If you are wondering what the best format for document viewing in 2025 is, the answer is PDF (Portable Document Format). Most of the informational data on websites is now presented in PDF format, which shows how important it is for the audience’s better reading experience. Therefore, if you directly show PDFs on your WordPress website, it will increase its usefulness and flexibility. In that case, embedding WordPress PDF viewer plugins will significantly allow you to display the PDF format on your website.
WordPress offers its customers a number of useful tools. However, the platform does not offer a simple method for embedding PDF files on your website. This can become a significant issue when sharing huge documents with users.
The good news is that, like in many other comparable situations, there are WordPress plugins that can help you with this problem. A large number of plugins for PDF viewers have been created, making it simple to share downloadable and printable PDFs on your website.
So, keep reading and exploring. In this blog post, we will discuss the top 7 WP PDF viewer plugins and why they are important for your WordPress website.
Table of Contents
What is a PDF Viewer?
As the name implies, a PDF viewer allows people to view PDF files on your website. Most PDF plugins incorporate every file directly into your page or post. Additionally, some allow users to download, print, and send PDF files and produce interactive flipbooks.
Also Read: Best WordPress Chatgpt Plugins: Revolutionize Your Website Conversations
There are several circumstances in which this capability is helpful. First of all, sharing huge documents on your website is simple. This can save you from having to turn PDFs into pages or posts or force readers to scroll a lot.
Additionally, PDF files are quite useful if you need to share downloadable content with consumers. PDFs can be secured to prevent anyone from changing them, or they can be made insecure to allow comments such as signatures and marginal notes.
What Constitutes an Excellent Plugin For Viewing PDFs In WordPress?
Numerous PDF embedder plugins exist, and each one has a unique function. How do you pick the best one for your website? The following are the most crucial elements to take into account when selecting a WordPress PDF Viewer plugin:
- An intuitive user interface: Improving the user experience on your website is the goal of installing a PDF viewer plugin. The user interface of the plugin you have selected should be simple to use and straightforward. The user experience is significantly improved by features like previewing and download buttons, search bars, and filter choices.
- Reactivity and compatibility: Mobile devices account for almost half of all website traffic. You can choose a plugin that works with multiple screen widths. Whether your website’s visitors are using a desktop version, tablet, or handheld mobile device, the plugin must also work in unity with your WordPress theme and offer a consistent experience.
- Search capabilities: We’ve said this before, but it’s important to reiterate. If you include a search bar and filter choices, users will find it informal to navigate through PDFs on your website and locate what they’re looking for. For a comprehensive approach to building a searchable PDF library, see our guide.
- Theme: On your website, your best PDF viewer plugin, WordPress, shouldn’t appear out of place. Select a plugin that allows you to alter further the color scheme and overall look of your website while also automatically blending in with the rest of it. For instance, if you want to embed PDFs in an Elementor page, it must also be compatible with WordPress page builders.
Top 7 WordPress PDF Viewer Plugins in 2025
Although WordPress offers plenty of PDF viewer plugins, now is the best time to discuss the 7 best PDF viewers for WordPress in 2025.
PDF Embedder
A popular PDF viewer for WordPress, PDF Embedder is renowned for its effectiveness and ease of use. This plugin eliminates the need for third-party services by embedding PDFs straight into your website. Because of JavaScript’s smooth rendering, users may navigate between pages with ease.
The width, height, and panel settings can be changed to better match your website’s style. It is also perfect for mobile users because of its responsive design, guaranteeing a seamless device experience.
It’s reasonable to assume that PDF Embedder is a well-liked option for file sharing on WordPress websites since it has more than 200,000 active installs.
You can upload and embed PDFs by simply dragging and dropping them into the familiar Media Library interface. You will be able to use this plugin with ease if you have ever added an image to WordPress.
The main drawback of this plugin is that users cannot download PDFs using the free version. If you’re ready to spend $20 a year on a premium license, this can be fixed. So, you must think before you embed PDF viewer WordPress in 2025.
Key Features:
- Simple Embedding
- Responsive Design
- Customizable Panel
EmbedPress
With the help of the comprehensive EmbedPress WordPress PDF viewer plugin, you may include and show PDF files in your WordPress pages and posts. It’s simple to use, and you can put your PDF files anywhere on your website by uploading them using the media library.
You can also add various kinds of media to your WordPress website with EmbedPress. It allows you to add videos from Twitch, Vimeo, and YouTube.
It offers a simple method of displaying documents in PDF format without sacrificing quality. This plugin offers drag-and-drop capability for user convenience and seamlessly connects with well-known page builders like Elementor and Gutenberg.
Because of its responsive design, PDFs seem professional on all devices and look fantastic on all screen sizes.
Key Features:
- Multiple Content Embedding
- Dragging and Dropping Compatibility
- Responsive Display
Also Read: Webflow vs WordPress: Which Platform is Right for Your Website?
Google Drive Embedder
Google Drive Embedder is unquestionably the answer if you need to share a variety of file formats on your website, such as Word document files, videos, photos, PDFs, and native Google files. You can embed any downloaded file directly into your websites and posts.
To accomplish this, all of your files must be stored on Google Drive. This makes you reliant on Google Drive for your PDFs to function and gives you less authority over them than plugins that let you store files on your own server.
