Title: PDF Embedder
Author: Syed Balkhi
Published: ޖެނުއަރީ 21, 2015
Last modified: ޑިސެމްބަރ 30, 2025
---
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# PDF Embedder
By [Syed Balkhi](https://profiles.wordpress.org/smub/)
[Download](https://downloads.wordpress.org/plugin/pdf-embedder.4.9.3.zip)
* [Details](https://dv.wordpress.org/plugins/pdf-embedder/#description)
* [Reviews](https://dv.wordpress.org/plugins/pdf-embedder/#reviews)
* [Installation](https://dv.wordpress.org/plugins/pdf-embedder/#installation)
* [Development](https://dv.wordpress.org/plugins/pdf-embedder/#developers)
[Support](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/pdf-embedder/)
## Description
Upload PDF files and embed them directly into your site’s posts and pages. It works
as simple as adding images! Your PDF files will be automatically sized to their
natural size and shape. You can also specify a width and the correct height will
be calculated automatically. Our PDF Embedder plugin is fully responsive, so the
embedded PDF will also look perfect, on any device. Additionally, the pdf embedder
will automatically resize whenever the browser dimensions change.
The plugin has a unique method for embedding PDF files with the immense flexibility
over the appearance of your document.
The PDF viewer has Next and Previous buttons to navigate the document, and zoom
buttons if some areas of a PDF file are too small for your screen.
Your PDF files are embedded within your existing WordPress pages so we have full
control over appearance, and all Javascript and other files are served by your own
server (not by Google or any other third-party who may not be able to guarantee
their own reliability). This means your PDF files will load fast, without any speed
penalty.
Other PDF embedder plugins insert the PDF into an ‘iframe’ which means they do not
get the flexibility over sizing. Ours does not and that is an incredible benefit
to the overall viewing experience across all devices.
In the free plugin, there is no button for users to download the PDF, but download
options are available in the Premium versions along with other awesome features.
Another Premium feature are Hyperlinks in your PDF being clickable. Links in the
free plugin cannot be clicked.
#### Usage
1. Once installed and Activated, click Add Media from any page or post, just like
adding an image, but drag and drop a PDF file instead.
2. In the Classic Editor when you insert into your post, it will appear in the editor
as a ‘shortcode’ as follows:
3. `[pdf-embedder url="https://example.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Plan-Summary.
pdf"]`
4. You can change the default appearance – e.g. width, and toolbar position/appearance
through **Settings -> PDF Embedder** and also shortcode or block attributes.
To override your site-wide defaults on an individual embed, see the [Plugin Instructions](https://wp-pdf.com/free-instructions/?utm_source=wprepo&utm_medium=link&utm_campaign=liteplugin)
for information about sizing options plus other ways to customize the shortcodes.
#### Premium Features
Features available in the PDF Embedder Premium versions:
* Download button in the toolbar
* Continuous scroll between pages
* Hyperlinks are fully functional
* Full screen mode
* Edit page number to jump straight to page
* Track number of downloads and views
* Mobile-friendly
* Secure option – difficult to download original PDF
* Removes wp-pdf.com branding
**See [wp-pdf.com](https://wp-pdf.com/?utm_source=wprepo&utm_medium=link&utm_campaign=liteplugin)
for details!**
#### Mobile-friendly embedding using PDF Embedder Premium
The free version will work on most mobile browsers, but cannot position the document
entirely within the screen.
Our **PDF Embedder Premium** plugin solves this problem with an intelligent ‘full
screen’ mode.
When the document is smaller than a certain width, the document displays only as
a ‘thumbnail’ with a large ‘View in Full Screen’ button for the user to click when
they want to study your document.
This opens up the document so it has the full focus of the mobile browser, and the
user can move about the document without hitting other parts of the web page by
mistake. Viewers can then Click Exit to return to the regular page.
The user can also swipe continuously between all pages of the PDF which is more
natural than clicking the navigation buttons to navigate.
See our site [wp-pdf.com](https://wp-pdf.com/premium/?utm_source=wprepo&utm_medium=link&utm_campaign=liteplugin)
for more details and purchase options.
