# Download limits and links > Set how many times each file can be downloaded and how many days links last in Settings > Downloads, after adding the Digital downloads app. A product can override both with its own Download policy. Help Centre / Products - Updated 29 October 2026 Every buyer of a digital product gets a private download link for each file. A new store starts with a limit of 5 downloads per file and links that last 30 days. You can change both for the whole store, and give any product its own. ## Before you begin - **Settings > Downloads** appears in your sidebar once the **Digital downloads** app is on. Go to **Apps**, find **Digital downloads** and click **Add**. It is on every plan. Once any product has files or licence keys, the app stays on. - The app only adds this settings page. You can create digital products and upload files without it. ## Step 1: Set your store defaults 1. Go to **Settings > Downloads**. 2. In **Default download policy**, set: - **Download limit**: how many times each file can be downloaded per purchase, for example `5`. Leave it blank for unlimited. - **Expires (days)**: how many days a link stays valid after purchase, for example `30`. Leave it blank for links that never expire. 3. Click **Save settings**. These apply to every digital product that doesn't set its own. ![Settings > Downloads with the Default download policy card, Download limit and Expires (days), and the How download limits work notes beside it](https://v3.shoprocket.io/img/help/download-limits-and-links/downloads-settings.webp) ## Step 2: Override it on one product (optional) 1. Open the digital product. 2. At the bottom of the page, click **Add to this product**, find **Download policy** and click **Add**. 3. Set its own **Download limit** and **Expires (days)**. Leave a box blank to use the store default for it. 4. Click **Save**. To go back to the store defaults, click **Remove Download policy from this product** in the section and click **Save**. ## How limits and expiry work - **Each purchase keeps the policy it was sold under.** Changing a limit or expiry later never affects orders already placed. - **Expiry is the only hard stop.** Once a link expires it no longer works. - **The download limit is a soft signal.** A buyer who goes over it can still download, so nobody who lost their file is locked out. You see that they reached it. - **Limits count per file, per purchase.** Buying three copies of a product still gives one link per file. - The email the buyer receives says when the links stop working, or that they don't expire. ## Checking an order's downloads Open the order. The **Downloads** card lists each file with how many times it has been downloaded (for example `2 / 5 downloads` when there is a limit), and its expiry date. It also shows: - **Limit reached** when the buyer has used up the download limit. - **Link expired** when the link has passed its expiry date. - **(file removed from product)** when you have since removed that file, so the buyer can no longer download it. There is no download button on the order page, so checking a file yourself never uses up the buyer's downloads. ## Related - [Sell digital products](https://v3.shoprocket.io/help/sell-digital-products.md) - [Licence keys](https://v3.shoprocket.io/help/licence-keys.md) - [Take a test order](https://v3.shoprocket.io/help/take-a-test-order.md) [Open Download settings in your dashboard](https://app-v3.shoprocket.io/go/settings/downloads) --- - HTML version: https://v3.shoprocket.io/help/download-limits-and-links - Language: English (en) - Also in: [العربية](https://v3.shoprocket.io/ar/help/download-limits-and-links.md), [Deutsch](https://v3.shoprocket.io/de/hilfe/download-limits-und-links.md), [Ελληνικά](https://v3.shoprocket.io/el/help/download-limits-and-links.md), [Español](https://v3.shoprocket.io/es/ayuda/limites-de-descarga-y-enlaces.md), [Français](https://v3.shoprocket.io/fr/aide/limites-et-liens-de-telechargement.md), [עברית](https://v3.shoprocket.io/he/help/download-limits-and-links.md), [हिन्दी](https://v3.shoprocket.io/hi/help/download-limits-and-links.md), [Bahasa Indonesia](https://v3.shoprocket.io/id/bantuan/batas-dan-tautan-unduhan.md), [Italiano](https://v3.shoprocket.io/it/aiuto/limiti-e-link-di-download.md), [日本語](https://v3.shoprocket.io/ja/help/download-limits-and-links.md), [Lietuvių](https://v3.shoprocket.io/lt/pagalba/atsisiuntimo-limitai-ir-nuorodos.md), [Norsk](https://v3.shoprocket.io/nb/hjelp/nedlastingsgrenser-og-lenker.md), [Nederlands](https://v3.shoprocket.io/nl/hulp/downloadlimieten-en-links.md), [Polski](https://v3.shoprocket.io/pl/pomoc/limity-pobieran-i-linki.md), [Português](https://v3.shoprocket.io/pt/ajuda/limites-e-links-de-download.md), [Română](https://v3.shoprocket.io/ro/ajutor/limite-de-descarcare-si-linkuri.md), [Русский](https://v3.shoprocket.io/ru/help/download-limits-and-links.md), [ไทย](https://v3.shoprocket.io/th/help/download-limits-and-links.md), [Türkçe](https://v3.shoprocket.io/tr/yardim/indirme-sinirlari-ve-baglantilari.md), [中文](https://v3.shoprocket.io/zh/help/download-limits-and-links.md)