How to Embed PDF in WordPress

PDF is a popular web document format due to its flexibility while WordPress is a powerful platform that simplifies the creation and management of various web content. Displaying or embedding PDFs properly on your WordPress site offers significant benefits. This approach enhances your website’s professionalism and provides a smoother browsing experience for your audience, without redirecting them to external links.

You can embed a PDF in your WordPress site using a Block editor, a third-party plugin, or Google Drive. In this article, we’ll demonstrate how to embed a PDF in WordPress using all these methods. 

1. Embedding a PDF File in WordPress Using Block Editor

The built-in block editor in WordPress allows users to embed PDF files without needing additional plugins. Follow the below-given instructions to share PDF files with your audience without relying on plugins: 

Step 1: Embed a File Block

Click on the + icon in the WordPress block editor to open the block inserter:

Type the file in the search bar and then click on the file icon to insert a File block:

Step 2: Upload a PDF File

In the file block, you can either upload a new file or pick an existing file from the media library: 

We click on the Upload button, select the target file, and then click on the Open button to embed a new PDF file:

Step 3: User Access with Download Button

The selected PDF file along with a file Download button has been successfully embedded in the post:

If you need to bulk upload files to the WordPress Media Library, you can do so using FTP.

2. Embedding a PDF in WordPress Using a Plugin

Embedding a PDF through a Plugin method requires a few extra steps, i.e., installing and activating a plugin. However, once a plugin is installed, you can embed a PDF file in WordPress within no time. WordPress supports several plugins, such as PDF Embedder, EmbedPress, etc., to embed a PDF file. You can install and activate any plugin of your choice and use it to embed PDFs.

Step 1: Install and Activate a Plugin

Let’s navigate to the Plugin options, type EmbedPress in the search bar, and click on the Install Now button to install it and then activate it:

Step 2: Use a Plugin to Embed PDF in WordPress

Now in your WordPress post, click on the + icon, search embed, and click on the EmbedPress PDF option:

Now click on the Media Library button to upload a PDF file:

Select or upload a PDF file and click on the SELECT button to embed the selected PDF file:

Once you click on the Select button, the desired PDF file will be embedded in your post, and it will look something like this:

Step 3: Customize Settings

WordPress plugins offer additional features, such as customizable display options and responsive layouts. You can customize the settings for the embedded PDF according to your requirements:

3. Embedding a PDF in WordPress via Google Drive

You can embed a PDF in WordPress using Google Drive by following a few simple steps, as demonstrated below:

Step 1: Upload the PDF to Google Drive

Embedding a PDF using Google Drive enables users to utilize Google Drive for storage and sharing while making the PDF easily accessible on your WordPress site. For this purpose, first, upload the PDF file to your Google Drive account and then follow the below-given steps:

Step 2: Get the Shareable Link

Next, right-click on the PDF, then navigate to Share and click on the Share option to get a shareable link:

Now modify the general access to “Anyone with the link”, select the permission to “Viewer”, Copy the link, and then click on the Done button:

Step 3: Generate the Embed Code

Open the PDF file in a new tab, and click on the three dots to select the “Embed item…” option:

On the pop-up screen, copy the embed code generated by Google Drive, and then click on the OK button:

Step 4: WordPress Embed PDF

Now navigate to your WordPress post, and add a Custom HTML block:

In the Custom HTML block, paste the embed code that you copied from Google Drive:

This will embed a PDF directly in your WordPress page or post, which can be read without downloading.

Conclusion

Embedding PDFs in your WordPress site is an easy way to share important documents while making your site look more professional. You can use the built-in Block editor, a third-party plugin, or Google Drive to add PDFs to your content. Each method is simple and helps you share documents without navigating users to other sites. In this article, we discussed three different PDF embedding methods for WordPress to enhance your site and create a more engaging experience for your audience. 

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