How to Add a Downloadable File to Your Form

Last Update: 

There are instances when you want to include a file that your users can download, whether it’s right within your form, on the Autoresponder Emails they get, or on the Thank You page right after form submission.

Nevertheless, no matter where you want to place the download links, the approach is relatively the same. The main goal is to have your file hosted elsewhere and add a link to your form that your users can click to download the file.

Let’s start off with some common examples:

  • You want to place a downloadable Terms & Conditions PDF file right on the form that your users can download and review.
  • You’re selling virtual invitation cards online and want your users to be able to download the image files/templates right after payment.
  • You want to include an additional survey or questionnaire in a Word Document that they need to download from the email that they get after submitting the form.

We need two things prepped before proceeding:

  1. Upload your file to any of the following:
    • Cloud storage (e.g. Google Drive, Dropbox, etc.).
    • Your website’s FTP.
    • If the files are just images, use image hosting platforms (e.g. Imgur, Photobucket).
  2. Get the direct download link of your file – a good hint that you got the right URL copied to your clipboard is if it usually ends with the associated file extension (e.g. if it’s a PDF file, the URL usually ends with .pdf).

With the assumption that you now have the direct link to your file, this guide will have three sections which will be explained in detail below.

Adding a Downloadable Link to Your Form

  1. Add a Paragraph element to your form and provide your content (e.g., “Click this link to download the file.”).
  2. Highlight the text that will hold the link.
  3. Click the Insert/Edit Link icon on the toolbar.
  4. Input the URL of the file on the modal popup.
  5. Click Ok to complete the setup.
add downloadable link

Adding a Downloadable Link to the Autoresponder Email Template

  1. Go to the Settings tab.
  2. Click Emails on the left.
  3. Hover on your Autoresponder and click on its edit (pencil) icon.
add downloadable link to autoresponder
  1. Type in your desired content in the Email Content editor, then highlight the text that will serve as the link’s text.
  2. Click the Insert/edit link icon on the toolbar.
  3. Input the URL of the file.
  4. Click Ok to proceed.
  5. Don’t forget to click the Save button.
insert link

Adding a Downloadable Link to the Thank You Page

  1. Open the Settings tab.
  2. Click Thank You Page on the left.
  3. Make sure that the Show a Thank You Page after submission option is selected.
  4. Type in your desired content in the editor, then highlight the text that will serve as the anchor text.
  5. Click the Insert/edit link icon on the toolbar.
  6. Input the URL of the file.
  7. Click Ok to complete the setup.
add link to thank you page

Here’s a demo form that shows all these: https://www.jotform.com/213253820859964

Comments and suggestions are welcome below. If you have questions, post them in our Support Forum.

Was this guide helpful?
Contact Support:

Our customer support team is available 24/7 and our average response time is between one to two hours.
Our team can be contacted via:

Support Forum: https://www.jotform.com/answers/

Contact Jotform Support: https://www.jotform.com/contact/

Send Comment:

Jotform Avatar
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Comments:

  • William Doust - Profile picture