Hotlink File Prevention for WordPress
- Listing audit
- 46/100
Hotlink File Prevention is a WordPress Plugin Directory app by swinggraphics. With a rating of 4.9★ from 7 reviews.
Hotlink File Prevention is a WordPress app, with a 4.9 average rating from 7 reviews, as of Sep 11, 2026.
AppRanks verdict
Generated from marketplace data as of Sep 11, 2026
Hotlink File Prevention is a WordPress app. It holds a 4.9★ average from 7 reviews on WordPress.
Pros
- No standout positives in the measured data.
Cons
- −Only 7 reviews — the average can still move with a few new ratings
How Hotlink File Prevention works
Hotlink File Prevention (HFP) offers simple hotlink protection that can be turned on/off for individual files in the WordPress media library.
“Hotlinking” is when a file, such as an image or PDF, is linked to from another website or entered manually in a web browser’s location bar. HFP only allows your file to be viewed on your website.
Hotlink protection is provided via .htaccess rules in the wp-content/uploads directory.
Basic Usage Once the HFP plugin is activated, you will have two new features in the media library:
Within the Screen Options tab (list view only), check box for the “Hotlink Prevention” column.
To protect a file, edit the file and scroll down to the checkbox labelled “Hotlink Protection”.
Any asset that is checked will have “Yes” displayed in the “Hotlink Prevention” column; otherwise, this column will be blank.
Note about “Open in new tab” option When you use the “Open in new tab” option for links, WordPress adds rel="noreferrer", which effectively makes the link act like direct access, and the link will be blocked for files protected using HFP.
Standardized capabilities
AppRanks hasn't mapped this app to standardized capabilities yet. The developer's own feature list is shown above.