Error Messages

Updated Jan 26, 2026 Troubleshooting

Overview

This guide provides explanations and solutions for error messages you may encounter in WordPress Download Manager. Errors are organized by category for easy reference.

Download Errors

“File Not Found”

Full Message:

The requested file was not found on this server.

Causes:

File deleted from server
File path changed
Incorrect file reference in package

Solutions:

Verify file exists:

   Check: wp-content/uploads/download-manager-files/

Re-attach file to package:

   Edit package → Attach Files → Browse and re-select

Check file permissions:

   chmod 644 /path/to/file

“Permission Denied”

Full Message:

You don't have permission to access this download.

Causes:

User role not in allowed list
User not logged in (guest access disabled)
Category-level restriction

Solutions:

Check package access settings:

   Package → Access tab → Add user's role

Enable guest access if needed:

   Package → Access tab → Check "Guest"

Verify user’s role:

   Users → Edit user → Check role assignment

“Download Limit Exceeded”

Full Message:

You have reached your download limit for this file.

Causes:

Per-user download limit reached
Daily/weekly/monthly limit exceeded
Package quota exhausted

Solutions:

Check user’s download count:

   Downloads → Statistics → Filter by user

Reset user’s limit:

   DELETE FROM wp_ahm_user_download_counts
   WHERE user = [ID];

Increase package limit:

   Package → Settings → Download Limit per User

“Download Expired”

Full Message:

This download link has expired.

Causes:

Expirable link past expiration time
Package publish date in future
Package expiry date passed

Solutions:

Generate new download link
Check package availability dates:

   Package → Settings → Publish Date / Expiry Date

“Invalid Download Request”

Full Message:

Invalid download request. Please try again.

Causes:

Malformed download URL
Session expired
Security token invalid

Solutions:

Clear browser cookies and try again
Ensure URL is complete and not truncated
Check for URL encoding issues

Lock Errors

“Incorrect Password”

Full Message:

The password you entered is incorrect.

Causes:

Wrong password entered
Password contains special characters causing encoding issues
Multiple passwords and none match

Solutions:

Verify password in package settings
Try copying password directly from settings
Check for trailing spaces in password

“Invalid Email Address”

Full Message:

Please enter a valid email address.

Causes:

Email format incorrect
Domain blocked
DNS verification failed

Solutions:

Check email format (user@domain.com)
Review blocked domains list:

   Downloads → Settings → Email Lock → Blocked Domains

Disable DNS verification if causing issues:

   Downloads → Settings → Email Lock → Verify DNS

“CAPTCHA Verification Failed”

Full Message:

CAPTCHA verification failed. Please try again.

Causes:

reCAPTCHA not completed
reCAPTCHA expired
API keys incorrect
JavaScript blocked

Solutions:

Complete CAPTCHA before clicking submit
Refresh page if CAPTCHA expired
Verify API keys:

   Downloads → Settings → reCAPTCHA

Check browser extensions blocking scripts

“Please Accept Terms & Conditions”

Full Message:

You must accept the terms and conditions to proceed.

Cause:

Terms checkbox not checked

Solution:

Check the terms acceptance checkbox before downloading

Payment Errors

“Payment Failed”

Full Message:

Payment could not be processed. Please try again.

Causes:

Card declined
Insufficient funds
Gateway error
Invalid credentials

Solutions:

Check gateway credentials:

   Downloads → Settings → [Gateway Name]

Verify test vs live mode:

   Stripe: Check key prefix (sk_test_ vs sk_live_)
   PayPal: Check sandbox vs production

Check gateway logs for specific error

“Invalid Card Number”

Full Message:

The card number you entered is invalid.

Causes:

Typo in card number
Expired card
Card type not supported

Solutions:

Verify card number
Check card expiration
Try different card

“Currency Not Supported”

Full Message:

The selected currency is not supported by this payment gateway.

Cause:

Gateway doesn’t support site currency

Solution:

Change site currency to supported one
Use different gateway
Check gateway currency settings

“Order Not Found”

Full Message:

Order [ORDER_ID] not found.

Causes:

Order deleted
Invalid order ID
Database issue

Solutions:

Verify order exists in database
Check order ID format
Search orders by customer email

License Errors

“Invalid License Key”

Full Message:

The license key you entered is invalid.

Causes:

Typo in license key
License key revoked
Key from different product

Solutions:

Copy key directly from purchase email
Check key in admin:

   Downloads → Licenses → Search key

Verify key matches product

“License Activation Limit Reached”

Full Message:

This license has reached its activation limit.

