How to Add a File Upload Field to the WooCommerce Checkout Page

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:

• Method 1: Using a free plugin with limited features and flexibility
• Method 2: Using a premium plugin with complete flexibility

By the end of this post, you’ll have a fully functional file upload option at checkout without complicated coding.

What File Uploads Are and Why They Might Be Needed During WooCommerce Checkout?

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

• Print products: Customers can upload their designs to be printed on t-shirts, business cards, photo books, etc.
  
• Personalized items: Businesses can make custom-designed engraved jewelry, calendars, and custom phone cases. 

2. Customer verification

• Age verification: Customers can upload a copy of their ID on 18+ limit products for age verification.
  
• Documentation: Businesses may need a copy of a prescription when ordering prescription glasses or contact lenses. Customers might also need to upload a doctor’s prescription or medical certificate for certain medical devices or products.

3. Service-based businesses

• Project details: Businesses may need specific briefs, guidelines, or references for custom graphic design projects, content writing services, or consulting services. For translation services, businesses may need the file the customer wants you to translate.
  
• Document submissions: Submitting contracts, documents, financial records, agreements, or legal documents for review, tax preparations, or other documents for editing and proofreading.

4. Compliance and regulations

• Some products require proof of age, certification, or license permits to purchase, which could be uploaded at checkout.

Why Add File Upload Functionality to WooCommerce Checkout Page?

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:

• Improved customer experience

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.

• Enhanced customization

Offer personalized products by collecting orders with custom designs, specifications, or additional information related to customization.

• Increased sales and conversions

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.

• Streamlined communication

Facilitates efficient communication with customers by providing a direct means to share specific details.

• Accurate order fulfillment

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.

Method 1: How to Add File Upload Field to WooCommerce Checkout Page using Free Plugin (Limited Feature)

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:

Step 1: Install the Checkout Files Upload for WooCommerce plugin

Make sure to install and activate the Checkout Files Upload for WooCommerce plugin on your WordPress website.

Step 2: Enable and configure the file upload options

After activating the plugin, navigate to WooCommerce ⇨ Settings ⇨ Checkout Files Upload.

And configure the following options:

• WooCommerce Checkout Files Upload: Check the enable plugin option.
  
• Total file uploaders: With the free version, you can only allow customers to upload one file with each checkout, so leave it as it is.
  
• Form extras: Check the form extra options such as progress bar, alerts on successful file upload and remove, etc., to enhance the user experience when uploading the file.
  
• Max file size: Set the maximum file size a user can upload.
  
• Reset settings: Reset all the settings if you want.

Finally, click on the ‘Save Changes’ button to update the settings.

Step 3: Test the file upload option on the WooCommerce checkout page

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.

Method 2: How to Add a File Upload FIeld to WooCommerce Checkout using a Premium Plugin (More Features and Control)

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:

• FunnelKit FunnelKit Builder (both free and pro version)
• Checkout Add-Ons for WooCommerce addon

Make sure you install and active the required plugins before moving to the main process:

Step 1: Create a file upload field

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.

Step 2: Create a store checkout

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.

Step 3: Add the file upload field to the checkout 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.

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.

After adding the field, click on ‘Save’ to update your WooCommerce checkout form.

Step 4: Activate your store checkout

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.

Step 5: Test the file upload option

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.

7 Best Practices to Consider When Adding File Upload Field to WooCommerce Checkout

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.

Adding File Upload to WooCommerce Checkout: Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

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:

add_action( 'woocommerce_after_order_notes', 'add_custom_checkout_field' ); function add_custom_checkout_field($checkout) {echo '<div class="woocommerce-additional-fields__field-wrapper">';woocommerce_form_field('certificate', array( 'type' => 'file', 'class' => array('form-row-wide'), 'label' => __('Upload Certificate', 'woocommerce'), 'required' => false, 'max_size' => '3072', // in ko (here 3 Mo size limit) 'accept' => '.img,.doc,.docx,.rtf,.txt', // text documents and pdf ), '');echo '</div>'; }

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:

/ Required upload field validation add_action( 'woocommerce_checkout_process', 'checkout_required_upload_validation' ); function checkout_required_upload_validation() { $checkout_upload = WC()->session->get('checkout_upload'); if( empty( $checkout_upload ) ) { wc_add_notice( __('Uploading your file is required in order to checkout.', 'woocommerce'), 'error' ); // Displays an error notice } }

Once done, save the uploaded file URL and name:

// Save the uploaded file URL and name (array add_action( 'woocommerce_checkout_create_order', 'save_checkout_uploaded_file', 10, 2 ); function save_checkout_uploaded_file( $order, $data ){ if( $checkout_upload = WC()->session->get('checkout_upload') ) { $order->update_meta_data( '_checkout_upload', $checkout_upload ); // Save } WC()->session->__unset('checkout_upload'); // Remove session variable }

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.

Add a File Upload Field to WooCommerce Checkout and Elevate Your Store’s Experience

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?

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