No change0 vs yesterday
- Active installs (est.)
- ≈ 14,000
- 10K+ reported · Medium
- Total downloads
- 316.3K
- 316,275 all-time
- Rating
- 4.6/5
- 298 reviews
- Support resolved
- 100%
- 1 of 1 threads, last 2 months
Prevent Direct Access at a glance
Prevent Direct Access is a WordPress plugin by WP Folio Team with 10K+ active installs, the #1,844 most popular plugin on WordPress.org. On a typical day it’s downloaded about 126 times, 26% fewer than the month before. It’s rated 4.6 out of 5 from 298 reviews. Version 2.8.9.1 came out on Aug 27, 2026 and is tested up to WordPress 7.1.4. Among the 35 plugins tagged “copy protection”, it ranks #2. It was first released in 2015.
Chart time range
Applies to every chart below. History from Oct 10, 2026, 30 days.
Downloads over time
Download stats3.2K downloads · the last 30 days
View as table
| Date | Prevent Direct Access |
|---|---|
| Nov 6, 2026 | 126 |
| Nov 5, 2026 | 104 |
| Nov 4, 2026 | 112 |
| Nov 3, 2026 | 148 |
| Nov 2, 2026 | 130 |
| Nov 1, 2026 | 89 |
| Oct 31, 2026 | 68 |
| Oct 30, 2026 | 129 |
| Oct 29, 2026 | 143 |
| Oct 28, 2026 | 130 |
| Oct 27, 2026 | 156 |
| Oct 26, 2026 | 125 |
| Oct 25, 2026 | 78 |
| Oct 24, 2026 | 89 |
| Oct 23, 2026 | 167 |
| Oct 22, 2026 | 231 |
| Oct 21, 2026 | 166 |
| Oct 20, 2026 | 113 |
| Oct 19, 2026 | 124 |
| Oct 18, 2026 | 61 |
| Oct 17, 2026 | 64 |
| Oct 16, 2026 | 83 |
| Oct 15, 2026 | 128 |
| Oct 14, 2026 | 102 |
| Oct 13, 2026 | 126 |
| Oct 12, 2026 | 107 |
| Oct 11, 2026 | 74 |
| Oct 10, 2026 | 62 |
Unusual spikes are usually updates, not new installs.
Estimated installs
≈ 13,574 · +0.3% in the last 30 days
View as table
| Date | Approximate, from band changes | Estimated installs |
|---|---|---|
| Nov 9, 2026 | – | 13,574 |
| Nov 8, 2026 | – | 13,602 |
| Nov 7, 2026 | – | 13,595 |
| Nov 5, 2026 | – | 13,621 |
| Nov 4, 2026 | – | 13,605 |
| Nov 3, 2026 | – | 13,580 |
| Nov 2, 2026 | – | 13,599 |
| Nov 1, 2026 | – | 13,621 |
| Oct 31, 2026 | – | 13,596 |
| Oct 30, 2026 | – | 13,620 |
| Oct 29, 2026 | – | 13,619 |
| Oct 28, 2026 | – | 13,586 |
| Oct 27, 2026 | 13,606 | 13,606 |
| Oct 26, 2026 | 13,602 | – |
| Oct 25, 2026 | 13,598 | – |
| Oct 24, 2026 | 13,594 | – |
| Oct 23, 2026 | 13,590 | – |
| Oct 22, 2026 | 13,587 | – |
| Oct 21, 2026 | 13,583 | – |
| Oct 20, 2026 | 13,579 | – |
| Oct 19, 2026 | 13,575 | – |
| Oct 18, 2026 | 13,571 | – |
| Oct 17, 2026 | 13,567 | – |
| Oct 16, 2026 | 13,563 | – |
| Oct 15, 2026 | 13,559 | – |
| Oct 14, 2026 | 13,556 | – |
| Oct 13, 2026 | 13,552 | – |
| Oct 12, 2026 | 13,548 | – |
| Oct 11, 2026 | 13,544 | – |
| Oct 10, 2026 | 13,540 | – |
Rank over time
#1,844 · up 6 in the last 30 days
View as table
