Document Gallery is a free extension for the CatFolders plugin that makes it easy to publish document libraries on your WordPress site.
With a single
Gutenberg block (or simple
shortcode), you can point to any media folder and instantly display its contents on a page.
In seconds, a folder of PDFs, Word docs, spreadsheets, ebooks, and more becomes a neat, browsable on-page gallery. No manual link-building required and no file links altered.
Visitors see each file as a clickable card (icon + title + first page image) and can open or download it without leaving the page.
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Documentation |
View Demo of PDF gallery with first page thumbnails
Key Features
Grid & List Layouts
Display any media folder as a clean grid of cards or a classic table list. Each entry shows a file-type icon or
PDF thumbnail alongside the file title and an optional description.
Instant Previews & Downloads
Click a file card to preview it in-page or trigger a download. Document Gallery automatically generates first-page thumbnails for PDFs, so visitors always have a visual reference.
Search, Sort & Filter
Built-in search and filtering let users narrow results by folder, file type, date, and more. Pagination and load-more buttons keep large collections fast and easy to browse.
Customizable File Details
Choose which columns to display: file size, updated date, type icon, a Download button, or custom notes. All output inherits your active theme's styling for a polished, consistent look.
All Media Types Supported
Not just PDFs. Document Gallery works with Word, Excel, PowerPoint, images, audio, video, ebooks (EPUB, MOBI), and any custom file type stored in your WordPress media library. Suitable for any download-heavy site!
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New Feature: Nested Folders with Breadcrumb Navigation!
The CatFolders Document Gallery now supports
multi-level folder structure, making it easier than ever to organize and present your documents. With intuitive breadcrumb navigation, your website visitors can quickly explore subfolders and find exactly what they need!
CatFolders Document Gallery support displaying all WordPress file types:
- Documents: pdf, doc, ppt, odt, xls
- Graphics: psd, svg
- eBooks: epub, mobi, azw, azw3
- Images: jpg, jpeg, png, gif, ico, webp
- Audios: mp3, m4a, ogg, wav
- Videos: mp4, mov, wmv, avi, mpg
- Others: svg, zip, json, and custom file types
To get started with this WordPress PDF gallery plugin, simply follow these steps:
- Install CatFolders (free, or pro version)
- Install CatFolders Document Gallery (this plugin)
- Start organizing documents into folders
- Pick a folder to create WordPress gallery from folder
- Customize the gallery appearances and publish
[youtube
https://youtu.be/gLxi4CTItKE]
💪 WHY YOU SHOULD USE DOCUMENT GALLERY BY CATFOLDERS?
It will save you a huge amount of time thanks to these built-in features:
- Two customizable layouts: list and grid
- Over 5 file details available:: title, file type, icon, file size, updated date, and download link
- Automatically shows PDF first-page thumbnails
- Supports all standard WordPress media file types
- Fully mobile responsive
- Clean, modern gallery design
- Option to show or hide specific columns
- Built-in file title search box
- Sort files by size, title, file type, or last modified date
- Flexible pagination settings
- Click to preview, open in a popup, or download any file
It’s especially useful for WordPress websites that offer downloadable resources, such as:
- eCommerce websites offering digital products or file downloads.
- Membership sites providing gated access to exclusive files.
- Schools or universities sharing study materials.
- Companies providing white papers or reports.
- Nonprofits sharing brochures and legal docs.
Happy gallery-ing 💖
Mar 17, 2026 - Version 2.0.5
- Added: Korean language
- Improved: Folder tree UI
Dec 10, 2025 - Version 2.0.4
- Added: Document click-to-preview options
- Improved: German translations
- Improved: Tested up to WordPress 6.9
Oct 10, 2025 - Version 2.0.3
Aug 27, 2025 - Version 2.0.2
- Added: Search Scope (Narrow, All)
May 7, 2025 - Version 2.0.1
- Improved: Translation text in gallery shortcode
Dec 15, 2024 - Version 2.0.0
- New feature: Multiple levels of folders with breadcrumb and nested folders
- Fixed: The issue where the counter feature did not work when switching subfolders
- Fixed: Search function
Jul 5, 2024 - Version 1.5.2
- Added: Counter for the number of clicks to view/download file
May 31, 2024 - Version 1.5.1
- Improved: Works with WP 6.1 and newer
- Fixed: React Dom Deprecated in WP 6.2
- Fixed: Document images cannot be disabled
- Fixed: Searcher not working
May 31, 2024 - Version 1.5.0
- Updated: Minimum WordPress requirement to version 6.2
May 29, 2024 - Version 1.4.9
- Improved: The grid layout to eliminate excess space when disabling some columns
- Fixed: CSS (remove background !important)
May 13, 2024 - Version 1.4.8
- Improved: Remove Tabindex on Desktop, should be possible on mobile only
- Fixed: Focus border not working for table-header
- Fixed: Text of aria-description attribute
May 9, 2024 - Version 1.4.7
- Fixed: Issue of sort by date
Mar 12, 2024 - Version 1.4.6
- New feature: Thumbnails for PDF & other documents
- Improved: Optimized performance by using jpg for better wp auto crop quality
- Fixed: The preview section encounters an error when hiding/showing columns in the display field settings
- Fixed: The aria-label attribute issue when using a screen reader
Feb 2, 2024 - Version 1.4.5
- New feature: Shortcode for using document gallery with Classic Editor, WordPress classic themes, and page builders
- Fixed: Missing translate and German translation does not work
- Improved: User experience with search feature
- Improved: CSS
Dec 21, 2023 - Version 1.4.4
- Fixed: Accessibility (contrast low, target size for icon, aria-label)
- Fixed: Translation strings missing
- Updated: POT file
- Improved: User experience (remove empty divs, some CSS for table)
Nov 16, 2023 - Version 1.4.3
- Updated: Translation in PO file
Nov 15, 2023 - Version 1.4.2
- Updated: text domain (from catf-dg to catfolders-document-gallery)
Nov 4, 2023 - Version 1.4.1
- Updated: POT file
- Fixed: Wrong link generated
Nov 3, 2023 - Version 1.4
- Fixed: Some CSS errors related to the position of displaying elements when change its position (search bar, layout icon, pagination)
- Fixed: Displaying empty element when icon and title library are hidden
Oct 6, 2023 - Version 1.3
- Fix: Accessibility
- Add: Support German language
Sep 22, 2023 – Version 1.2
- Add: New order by size (GB > MB > KB > Byte)
- Update: Plugin detail (Remove “By” duplication in wp.org)
- Update: Hide “Item per pages” in Mobile table
- Fix: Issue with sorting files
- Fix: Button alignment in grid view
- Fix: CSS conflict
- Fix: Accessibility (aria attribute)
Jul 24, 2023 Version 1.1
Jun 20, 2023 – Version 1.0