#### Protect your PDFs with our premium document embedder version
Our **PDF Embedder Premium** plugin on its Pro plan provides the same simple but
elegant viewer as the Basic version, with the added protection that it is difficult
for users to download or print the original PDF document.
This means that your PDF is unlikely to be shared outside your site where you have
no control over who views, prints, or shares it.
Optionally, add a watermark containing any text, including the logged in user’s
name or email address to discourage sharing of screenshots.
See our site [wp-pdf.com](https://wp-pdf.com/secure/?utm_source=wprepo&utm_medium=link&utm_campaign=liteplugin)
for more details and purchase options.
#### PDF Thumbnails
Our **PDF Thumbnails** plugin automatically generates fixed image versions of all
PDF files in your Media Library, to use on your site as you wish.
You can use them as featured images in posts containing an embedded version of the
PDF, or as a visual clickable link to download the PDF directly.
It also displays
the thumbnail as the “icon” for the PDF in the Media Library, making it easy for
authors to locate the PDFs they need to insert in a post.
See our site [wp-pdf.com/thumbnails/](https://wp-pdf.com/thumbnails/?utm_source=wprepo&utm_medium=link&utm_campaign=liteplugin)
for more details and purchase options.
With thanks to the Mozilla team for developing the underlying [pdf.js](https://github.com/mozilla/pdf.js)
technology used by this PDF documents viewer plugin.
## Screenshots
* [[
* Uploaded PDF is displayed within your page/post at the correct size to fit.
* [[
* User hovers over document to see Next/Prev page buttons.
* [[
* Settings can change appearance of the viewer, including size.
## Blocks
This plugin provides 1 block.
* PDF Embedder Embed PDF files straight into your content.
## Installation
Easiest way:
1. Go to your WordPress admin control panel’s “Plugins > Add new” page
2. Search for ‘PDF Embedder’
3. Click Install
4. Click Activate
If you cannot install from the WordPress plugins directory for any reason, and need
to install from ZIP file:
1. Upload directory and contents to the `/wp-content/plugins/` directory, or upload
the ZIP file directly in the Plugins section of your WordPress admin
2. Click Activate on the “Plugins” screen.
## FAQ
### How can I obtain support for this product?
We have [instructions](https://wp-pdf.com/free-instructions/?utm_source=wprepo&utm_medium=link&utm_campaign=liteplugin)
and a [Knowledge Base](https://wp-pdf.com/kb/?utm_source=wprepo&utm_medium=link&utm_campaign=liteplugin)
on our website explaining common setup queries and issues.
We try to review daily and respond to support queries posted on the ‘Support’ forum
here on the wordpress.org plugin page.
### How can I change the Size or customize the Toolbar?
See Settings -> PDF Embedder in your WordPress admin to change site-wide defaults.
You can also override individual embeds by modifying the shortcode attributes or
using block options (applicable if you are using the Block Editor).
Resizing works as follows:
* If `width='max'` the width will take as much space as possible within its parent
container (e.g. column within your page).
* If width is a number (e.g. `width="500"`) then it will display at that number
of pixels wide.
Please note: both height and width expect either the number (integer) or just the
word `max`. Everything else will have no effect.
_In all cases, if the parent container is narrower than the width calculated above,
then the document width will be reduced to the size of the container._
The height will be calculated so that the document fits naturally, given the width
already calculated.
The Next/Prev toolbar can appear at the top or bottom of the document (or both or
none), and it can either appear only when the user hovers over the document or it
can be fixed at all times.
See the [Plugin Instructions](https://wp-pdf.com/free-instructions/?utm_source=wprepo&utm_medium=link&utm_campaign=liteplugin)
for more details about sizing and toolbar options.