| Date | Daily snapshot |
|---|---|
| Nov 9, 2026 | #1,844 |
| Nov 8, 2026 | #1,844 |
| Nov 7, 2026 | #1,845 |
| Nov 6, 2026 | #1,844 |
| Nov 5, 2026 | #1,844 |
| Nov 4, 2026 | #1,846 |
| Nov 3, 2026 | #1,846 |
| Nov 2, 2026 | #1,845 |
| Nov 1, 2026 | #1,843 |
| Oct 31, 2026 | #1,847 |
| Oct 30, 2026 | #1,846 |
| Oct 29, 2026 | #1,847 |
| Oct 28, 2026 | #1,852 |
| Oct 27, 2026 | #1,852 |
| Oct 16, 2026 | #1,850 |
Growth %
Average +0.01% a day in the last 30 days
View as table
| Date | Approximate, from band changes | Growth |
|---|---|---|
| Nov 9, 2026 | – | -0.21% |
| Nov 8, 2026 | – | +0.05% |
| Nov 7, 2026 | – | -0.10% |
| Nov 5, 2026 | – | +0.12% |
| Nov 4, 2026 | – | +0.18% |
| Nov 3, 2026 | – | -0.14% |
| Nov 2, 2026 | – | -0.16% |
| Nov 1, 2026 | – | +0.18% |
| Oct 31, 2026 | – | -0.18% |
| Oct 30, 2026 | – | +0.01% |
| Oct 29, 2026 | – | +0.24% |
| Oct 28, 2026 | – | -0.15% |
| Oct 27, 2026 | +0.03% | – |
| Oct 26, 2026 | +0.03% | – |
| Oct 25, 2026 | +0.03% | – |
| Oct 24, 2026 | +0.03% | – |
| Oct 23, 2026 | +0.03% | – |
| Oct 22, 2026 | +0.03% | – |
| Oct 21, 2026 | +0.03% | – |
| Oct 20, 2026 | +0.03% | – |
| Oct 19, 2026 | +0.03% | – |
| Oct 18, 2026 | +0.03% | – |
| Oct 17, 2026 | +0.03% | – |
| Oct 16, 2026 | +0.03% | – |
| Oct 15, 2026 | +0.03% | – |
| Oct 14, 2026 | +0.03% | – |
| Oct 13, 2026 | +0.03% | – |
| Oct 12, 2026 | +0.03% | – |
| Oct 11, 2026 | +0.03% | – |
Active installs band
10K+ on WordPress.org
View as table
| Date | Daily snapshot |
|---|---|
| Nov 9, 2026 | 10K+ |
| Nov 8, 2026 | 10K+ |
| Nov 7, 2026 | 10K+ |
| Nov 6, 2026 | 10K+ |
| Nov 5, 2026 | 10K+ |
| Nov 4, 2026 | 10K+ |
| Nov 3, 2026 | 10K+ |
| Nov 2, 2026 | 10K+ |
| Nov 1, 2026 | 10K+ |
| Oct 31, 2026 | 10K+ |
| Oct 30, 2026 | 10K+ |
| Oct 29, 2026 | 10K+ |
| Oct 28, 2026 | 10K+ |
| Oct 27, 2026 | 10K+ |
| Oct 16, 2026 | 10K+ |
Search rankings
Where it appears in WordPress.org search for the searches you track, checked every day.
See where Prevent Direct Access ranks in search
Track this plugin to check its position for the searches you choose, daily, with an alert when it moves.
Change log
From our daily snapshot of WordPress.org- Rank #1852 → #1844Downloads -4.4%
- Tested up to 7.1.3 → 7.1.4
Versions in use
Share of active installs on each published version, from WordPress.org.
- v2.898%
- v2.71.9%
Rating trend
4.6★★★★★298 reviews · steady in the last 30 days
Requirements & info
Version history- Version
- 2.8.9.1
- Requires WordPress
- 4.7
- Tested up to
- 7.1.4
- Requires PHP
- 7.0
- First released
- Nov 27, 2015
- Last updated
- Aug 27, 2026
- Releases, last 12 months
- …
Questions about Prevent Direct Access
How many websites use Prevent Direct Access?
