BRC File Upload Documentation

This guide walks through installing BRC File Uploads, configuring it, and adding an upload form to a page. Every screenshot below was taken from a live install of version 1.0.0.

Last updated: August 25, 2026

 

1. Install and activate

Upload the plugin zip through Plugins → Add New → Upload Plugin, then activate it. No other plugin is required.

BRC File Uploads active on the Plugins screen
BRC File Uploads active on the Plugins screen

2. Find the settings

Everything lives under BRC Labs → File Uploads in the admin sidebar. All BRC plugins share this one menu, so you will not end up with a separate top-level item for each plugin.

The shared BRC Labs admin menu
The shared BRC Labs admin menu

3. Set your upload rules

The General tab is where you decide what you will accept. Start here before adding the form to a page.

Upload settings: size limit, allowed extensions, and media folder
Upload settings: size limit, allowed extensions, and media folder
  • Max file size — the per-file cap, in megabytes.
  • Allowed file extensions — a comma-separated allowlist, no dots. Anything not on this list is refused.
  • Media library folder — optional. Keep this plugin’s uploads in their own folder instead of the usual year/month tree.
  • Minimum role to upload — the lowest role permitted to submit files.
  • Allow guest uploads — accept files from logged-out visitors. Pro.

Note: Extensions a browser or server can execute — .php, .phar, .shtml, .html, .hta and similar — are always blocked, even if you add them to the allowlist. The plugin also checks each file’s actual contents against its extension, so a script renamed to .jpg is rejected.

4. Choose where files are stored

By default uploads land in your WordPress media library, exactly like a file uploaded through the admin. With a Pro licence you can send them to an S3-compatible bucket or to Dropbox instead.

Storage destination, with S3 and Dropbox credentials
Storage destination, with S3 and Dropbox credentials

Note: Credential fields are write-only. Once saved they show Not set or a masked placeholder rather than the stored value, so your keys never appear in the page source. Leave a field blank to keep the existing value, or tick Clear to remove it.

5. Optional: per-role storage quotas

Cap how much each role may upload in total. Leave a field blank for unlimited, or set it to 0 to block that role entirely. Pro.

Per-role storage quotas
Per-role storage quotas

6. Optional: large files

Files above the chunk threshold are uploaded in pieces. That gets past your server’s upload_max_filesize limit and survives patchy connections. Pro.

Chunked upload threshold
Chunked upload threshold

7. Optional: email notifications

Get an email when a file arrives, and optionally send the uploader a confirmation. Both templates accept placeholders such as {file_name} and {uploader_name}. Pro.

Email notification settings
Email notification settings

8. Match your theme

The Appearance settings cover accent colour, layout density, corner rounding, maximum width, and text size — no CSS required.

Appearance settings
Appearance settings

Note: There is deliberately no free-form CSS box. These are structured settings, so a styling change can never alter behaviour or introduce a security problem. If you need finer control, override the CSS custom properties (--brc-fu-*) from your theme.

9. Add the upload form to a page

Edit any page or post and either insert the BRC File Upload block, or paste the shortcode:

		

    That is the whole setup. Here is how it looks to a visitor:

    The upload form as a visitor sees it
    The upload form as a visitor sees it

    10. What the visitor experiences

    The visitor drags a file onto the drop zone, or clicks it to browse. Each file shows its own progress and result, so a failure is obvious rather than silent.

    A completed upload, showing the file name and status
    A completed upload, showing the file name and status
    The upload form on a published page
    The upload form on a published page

    11. Where the files end up

    Uploads appear in your media library like any other attachment, so everything you already use — search, the block editor, other plugins — works with them.

    Received files in the WordPress media library
    Received files in the WordPress media library

    12. Collecting files from people without accounts

    A file request link is a private URL you send to someone so they can upload without registering. Each link carries its own expiry date, maximum number of uses, allowed file types, size cap, and an optional email requirement. Pro.

    Creating a file request link
    Creating a file request link

    13. Activating your licence

    Paste your key on the License tab and click Activate. That unlocks every Pro feature listed above. If a licence lapses the plugin keeps working at the free feature set, and nothing is deleted.

    The License tab
    The License tab

    Getting help

    The Help tab inside the plugin answers the common questions without leaving your dashboard.

    The built-in Help tab
    The built-in Help tab

    Still stuck? Email support@bluerayconcepts.com. For security reports, use security@bluerayconcepts.com.