### PDF Embedder Premium feature list
Features available in the premium versions of the plugin:
* Download button in the toolbar
* Continuous scroll between pages
* Hyperlinks are fully functional, both within the PDF document and leading outside
of the file to any other URL
* Full screen mode
* Edit page number to jump straight to page when showing PDF Viewer
* Track number of downloads and views of each PDF file
* Mobile-friendly
* Secure option – difficult to download original PDF
* Watermark – add own text globally to all PDFs or selectively to only some of
them
See [wp-pdf.com](https://wp-pdf.com/?utm_source=wprepo&utm_medium=link&utm_campaign=liteplugin)
for details!
### Can I improve the viewing experience for mobile users?
Yes, our **PDF Embedder Premium** plugin has an intelligent ‘full screen’ mode.
When the document is smaller than a certain width, the document displays only as
a ‘thumbnail’ with a large ‘View in Full Screen’ button for the user to click when
they want to study your document. This opens up the document so it has the full
focus of the mobile browser, and the user can move about the document without hitting
other parts of the web page by mistake. Exiting the document is possible by clicking
the “Full screen” icon in the toolbar again.
See our website [wp-pdf.com](https://wp-pdf.com/premium/?utm_source=wprepo&utm_medium=link&utm_campaign=liteplugin)
for more details and purchase options.
### Can I protect my PDFs so they are difficult for viewers to download directly?
Not with the free or Basic/Plus pdf embedder premium versions – it is relatively
easy to find the link to download the file directly.
A **Pro** version is available that encrypts the PDF during transmission, so it
is difficult for a casual user to save or print the file for use outside your site.
See our website [wp-pdf.com](https://wp-pdf.com/secure/?utm_source=wprepo&utm_medium=link&utm_campaign=liteplugin)
for more details and purchase options.
### Can I add a Download button to the toolbar?
This is possible only in the PDF Embedder Premium version. As a workaround in the
free version, you could add a direct link to the PDF beneath the embedded version.
To do this, copy the URL from the pdf-embedder shortcode and insert it into a link
using HTML such as this:
Download Here
### Are Hyperlinks supported?
The Premium versions allow functioning hyperlinks – both internal links within the
document, and links to external websites.
## Reviews
### [It does the job efficiently](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/it-does-the-job-efficiently/)
[paulietrot](https://profiles.wordpress.org/paulietrot/) މާރޗް 30, 2026 1 reply
It performs the advertized tasks efficiently
### [Easy to use](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/easy-to-use-5343/)
[Etienne ROSENSTIEHL](https://profiles.wordpress.org/etienne-r-2/) މާރޗް 27, 2026
1 reply
Simple, easy and efficient.
### [VERY GOOD PLUGIN](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/very-good-plugin-3059/)
[benydove](https://profiles.wordpress.org/benydove/) މާރޗް 21, 2026 1 reply
VERY GOOD PLUGIN
### [Great plug in.](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/great-plug-in-1422/)
[finehearts](https://profiles.wordpress.org/finehearts/) މާރޗް 11, 2026 1 reply
It’s simple and there’s no problem with the display.
### [Fungerer perfekt](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/fungerer-perfekt/)
[steenkr](https://profiles.wordpress.org/steenkr/) މާރޗް 4, 2026 1 reply
Jeg har stor fornøjelse af pdf embedder
### [Funciona con facilidad](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/funciona-con-facilidad/)
[elprofe](https://profiles.wordpress.org/profefranconavarro/) މާރޗް 4, 2026 1 reply
Lo usé con shortcode y funcionó perfecto.
[ Read all 480 reviews ](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/pdf-embedder/reviews/)
## Contributors & Developers
“PDF Embedder” is open source software. The following people have contributed to
this plugin.
Contributors
* [ Syed Balkhi ](https://profiles.wordpress.org/smub/)
* [ Slava Abakumov ](https://profiles.wordpress.org/slaffik/)
* [ Jared Atchison ](https://profiles.wordpress.org/jaredatch/)
“PDF Embedder” has been translated into 21 locales. Thank you to [the translators](https://translate.wordpress.org/projects/wp-plugins/pdf-embedder/contributors)
for their contributions.
