Let's say a shopper is ready to order a custom T-shirt or a personalized gift.
But when they reach checkout, they cannot upload their design. Frustrated, they leave your website and buy from a competitor instead.
Many WooCommerce store owners simply lose sales because they don't offer an easy way for customers to upload files at checkout.
Manually collecting images or files through emails is messy and time-consuming.
Adding to the misery: The default WooCommerce checkout doesn’t offer a built-in file upload option, leading to missed opportunities, unhappy customers, and potentially lost sales for your business.
The good news? You can easily add a file upload field to your WooCommerce checkout with the right approach. FunnelKit has helped thousands of store owners optimize their checkout efficiently.
In this article, we’ll share a step-by-step guide on how to add a file upload field on the WooCommerce Checkout Page. We will outline two proven methods:
By the end of this post, you’ll have a fully functional file upload option at checkout without complicated coding.
Table of Contents
File uploads during the WooCommerce checkout process are a feature that allows customers to upload files directly to the website when completing a purchase.
You may need a file upload option on the checkout page, depending on your business.
Adding file uploads to WooCommerce checkout is needed for different kinds of businesses:
1. Product customizations
2. Customer verification
3. Service-based businesses
4. Compliance and regulations
Adding a file upload option to the WooCommerce checkout page offers several benefits, enhancing both the customer experience and the operational efficiency of the business.
Here are some of its key benefits:
It simplifies the process for customers who need to upload additional information or documents.
This way, you can enhance the overall shopping experience by making the process more convenient, accommodating, and tailored to individual needs.
Offer personalized products by collecting orders with custom designs, specifications, or additional information related to customization.
Businesses can attract a broad customer base who are looking for personalized products.
This way, your intuitive and seamless checkout process can reduce cart abandonment rates and increase conversion rates.
Facilitates efficient communication with customers by providing a direct means to share specific details.
Reduces the risk of misunderstandings or errors by ensuring that customers can submit necessary files for precise order fulfillment.
In short, adding a file upload option to your WooCommerce checkout page offers plenty of benefits if your business needs to communicate with clients regarding order customizations.
In this section, we will share how you can add a file upload field to the WooCommerce checkout page using a free plugin.
Note: This plugin has some limitations, such as you can not upload all types of files and also can’t control the position of the file upload field on the checkout page. But it gets the job done.
Follow the following steps to add a file field to WooCommerce checkout:
Make sure to install and activate the Checkout Files Upload for WooCommerce plugin on your WordPress website.
After activating the plugin, navigate to WooCommerce ⇨ Settings ⇨ Checkout Files Upload.
And configure the following options:
Finally, click on the ‘Save Changes’ button to update the settings.
Now, it’s time to test your checkout page and place a test order.
You’ll see a field to upload a file on checkout:
This is a good option to add a file field to WooCommerce, but it’s not the most efficient way as it doesn’t allow customers to access all types of files, such as PDFs.
Besides, you don’t have any control over the placement of the file upload field.
In the next section, we will share how you can add a file upload field that allows users to upload all types of files and also how you can control the placement of the form field.
For this, we will use a premium but affordable plugin.
In this section, we will use two premium plugins to create a stunning optimized checkout page with a file upload option that allows users to upload any type of file while placing an order.
The two plugins are:
Make sure you install and active the required plugins before moving to the main process:
First, we are going to create a file upload field using Checkout Add-Ons, then add it to the checkout page.
To create the new field, navigate to WooCommerce ⇨ Checkout Add-Ons and click on the “Add add-on” button.
After that, provide a Checkout Label and Description (optional), and choose the Add-On type ad File.
Once you’ve provided all the information, click on the Create button on the right to save the new checkout form field.
You can also set conditions for adding the file upload option to the checkout page.
To set conditions, navigate to the ‘Display Rules’ tab and specify the criteria.
For instance, you can prompt customers to upload a file if the cart total falls within a certain range if the cart contains specific products, or if the products belong to a certain category, and so on.