You can download this plugin for free from the WordPress Plugin Directory. A paid version allows you to embed documents and Google Calendars.
Key Features:
- Free to use
- Share multiple files
- Simple UI/UX
Real3D Flipbook
You can use the Real3D Flipbook WordPress PDF viewer plugin to expand the appearance and interaction of your WordPress website. Using this plugin, you may display PDFs and photos on your WordPress website with a spectacular 3D flipping effect. Anyone looking for an entertaining method to share PDFs on their website will love it.
However, you can configure and activate Real3D Flipbook to redirect all of the PDF links on your website to an eye-catching lightbox flipbook display or change from standard downloads.
Moreover, Real3D Flipbook is easy to use. After uploading your PDFs or photographs, simply add a shortcode to a post or page.
This PDF viewer in the WordPress plugin also makes it possible for 3D graphics to be rendered quickly. When viewing PDFs or photos, you can anticipate responsive and seamless performance.
Key Features:
- Effortless creation of flipbook using PDF or images
- Fast Rendering
- Fully-customizable pre-made skins
Also Read: Custom Post Type WordPress: 7 Best Plugins To Create Custom Posts
Gravity PDF
GravityPDF uses user-submitted content on your WordPress website to create PDFs. Here’s a brief rundown of how it operates: Site visitors provide their information using web forms made using Gravity Forms. With the information entered, GravityPDF automatically generates a PDF and emails it to site administrators and (optionally) site visitors.
This WordPress PDF viewer plugin is ideal for WooCommerce and e-learning websites that need to send clients personalized PDF invoices following a purchase. It’s only a good choice, though, if you make your website contact forms with Gravity Forms.
Because of the best PDF viewer plugin, WordPress, and the great degree of customization, you can alter the viewer’s controls and layout to match the style of your website. Document management is made further easier by its interaction with cloud storage providers like Google Drive, which makes remote files easily accessible.
Key Features:
- Advanced Viewing Controls
- Cloud Integration
- Highly Customizable Viewership
Print Friendly
Without the need for additional plugins, Print Friendly enables WordPress website owners to create PDFs straight from their blog entries.
Additionally, it provides a quicker way to share and print your files by allowing you to add email and print buttons to PDFs. Activating the lightbox display can allow users to spend more time on your website.
With its extensive customization capabilities, you may design your own unique PDF button, alter its appearance, and position it wherever on the document you like. Additionally, you can alter all of the text and images as you see fit.
You can upgrade to the Pro plan for $40 a year, which unlocks premium features like faster processing and integration with Google Analytics. A subscription to the premium plan is also necessary to create dynamic and password-protected PDFs.
Your users could find that functionality useful for blogs and other websites with lengthy content. If they’re heading somewhere without internet access, this PDF viewer WordPress plugin will make it simpler for them to store and share your material.
They can even bring paper copies with them. To safeguard your material, you can include a copyright notice and a custom header in all printed and PDF documents.
Key Features:
- Custom CSS for modifying PDF pages
- Simple UI/UX design
- All major web browsers support
WonderPlugin PDF Embed
All the essentials are covered by this compact and useful WordPress PDF viewer. WonderPlugin PDF Embed lets users download and print your files and lets you embed PDFs in your pages and posts. However, as an alternative, you can deter visitors from saving your content by hiding such options in the viewer’s toolbar.
The display choices you can get by combining this plugin with other plugins from the creator are its most fascinating aspects. Moreover, you may allow people to browse through your documents in a carousel or open them in lightboxes by using WonderPlugin Carousel and WonderPlugin Lightbox.
WonderPlugin PDF Embed is freeware. However, WonderPlugin Lightbox and Carousel are freemium plugins. The free versions of these plugins will put a watermark on your PDFs, whilst commercial licenses begin at $49 per year.
Conclusion
Plugins for WordPress PDF viewer are indispensable if you want to display PDFs on your WordPress website. By offering quick access to documents without asking for downloads, they confidently improve the user experience. By choosing the appropriate plugin, you can preserve the refined look of your website and increase user interaction. To identify the ideal answer, assess your needs and consider the options discussed. Including a WordPress PDF viewer plugin can completely transform your website’s functionality. This type of plugin makes sharing documents professionally easy.
These WP PDF viewer plugins have numerous advantages that can significantly increase the functioning of your website, from maintaining formatting to safeguarding important content and improving user experience.
FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)
How To View A PDF In WordPress?
- Install Formidable Forms
- Install and turn on the PDF and Visual Views add-ons.
- Create a form
- Make your PDF
- Insert the PDF into your website
How Do I Display A PDF In WordPress Without Plugins?
To display a PDF in WordPress without first using plugins, first upload the PDF file to the WordPress Media Library. Then, when editing a post or page, use the Gutenberg editor’s “File” block to select the delivered PDF and insert it directly into your content, generating a downloadable link to the PDF on your page.
What Plugin Is Used To Display PDF In WordPress?
One of the most widely used WordPress plugins for viewing PDFs is PDF Embedder. You may easily display your PDF files on your website using its drag-and-drop capabilities. Using this plugin, you can easily upload your PDF files and incorporate them straight into the pages and articles of your website.
Does WordPress Support PDF?
Yes, WordPress recognizes PDFs. You can upload PDFs to your WordPress site, embed them in posts and pages, and link to them.