[Translate “PDF Embedder” into your language.](https://translate.wordpress.org/projects/wp-plugins/pdf-embedder)
### Interested in development?
[Browse the code](https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/pdf-embedder/), check
out the [SVN repository](https://plugins.svn.wordpress.org/pdf-embedder/), or subscribe
to the [development log](https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/log/pdf-embedder/) by
[RSS](https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/log/pdf-embedder/?limit=100&mode=stop_on_copy&format=rss).
## Changelog
#### 4.9.3
* Changed: Compatibility with WordPress 6.9.
* Changed: “Get Started” section in the plugin admin area can now be closed by
clicking the same link in the plugin header again.
* Fixed: Adjust plugin links inside our block in the Block Editor.
* Fixed: Other minor code improvements and fixes, not visible but still valuable
for plugin maintenance in the future.
#### 4.9.2
* Changed: When just installed, the plugin was not saving its settings into the
database upon activation. This caused the plugin to not work properly until the
settings were saved at least once.
* Fixed: PDF Viewer Toolbar was displayed on the front-end even when disabled using
block/shortcode attributes until the plugin settings were saved at least once.
#### 4.9.1
* Fixed: The PDF Embedder block performance was improved slightly in the Block
Editor.
* Fixed: Toolbar was not visible when configured to be displayed on hover.
* Fixed: Make sure that PDF URL has the domain when requesting the file from the
server.
* Fixed: When the shortcode `height` attribute contained the value `auto` – the
PDF Viewer wasn’t correctly displaying the PDF file content.
* Fixed: Do not output debug information in the browser console when the PDF file
has some True Type fonts incorrect data. PDF Rendering is still fine.
#### 4.9.0
* IMPORTANT: The minimum WordPress version has been raised to WordPress v6.1.
* IMPORTANT: The minimum PHP version has been raised to PHP v7.2.
* Added: A new dismissible “Get Started” section was added to the plugin settings
page to help you get started with the plugin.
* Changed: Compatibility with WordPress 6.7.
* Changed: Various plugin admin area improvements.
* Changed: Further improvements to the PDF Embedder block in the Block Editor.
* Fixed: Address the issue with the WordPress Interactivity API and mobile navigation
when the site works in SCRIPT_DEBUG mode.
* Fixed: Dropdown menus when opened were not able to “cover” the PDF Viewer toolbar
due to the z-index value set for the toolbar.
* Fixed: Prevent occasional fatal errors from happening when the plugin is initiated
during the cron request.
#### 4.8.2
* Fixed: PDF files containing the text in certain languages (like Korean or Japanese)
were not rendered properly due to a bug in PDF.js library incorrectly handling
passed options.
#### 4.8.1
* Fixed: Make sure that when `width` and `height` shortcode/option values have
an incorrect value, the plugin does not generate a fatal error.
#### 4.8.0
* Changed: Compatibility with WordPress 6.5.
* Changed: Make the PDF Embedder block extensible.
* Changed: Improved the look and feel of the PDF Embedder block inside the Block
Editor.
* Changed: Removed some unnecessary files from the released version to decrease
the zip size.
* Fixed: Improved performance for the majority of sites by not loading an internal
Action Scheduler library (which was also updated to v3.7.4) when it is not used.
* Fixed: Hide the Toolbar Hover options in the block if the “No Toolbar” option
is chosen.
* Fixed: Security fixes in the way certain PDF files are rendered to prevent arbitrary
scripts execution.
#### 4.7.1
* Changed: The logic for displaying notices was adjusted.
* Fixed: Improved handling of incorrect URLs supplied to the shortcode – PDF viewer
won’t even try to render it.
#### 4.7.0
* IMPORTANT: The minimum WordPress version has been raised to WordPress v5.8.
* IMPORTANT: The minimum PHP version has been raised to PHP v7.0.
* IMPORTANT: If you are using a caching plugin and added PDF Embedder JS files
to the exclusion list, you will need to do that again due to changed file names.
* Added: New option for the toolbar location called “No Toolbar” is now available.
It allows you to hide the toolbar completely.
* Changed: Plugin admin area interface has been refreshed.
* Changed: The plugin has been tested with the latest version of WordPress.