Hit ‘Create’ when done.
Now, we’ll create a custom store checkout that will replace the default WooCommerce checkout page.
This custom checkout page will incorporate all the conversion-worthy elements required to drive sales in your store.
We’ll use FunnelKit Funnel Builder, which allows you to create high-converting store checkouts with prebuilt templates.
This WooCommerce checkout manager provides customization options, ensuring your customers experience a seamless checkout process.
To begin, navigate to FunnelKit ⇨ Store Checkout and click on the ‘Create Store Checkout’ button.
After that, select your page favorite page builder and choose a store checkout template from the list of pre-designed checkout templates FunnelKit provides.
To select one, hover on the template you like and click on Preview. We are choosing Utopia here.
Now, choose whether you want a one page checkout or a multi-page checkout.
After that, click on ‘Import This Funnel’, provide a name, and click on Add to import this funnel as your default checkout.
This will import your store checkout funnel with three steps: checkout, one-click upsells, and a thank you page.
You can edit the checkout template and add the file upload field we created earlier to the checkout page.
For that, click on the checkout page template.
On the Design tab, you can customize the design and content of the checkout template by clicking on the ‘Edit Elementor Template’ option.
👉 Check out our detailed post on customizing your WooCommerce checkout page without coding.
To add the file upload field to the checkout template, you need to scroll down a little to the Checkout Form Fields section.
With FunnelKit, the most advanced WooCommerce checkout plugin, you can add, edit, rearrange, or delete the sections and fields on your checkout form.
Here, on the right-hand side, among all the form fields, you should see a field called Checkout Addons.
Now, you can place it anywhere in the checkout field just by dragging and dropping it. We want to position it after the products section.
To add the file upload field, select the Checkout Add-ons field and drag and drop it to the desired location.
🔔 Note: You can only add the file upload field with this add-on. You can also add any custom field to the checkout page using the FunnelKit Funnel Builder.
After adding the field, click on ‘Save’ to update your WooCommerce checkout form.
🔔 Note: Furthermore, you can add order bumps on the checkout page. And like the checkout page, you can also customize the one-click upsell and thank you page with the FunnelKit Funnel Builder.
Finally, you need to activate the store checkout. For that, come back to the sales funnel page and turn on the ‘Enable Store Checkout’ button.
This will make your store checkout active on your website.
Now, if you try to place a test order, you should see a field with the file upload option.
With this file field, you can upload various types of files, including images (JPG, PNG, SVG, etc.), PDFs, zip files, music files, and more.
This is how easily you can add a file upload and make a stunning checkout page.
Store admins can view or download this image or any other file from the WooCommerce orders section.
Here are some effective best practices to follow when offering a file upload option on your WooCommerce checkout page:
1. Limit the size of files
Set up limitations on the size of files (in KBs or MBs) that users can upload to avoid server overload and potential denial of service attacks.
It’s important that you clearly communicate to users about the maximum file size they can upload to avoid frustration and ensure compliance.
2. Set restrictions on file types
Allow only a certain file type to be uploaded, such as .jpg, .png, .pdf, .docx, etc. This reduces the risk of malicious files to get uploaded.
Always ensure that the extension of the uploaded file matches its MIME type to avoid spoofing.
3. Accept a reasonable number of files
It’s crucial to determine whether drag-and-drop single or multiple file uploads are necessary. Make sure to set a balance, like setting a reasonable limit of 3-5 files, which is recommended to avoid any performance issues.
These limits should be flexible and adjustable based on your user’s feedback and usage patterns.
4. Provide clear instructions
Offer users clear instructions on how to upload files, including supported formats, size limits, and any specific requirements.
Incorporate tooltips or help text to guide users through the file upload process.
5. Handle errors and provide feedback
Provide clear error messages for any issues encountered during the file upload process on the checkout page. It could be because of an unsupported file type, a file too large, etc.
You can also use inline validation to immediately inform users of any issues before they attempt to hit the WooCommerce place order button.
