PDF Embedder

Upload PDF files and embed them directly into your site’s posts and pages, as simply as adding images. Each document displays right where you place it, at its natural size or a width you choose, and the responsive viewer adapts automatically whenever the browser dimensions change.

Out of the box, WordPress turns an uploaded PDF into a bare download link: visitors click it and leave your page, or the file opens in a viewer you don’t control. PDF Embedder keeps them reading on the page and keeps you in control of how your document looks.

PDF Embedder displays PDF documents on more than 300,000 websites. It differs from other PDF plugins in how the document becomes part of the page: rendered inline, sized to your layout, served entirely from your own site, and previewed live while you edit. There is no Google Docs Viewer or other third-party service involved, and the viewer loads its files only on pages that contain a PDF, so the rest of your site stays fast.

In the Block Editor, the PDF Embedder block shows a live preview of your document while you edit. Pick a PDF file from the block sidebar, change a setting, and the preview updates to match what visitors will see on the front end.

What can you embed?

Any PDF file, whether it lives in your Media Library or in another folder on your site. Embed unlimited PDFs across posts, pages, and custom post types. Site owners use PDF Embedder to display:

• Restaurant menus and price lists
• Ebooks, guides, whitepapers, and research reports
• Product catalogs, brochures, and lookbooks
• Newsletters, magazines, and annual reports
• User manuals and technical documentation
• Worksheets, lesson plans, and other course materials
• Sheet music, church bulletins, and event programs
• Real estate flyers, floor plans, and legal documents
• Resumes and portfolios

Visitors read the document right on the page: no new tab, no forced download, and no Adobe Acrobat or third-party account required.

How it works

1. Upload a PDF to your Media Library, or copy the URL of a PDF hosted anywhere else.
2. Add the PDF Embedder block and pick the file from the block sidebar. In the Classic Editor or a page builder, use the shortcode instead.
3. Publish. Visitors turn pages with the Next and Previous buttons and zoom in when part of a page is too small for their screen.

The shortcode works anywhere shortcodes do:

[pdf-embedder url="https://example.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Plan-Summary.pdf"]

Site-wide defaults, such as width and toolbar position, live under Settings -> PDF Embedder, and any single embed can override them with its own block settings or shortcode attributes. See the Plugin Instructions for sizing options and other ways to customize.

Works with membership, e-commerce, and course plugins

PDF Embedder renders through a regular shortcode and block, so the viewer works anywhere your post content does, including pages that other plugins restrict or sell access to.

• Sell access to premium PDF content, such as ebooks, reports, or research papers, by embedding it on pages protected with MemberPress, Paid Memberships Pro, Restrict Content Pro, or WooCommerce Memberships.
• Deliver handouts and workbooks inside courses built with LearnDash, LifterLMS, or Tutor LMS.
• Show a free sample chapter on a WooCommerce or Easy Digital Downloads product page, and deliver the full ebook after purchase.
• Embed several PDFs on one page to build a simple PDF document library for your team, school, or members.

Read the full description on the official page →