Cause:

All activations used

Solutions:

Deactivate from unused domain
Increase activation limit:

   Downloads → Licenses → Edit → Activation Limit

Purchase additional license

“License Expired”

Full Message:

This license has expired and is no longer valid.

Cause:

License validity period ended

Solutions:

Renew license
Extend expiration:

   Downloads → Licenses → Edit → Expiry Date

API Errors

“Invalid API Key”

Full Message:

{
  "code": "invalid_api_key",
  "message": "The API key provided is invalid."
}

Causes:

Wrong API key
Key revoked
Key has insufficient permissions

Solutions:

Verify key in settings:

   Downloads → Settings → API → API Keys

Generate new key if needed
Check key permissions

“Rate Limit Exceeded”

Full Message:

{
  "code": "rate_limit_exceeded",
  "message": "Too many requests. Please slow down."
}

Cause:

Too many API calls in short period

Solutions:

Implement request throttling
Cache responses
Wait for rate limit reset (check X-RateLimit-Reset header)

“Resource Not Found” (404)

Full Message:

{
  "code": "rest_no_route",
  "message": "No route was found matching the URL and request method."
}

Causes:

Wrong endpoint URL
Resource deleted
API disabled

Solutions:

Verify endpoint URL
Check API documentation
Verify REST API is enabled

Database Errors

“Database Connection Error”

Full Message:

Error establishing a database connection

Causes:

Wrong database credentials
MySQL server down
Max connections reached

Solutions:

Verify wp-config.php credentials
Check MySQL server status
Increase max connections

“Table Doesn’t Exist”

Full Message:

Table 'wp_ahm_download_stats' doesn't exist

Cause:

WPDM tables not created
Table prefix mismatch
Table deleted

Solutions:

Deactivate and reactivate WPDM
Run database repair:

   Downloads → Settings → Advanced → Repair Database

Check table prefix in wp-config.php

File Upload Errors

“Upload Failed – File Too Large”

Full Message:

The uploaded file exceeds the maximum file size limit.

Causes:

PHP upload_max_filesize too low
WordPress max upload size
Server limit

Solutions:

Increase PHP limits:

   // php.ini or .htaccess
   upload_max_filesize = 256M
   post_max_size = 256M

Increase WordPress limit:

   // wp-config.php
   @ini_set('upload_max_filesize', '256M');

“Invalid File Type”

Full Message:

Sorry, this file type is not permitted.

Causes:

File extension not allowed
MIME type mismatch

Solutions:

Add file type to WordPress allowed types
Check WPDM file type settings
Rename file with correct extension

Server Errors

“500 Internal Server Error”

Causes:

PHP fatal error
.htaccess issue
Memory exhausted

Solutions:

Check PHP error log
Rename .htaccess to test
Increase memory limit:

   define('WP_MEMORY_LIMIT', '256M');

“503 Service Unavailable”

Causes:

Server overloaded
Maintenance mode
Resource limit reached

Solutions:

Wait and retry
Contact hosting provider
Optimize resource usage

“504 Gateway Timeout”

Causes:

Long-running process
Slow database queries
Large file processing

Solutions:

Increase timeout:

   set_time_limit(300);

Optimize database
Process large files asynchronously

Debug Mode

Enable debug mode to get more detailed error information:

// wp-config.php
define('WP_DEBUG', true);
define('WP_DEBUG_LOG', true);
define('WP_DEBUG_DISPLAY', false);

// WPDM specific
define('WPDM_DEBUG', true);

Check logs at:

wp-content/debug.log

Overview

Download Errors

“File Not Found”

“Permission Denied”

“Download Limit Exceeded”

“Download Expired”

“Invalid Download Request”

Lock Errors

“Incorrect Password”

“Invalid Email Address”

“CAPTCHA Verification Failed”

“Please Accept Terms & Conditions”

Payment Errors

“Payment Failed”

“Invalid Card Number”

“Currency Not Supported”

“Order Not Found”

License Errors

“Invalid License Key”

“License Activation Limit Reached”

“License Expired”

API Errors

“Invalid API Key”

“Rate Limit Exceeded”

“Resource Not Found” (404)

Database Errors

“Database Connection Error”

“Table Doesn’t Exist”

File Upload Errors

“Upload Failed – File Too Large”

“Invalid File Type”

Server Errors

“500 Internal Server Error”

“503 Service Unavailable”

“504 Gateway Timeout”

Debug Mode

Related Documentation