* Changed: Block was rewritten from scratch, and now it looks better in the Block
Editor, and also syncs its default settings with global plugin options.
* Fixed: A lot of strings in the plugin have been fixed to make them translatable
and accurate.
* Fixed: Several security related improvements have been introduced (data sanitization
and escaping).
* Fixed: Text in PDF files in certain languages (like, Japanese and Korean) was
not rendered correctly.
The full changelog is located in the changelog.txt file.
## Meta
* Version **4.9.3**
* Last updated **3 months ago**
* Active installations **300,000+**
* WordPress version ** 6.1 or higher **
* Tested up to **6.9.4**
* PHP version ** 7.2 or higher **
* Languages
* [Catalan](https://ca.wordpress.org/plugins/pdf-embedder/), [Chinese (Taiwan)](https://tw.wordpress.org/plugins/pdf-embedder/),
[Czech](https://cs.wordpress.org/plugins/pdf-embedder/), [Danish](https://da.wordpress.org/plugins/pdf-embedder/),
[Dutch](https://nl.wordpress.org/plugins/pdf-embedder/), [Dutch (Belgium)](https://nl-be.wordpress.org/plugins/pdf-embedder/),
[English (UK)](https://en-gb.wordpress.org/plugins/pdf-embedder/), [English (US)](https://wordpress.org/plugins/pdf-embedder/),
[French (France)](https://fr.wordpress.org/plugins/pdf-embedder/), [Galician](https://gl.wordpress.org/plugins/pdf-embedder/),
[Japanese](https://ja.wordpress.org/plugins/pdf-embedder/), [Norwegian (Bokmål)](https://nb.wordpress.org/plugins/pdf-embedder/),
[Persian](https://fa.wordpress.org/plugins/pdf-embedder/), [Russian](https://ru.wordpress.org/plugins/pdf-embedder/),
[Slovak](https://sk.wordpress.org/plugins/pdf-embedder/), [Slovenian](https://sl.wordpress.org/plugins/pdf-embedder/),
[Spanish (Chile)](https://cl.wordpress.org/plugins/pdf-embedder/), [Spanish (Colombia)](https://es-co.wordpress.org/plugins/pdf-embedder/),
[Spanish (Spain)](https://es.wordpress.org/plugins/pdf-embedder/), [Spanish (Venezuela)](https://ve.wordpress.org/plugins/pdf-embedder/),
[Swedish](https://sv.wordpress.org/plugins/pdf-embedder/), and [Turkish](https://tr.wordpress.org/plugins/pdf-embedder/).
* [Translate into your language](https://translate.wordpress.org/projects/wp-plugins/pdf-embedder)
* Tags
* [block](https://dv.wordpress.org/plugins/tags/block/)[embed pdf](https://dv.wordpress.org/plugins/tags/embed-pdf/)
[pdf](https://dv.wordpress.org/plugins/tags/pdf/)[pdf viewer](https://dv.wordpress.org/plugins/tags/pdf-viewer/)
* [Advanced View](https://dv.wordpress.org/plugins/pdf-embedder/advanced/)
## Ratings
4.7 out of 5 stars.
* [ 422 5-star reviews ](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/pdf-embedder/reviews/?filter=5)
* [ 20 4-star reviews ](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/pdf-embedder/reviews/?filter=4)
* [ 10 3-star reviews ](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/pdf-embedder/reviews/?filter=3)
* [ 5 2-star reviews ](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/pdf-embedder/reviews/?filter=2)
* [ 23 1-star reviews ](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/pdf-embedder/reviews/?filter=1)
[Add my review](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/pdf-embedder/reviews/#new-post)
[See all reviews](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/pdf-embedder/reviews/)
## Contributors
* [ Syed Balkhi ](https://profiles.wordpress.org/smub/)
* [ Slava Abakumov ](https://profiles.wordpress.org/slaffik/)
* [ Jared Atchison ](https://profiles.wordpress.org/jaredatch/)
## Support
Issues resolved in last two months:
5 out of 5
[View support forum](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/pdf-embedder/)