6. Enforce security measures
Enforce robust security measures like server-side validation to check uploaded files and prevent acceptance of unauthorized or malicious files.
Adopt secure file naming conventions to prevent unauthorized access and reduce predictability.
In addition, scan all the uploaded files for malware or viruses using automated solutions or third-party services to mitigate any potential threats.
7. Automate file handling
If the uploaded files need any approval or processing, you can automate notifications to inform your team when a new file gets uploaded.
Use FunnelKit Automations for conditional logic to show the upload field only for relevant products or order types.
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Let’s quickly look at some commonly asked questions and their answers from our experts.
1. How do I add a file upload to WooCommerce Checkout?
You can add an easy upload files option during WooCommerce checkout using free plugins like Checkout Files Upload for WooCommerce or paid plugins like Customer Upload Files for WooCommerce, etc.
Then, you can integrate the file upload with FunnelKit Checkout to optimize your buying process for quick conversions.
2. How do I allow customers to upload files in WooCommerce?
You can allow customers to upload files in WooCommerce by navigating to settings.
If you’ve installed any WooCommerce file upload plugin, you can find its settings under WooCommerce.
Then, enable the plugin and configure the file upload settings there to make it work.
3. How do I add a file upload field to WooCommerce checkout without a plugin?
You can work through a lightweight code that uses Ajax to allow file uploads on the WooCommerce checkout page.
With this Ajax-supported code, you can restrict the file size, restrict the option to accepted file types only, check if the file is already been uploaded, etc.
First you need to add this lightweight code to a folder, like checkout_uploads.php.
Once done, add an upload file with this code:
This will add an upload field option after the order notes section on the classic checkout.
Next, you can use validation for the required file:
Once done, save the uploaded file URL and name:
This is how you can add a file upload field to WooCommerce checkout by using hooks or code snippets and without any plugin.
4. How do I add a file upload to WooCommerce product page?
You can add a file upload to the WooCommerce product page by installing and activating the Customer Upload Files for WooCommerce plugin.
This plugin lets shoppers quickly preview their uploaded documents to ensure that the customizable product looks good with the design or to ensure all information is accurate.
You can drag and drop or upload images or files on the product and cart pages from your device.
5. How do I add additional information to WooCommerce checkout?
You can add additional information to WooCommerce checkout by creating new fields inside the checkout form.
With FunnelKit, adding custom fields to the checkout page in WooCommerce is a breeze with a simple drag and drop.
6. How do I add custom fields to WooCommerce customers?
You can add custom fields to the WooCommerce checkout page and those custom fields will get reflected in the orders a customer places.
You can easily do it with the FunnelKit Funnel Builder.
A file upload option on the WooCommerce checkout page can be a game-changer for both the store owner and the customer.
It allows customers to provide their specifications more seamlessly and helps store owners fulfill the requested specifications correctly.
We have shared two methods for offering a file upload option on the checkout page.
If you have budget constraints, you can opt for the free method. However, if you want more control over offering the file upload option and creating a visually appealing checkout page, we recommend the second method.
Additionally, with the second method, which uses FunnelKit Funnel Builder, you can create a targeted sales funnel and store checkout to drive users to complete purchases and boost average order value (AOV) by offering order bumps and one-click upsells to encourage additional purchases.
So, are you ready to add file uploads to the WooCommerce checkout page?
Editorial Team
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March 31, 2025Are you looking to create a custom Divi WooCommerce checkout page for your online store? The default WooCommerce checkout page looks plain and isn’t optimized enough to give users a...
Editorial Team
March 27, 2025Imagine walking into a coffee shop, ordering a coffee latte, and the barista says… nothing. No offer for a pastry, no suggestion for an extra shot of espresso. Just silence....
Editorial Team
March 19, 2025Ever wondered why some physical product stores easily turn visitors into customers while others struggle? Your product’s solid, and your marketing’s sharp—but conversions stay low. Why? Because typical website pages...
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