How to Let Customers Upload Prescriptions in WooCommerce

Quick answer: WooCommerce cannot collect prescriptions on its own. With Customer Upload Files for WooCommerce, you create an upload rule under WooCommerce > Settings > Upload Files > Add Rule, limit it to your prescription category and make it required. Customers then attach their prescription while ordering, and you approve or reject each file inside the order before you ship.

Why prescription stores need an upload step

If you sell prescription medicines, prescription eyeglasses or contact lenses, you cannot ship an order until you have seen a valid prescription. WooCommerce has no built-in way to collect one. Most stores fall back on email, which means chasing customers after they pay, matching attachments to order numbers by hand, and holding orders while the inbox fills up.

A better way is to ask for the prescription inside the order itself. The customer uploads a photo or PDF while buying, the file is attached to the order, and your pharmacist or optician reviews it before anything ships.

This guide shows how to set that up with Customer Upload Files for WooCommerce. By the end you will have:

• A required prescription upload that appears only on prescription products
• Clear rules for which file types and sizes customers can send
• Uploaded prescriptions stored where the public cannot reach them
• An approve or reject step for every file, with an email to the customer
• A second chance for customers who skipped the upload or need to send a new file

The setup takes about 15 minutes and needs no code.

How to set up prescription uploads, step by step

Step 1: Install the plugin

Buy Customer Upload Files for WooCommerce from the WooCommerce Marketplace and download the .zip file. In your WordPress admin, go to Plugins > Add New > Upload Plugin, upload the file and click Activate.

Step 2: Put your prescription products in one category

The upload should only appear on products that need a prescription. The simplest way is a dedicated product category, for example "Prescription Medicines" or "Prescription Lenses". Go to Products > Categories, create the category, and assign it to every product that requires a prescription.

If you already use a category for these products, skip this step.

Step 3: Create an upload rule

Go to WooCommerce > Settings > Upload Files > Add Rule and switch the rule on with Enable/Disable.

Under Display On, choose where customers upload:

• Product page if each item needs its own prescription, such as contact lenses ordered for different wearers. The file is attached to that order line.
• Checkout page (after the order notes) if one prescription covers the whole order, as it usually does in a pharmacy. The file is attached to the order as a whole.
• Cart page is also available if you prefer customers to upload before they reach checkout.

You can create one rule for each if your store needs both.

Then set File Upload Type. Single suits one prescription per order. Choose Multiple if customers may need to send more than one file, for example a prescription spread over two pages or separate prescriptions for family members.

Step 4: Limit the rule to prescription products

In the same rule:

• Set Product/Category Restriction to Category.
• Set Include/Exclude to Include.
• Under Select Product/Category, pick the category from Step 2.

Now the upload field shows only when a prescription product is on the page or in the cart. Customers buying vitamins or sunglasses never see it.

Step 5: Make the upload required

Turn on Required. Customers then cannot complete the order without attaching a file.

One caveat from the plugin documentation: if your theme uses AJAX add to cart on single product pages, the required check may not work on the product page. If that applies to your store, use the checkout page placement from Step 3, or turn off AJAX add to cart for single products.

Step 6: Choose file types and size

Customers usually photograph a paper prescription with their phone or download a PDF from their doctor's portal. Allow both:

• Allowed File Types: JPG, JPEG, PNG and PDF. If you also accept HEIC photos from iPhones, add HEIC under WooCommerce > Settings > Upload Files > Custom File Extension first, then select it here.
• Maximum Upload Size: 10 MB is enough for a phone photo or a scanned PDF. The limit can be set in KB, MB or GB, but your server's own upload limit still applies, so check it with your host if large files fail.

Step 7: Tell customers what to upload

Use the Description field to explain exactly what you need. For example:

Upload a clear photo or PDF of your valid prescription. Make sure the patient name, the prescriber's details, the medicine or lens details and the date are readable.

Turn on Customer Notes if you want customers to add details alongside the file, such as a patient name when ordering for a family member. Leave the upload Price at 0 so no fee is added, and leave Marketing Use Approval off (see the tips below).

In the rule's Button Settings, change the Button Text to something specific, such as "Upload your prescription", and set colors that stand out on your product or checkout page.

Step 8: Store prescriptions privately

Go to WooCommerce > Settings > Upload Files > Additional Settings and turn on both Secure Upload Folder and Use Secure File Links. Uploaded files are then kept out of public reach, and you open them through secure links instead of plain file URLs.