Prevent Direct Access is active on 10K+ WordPress sites, as WordPress.org reports it. WordPress.org rounds the number down, so the real count is somewhat higher. That makes it the #1,844 most popular plugin on WordPress.org.
How many times has Prevent Direct Access been downloaded?
316,275 times in total since 2015. On a typical day it’s downloaded about 126 times. See download stats
When was Prevent Direct Access last updated?
Version 2.8.9.1 came out on Aug 27, 2026 (2 months ago). See every release
Is Prevent Direct Access compatible with the latest WordPress?
Yes. It’s tested up to WordPress 7.1.4, the current version.
Does Prevent Direct Access have known security vulnerabilities?
None that affect the current version. WPVulnerability’s database lists 3 older issues, fixed in earlier versions, so keep Prevent Direct Access up to date. See its security record
Is Prevent Direct Access still maintained?
Yes. Its last release was 2 months ago. Its authors resolved 1 of the 1 support threads opened in the last two months.
What rating does Prevent Direct Access have?
4.6 out of 5 from 298 reviews on WordPress.org. 90% of them give 5 stars.
What are the best alternatives to Prevent Direct Access?
The plugins most like Prevent Direct Access, by the tags they share, are Secure Copy Content Protection and Content Locking (20K+), WP Content Copy Protection (10K+) and ContentProtector (5K+). Compare all alternatives
Latest reviews
Analyze reviewsReview stats
4.6
★★★★★
298 reviews
- 5 stars: 267 reviews, 90%
- 4 stars: 3 reviews, 1%
- 3 stars: 3 reviews, 1%
- 2 stars: 4 reviews, 1%
- 1 stars: 21 reviews, 7%
- Positive
- 91%4–5★
- Mixed
- 1%3★
- Critical
- 8%1–2★
- About 3 more 5★ reviews would lift it to 4.7.
- Each new 1★ review takes 10 five-star reviews to balance out.
Compare with competitors
Add up to 1 competitor. No account needed.
| Metric | |
|---|---|
| Estimated installs | ≈ 14,000 |
| Reported installs | 10K+ |
| Rating | 4.6 |
| Reviews | 298 |
| Total downloads | 316.3K |
| Author | WP Folio Team |
| First released | Nov 27, 2015 |
| Version | 2.8.9.1 |
| Requires WP | 4.7 |
| Requires PHP | 7.0 |
| Last updated | Aug 27, 2026 |
Alternatives to Prevent Direct Access
Compare all alternativesPopular plugins with the same tags, the most in common first.
Secure Copy Content Protection and Content Locking
by Ays Pro
Copy Protection plugin is activated it disables the right click, copy paste, content selection and copy shortcut keys
- Rank
- #1,156
- Installs
- 20K+
- 4.3
WP Content Copy Protection
by tychesoftwares
WP Content Copy Protection uses aggressive techniques in protecting your online content (text/source/images/video/audio) from being stolen.
- Rank
- #2,044
- Installs
- 10K+
- 3.5
ContentProtector
by Anton
Protect your content with passwords using easy-to-use shortcodes. Supports both global protection and partial content protection.
- Rank
- #3,027
- Installs
- 5K+
WP-Copyright-Protection
by Dave Ligthart
Simple copyright protection for your images and text. No right click, no text selections, no screenshots. A very lean and clean plugin.
- Rank
- #3,066
- Installs
- 5K+
- 4.4
WP Content Copy Protection with Color Design
by Kazuki Yanamoto
This plugin will protect the posts content from copying by disable right click and disable selecting text. You can exclude pages and posts.
- Rank
- #3,018
- Installs
- 5K+
- 4.5
Photection
by Colormelon
With this plugin you can disable right click on your images with a custom message!
- Rank
- #6,697
- Installs
- 1K+
- 5.0
Side by side:Prevent Direct Access vs Secure Copy Content Protection and Content LockingPrevent Direct Access vs WP Content Copy ProtectionPrevent Direct Access vs ContentProtector
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