Moving from Simple File List
Your library is still sitting on your own site, and FileDeck reads it directly — files, folders, descriptions, dates and access restrictions, in one click. It works whether Simple File List is still active, deactivated or gone, because the import reads your data rather than talking to the plugin.
A note on the plugin’s status
Simple File List was removed from the WordPress.org plugin directory on 23 July 2026, pending review. While it is delisted it cannot be installed or updated from WordPress.org. We won’t speculate about why or what happens next — but if that is what brought you here, the import below does not need the plugin running, and your files stay exactly where they are either way.
One click, on your own site
Switch in three steps
Install FileDeck alongside
Add FileDeck Pro to the same site. Simple File List can stay active or already be switched off — either works. Nothing changes on your live pages yet.
Click Import
Go to Documents → Import & Export → Migrate. FileDeck shows a Simple File List card with the number of files it found — click Import. Every list is found, not just the first, so an Advanced add-on setup with several lists comes across whole.
Switch the old plugin off
Spot-check the results, swap in the FileDeck block or shortcode, and deactivate. Your originals are left untouched in their folder, so nothing is lost if you want to go back.
What comes across
Files, folders, descriptions and access restrictions — automatically, and it all stays on your own server.
Files, names & descriptions
Each file becomes a document with its display name (or its filename, if it has none), its description and its date added. Submitter names and comments are kept in the document body.
Folders become categories
Simple File List has no categories — folders on disk are its only grouping. A file at policies/hr/leave.pdf lands in an HR category nested under Policies. Names are tidied for display, so hr-policies reads as “Hr Policies” — rename any that read awkwardly afterwards.
Restricted files stay restricted
Files the Advanced add-on limited to a role or a list of users import as members-only and move into the protected vault immediately. Nothing that was restricted at the source is ever imported as public.
Your files finally get protected
This is the one import where FileDeck copies files in rather than linking them. Simple File List keeps files in its own folder, which carries no deny-all rule — a linked file would stay readable by anyone with the URL and could never be locked down. Bringing them into your Media Library is what makes the vault, PDF thumbnails and content search possible.
Why teams move to FileDeck
Search inside your files
Full-text search reads the contents of your PDFs and Office documents, not just their titles — so people find the right file by what’s in it.
Access control that scales
Gate categories by role, by password or to logged-in users, with client areas for private document sets and per-document assignment to named people — set once for a whole category, not file by file.
Honest, flat pricing
Your renewal never jumps, and a 30-day money-back guarantee backs every plan. No switch-and-bait discounts that spike at renewal.
Prefer a hand? We’ll do it with you.
Big or unusual library? We’ll walk the import through with you and stay on it until it’s live and you’re happy — and we’ll add the time left on your current plan to your FileDeck licence, so you don’t pay for the same months twice. No credential handoff needed; it all runs on your own site.
Questions about moving
Do I need Simple File List to still be active?
No. FileDeck reads the library data already stored on your own site, so the import works whether the plugin is active, deactivated or already removed. See the full walkthrough.
Where do my files end up?
In your Media Library, as real attachments. Your originals are left exactly where they are — the import copies rather than moves — so the old plugin keeps working during and after the import, and you can retry safely.
What happens to restricted files?
They import as members-only and go straight into the protected vault. FileDeck’s per-document gate is logged-in or not, so a specific role or user list is not carried across — check anything sensitive afterwards and add a category password or role restriction if you need finer control.
Is it safe to run more than once?
Yes. Every document records which source record it came from, so re-running skips what is already in rather than creating duplicates. If an import is interrupted, simply start it again.
Bring your library across today
Install FileDeck Pro, click Import, and have a faster, searchable library live in minutes — with your folders, descriptions and restrictions intact.
Want to look before you buy? Install the free version — it runs happily alongside your current plugin, and the import only runs when you click it. The one-click importer is a Pro feature; you can add Pro whenever you’re ready.
Our comparison claims are tested on fresh installs, not copied from marketing pages — here’s how we test.
Simple File List is a trademark of its respective owner. FileDeck is an independent product and is not affiliated with or endorsed by it; the name is used only to identify the plugin you are migrating from.