Optionally, change Upload Directory (the default is /wp-content/uploads/) to a dedicated subfolder such as "prescriptions", so these files are kept apart from product images.

In the same screen, leave Send Files as an Attachment off. Prescriptions should stay inside your store, not travel around in email attachments.

Step 9: Keep approval emails switched on

Still in Additional Settings, make sure Disable Mail on Accept/Reject is unticked. If it is ticked, customers are not emailed when you approve or reject their prescription. Turn on Enable Admin Feedback too, so you can add a note explaining your decision.

Also review the Order Status setting on this screen and pick the statuses that match your review process. Prescription stores typically hold orders in Pending Payment or On Hold until the prescription is approved.

Step 10: Give customers a second chance to upload

If some customers skip the upload or need to send a clearer file, add another rule with Display On set to Thank You / Order View page, restricted to the same category. Customers can then upload right after placing the order, and again when they view the order in My Account.

Save your rules. Your prescription upload is live.

How to review and approve prescriptions

Once orders start coming in, the review happens inside WooCommerce. No inbox, no spreadsheets.

Spot orders that have a prescription

Go to WooCommerce > Orders. The plugin adds an Upload Counter column that shows which orders include uploaded files. You can see at a glance which orders are ready for review, without opening each one.

Open the file and check it

Open the order. Where the file appears depends on where it was uploaded:

• Uploaded on the product page: in the order's Item section, next to the product it belongs to.
• Uploaded on the cart or checkout page: in the Upload File section at the bottom of the order.

View or download the file and check it against your usual prescription requirements.

Approve or reject, then update the order

Mark the file as approved or rejected, and add a feedback note. A good rejection note tells the customer exactly what to fix, for example:

The expiry date on this prescription is not readable. Please upload a clearer photo from your order page in My Account.

Then click Update Order. This step matters: the plugin emails the customer only after the order is updated. If you approve or reject a file and navigate away, no email goes out.

Handle a rejected prescription

Keep the order on hold, and ask the customer to upload a new file from their order in My Account (this works when you have the Thank You / Order View page rule from Step 10). Review the new file the same way. There is no need to cancel the order or ask the customer to buy again.

Once the prescription is approved, move the order to Processing and fulfill it as usual.

Tips for prescription stores

• Match the placement to how prescriptions work in your store. Pharmacies usually get one prescription per order, so the checkout page fits. Optical and contact lens stores often need one per product or per wearer, so the product page fits better.
• Enable image cropping. Turn on Enable Cropper under Upload Files > Additional Settings. Customers can crop a phone photo down to the prescription itself before sending it, which makes it easier to read.
• Show the upload progress. Pick a File Upload Progress Bar style in the same screen. Customers on slow mobile connections can see their file is still uploading and do not leave the page early.
• Keep the marketing consent checkbox off. The Marketing Use Approval option is useful for shops that showcase customer designs. It has no place on a prescription upload.
• Test it as a customer. Place a test order with a prescription product, upload a phone photo, then approve it and check the customer email arrives.

A note on compliance

This plugin collects and stores the prescription. It does not verify it. Checking that a prescription is valid, and meeting the pharmacy, optical and data protection rules in the places you sell to (such as HIPAA in the US or GDPR in the EU, where they apply), remains your responsibility. Review your process with a qualified professional before you start selling prescription products online.

Frequently asked questions

Can I ask for a prescription only on some products?

Yes. Restrict the upload rule to a product category or to specific products, and the upload field appears only for those items.

Can customers order without uploading a prescription?

Not if you turn on Required for the rule. If you would rather let customers pay first and upload later, leave it off and add a rule on the Thank You / Order View page instead.

What happens if a customer uploads the wrong file?

They can remove it and upload a new one before placing the order. After ordering, they can upload a new file from their order in My Account if you have a Thank You / Order View page rule.

Can the public see uploaded prescriptions?

Not when Secure Upload Folder and Use Secure File Links are on. Files are kept out of public reach and opened through secure links.

Does the customer know whether their prescription was accepted?

Yes. When you approve or reject a file and click Update Order, the customer gets an email with the outcome, as long as Disable Mail on Accept/Reject is unticked.

Which file types should I allow?

JPG, PNG and PDF cover most phone photos and doctor's portal downloads. Add other formats, such as HEIC, under Custom File Extension.

Get started

Customer Upload Files for WooCommerce is available on the WooCommerce Marketplace with a 30-day money-back guarantee. For every setting mentioned in this guide, see the plugin documentation.