Everything from your first file product to the settings that stop support tickets before they start. Written by the founder of Fulfile, a digital-delivery app; where a claim touches a competitor it is dated and sourced so you can check it.
The 30-second answer
Add your product, uncheck “this is a physical product” so Shopify skips shipping, and attach a delivery app that emails the buyer a secure download link the moment the order is paid. Shopify’s free native app covers the basics; sellers move to a dedicated app when they need download limits, license keys, larger files, or on-brand emails. The setting most guides skip: download limits should be counted per FILE, not per order, or multi-file buyers can lock themselves out of files they paid for.
PDFs and ebooks, printables, templates, presets and LUTs, audio packs and stems, video files, fonts, Notion templates, design assets, and software with license keys. They all sell the same way: no physical fulfillment, just an automatic file handoff the moment payment clears. If that handoff is manual, you are the fulfillment center; the whole point of the setup below is that it never is.
Option 1: Shopify’s free native app
Digital Downloads by Shopify is free and fine for a single small file. Its walls, per Shopify’s own documentation: 50 files per product, 5 GB per file, download limits counted per order rather than per file, plain Shopify-styled emails, and no license keys or watermarking. Recent public reviews (June 2026) also complain that updates removed the copy-download-link and drag-and-drop upload features many sellers relied on.
Option 2: a dedicated delivery app
Adds the things stores outgrow native for: per-file download limits, license key delivery, files beyond 5 GB, buyer-traceable PDF watermarking, fraud-risk holds, and delivery emails that carry your brand instead of a platform’s. That category is what Fulfile was built for; our honest 2026 comparison of every major option shows the whole field, including where rivals beat us.
Add the product. Products, then Add product in your Shopify admin. Name it, add images, set the price, exactly like any product.
Turn off shipping. Uncheck 'This is a physical product'. Checkout now skips addresses and shipping rates entirely.
Skip inventory tracking. A file never sells out. Leave inventory tracking off (or set it to not track) so the product is always purchasable.
Attach your files in a delivery app. Link the product in your delivery app and upload the files it should deliver. In Fulfile that is one click to link, then drag in as many files as you sell, up to 10 GB each.
Set limits and expiry. Choose how many times each file can be downloaded and how long links stay live. Per-file limits with a renewal path save you support tickets later.
Send yourself a test. Place a test order (or use Fulfile's built-in test delivery) and open the email on your phone. If the download works for you, it works for buyers.
Most delivery setups count downloads per ORDER. Sell a 10-file bundle with a 3-download limit and your buyer can spend all three attempts on two files, then hit a locked door on the rest of what they paid for. Every one of those is a support ticket, and the angry ones become chargebacks. Two fixes: raise the per-order limit far above your file count, or use a delivery app that counts the limit per FILE so every file carries its own budget. Fulfile was built around the per-file model, with buyer self-service on top: expired links renew themselves, and anyone who loses the email can recover every purchase at fulfile.app/recover.
The delivery email is the one message every single customer opens. Generic platform styling there reads as “is this legit?” and drives replies to your inbox. On-brand delivery (your logo, your colors, your store as the sender, on the email and the download page) is a Pro feature in Fulfile and worth it the day your store has a real identity.
Read the metering fine print before you pick any app. Some meter bandwidth or storage, which means the month your product goes viral is the month your delivery bill spikes; others add per-order fees past a cap. Our 2026 comparison lists who meters what, with each cell dated. Fulfile is flat: $0, $19, or $39 a month, with nothing metered on any plan.
Can I sell digital downloads on Shopify for free?
Yes. Shopify's native Digital Downloads app is free, and Fulfile's free plan covers your first 3 products with per-file download limits, license keys, and files up to 10 GB. You can start at $0 either way.
How do I stop people re-sharing my download link?
Three layers: download limits counted per file, link expiry on a schedule you choose, and, for PDFs, watermarking each page with the buyer's name, email, and order number so a leaked file traces back to its source.
What is the file-size limit for Shopify digital downloads?
Shopify's native app caps files at 5 GB and 50 files per product (per Shopify's documentation, July 2026). Dedicated delivery apps go higher; Fulfile handles files up to 10 GB with no per-product file cap.
Can I sell software license keys on Shopify?
Not with the native app. Fulfile assigns one license or serial key per order automatically from a per-product key pool, on every plan including free.
Do digital products need shipping settings?
No. Uncheck 'This is a physical product' on the Shopify product so checkout skips shipping entirely. Your delivery app handles the handoff after payment.
Ready to sell? Start where delivery is automatic.
Fulfile is free for your first 3 products: per-file limits, license keys, 10 GB files, flat pricing, five-minute setup.
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