Embed PDF in Website: A Simple Guide

Displaying PDFs on Your Website Without Plugins

MakeUseOf frequently covers PDF-related topics, offering numerous guides and articles on PDF readers, editing tools, and conversion applications – including web-based solutions.

We’ve also provided advice on locating specific text within PDF files and optimizing them for improved readability on mobile devices.

Embedding PDFs Using Embed Codes

This article will demonstrate how to showcase your PDF documents on your website without relying on extra plugins. The method involves utilizing embed codes provided by third-party services.

Several websites specialize in hosting PDF files and presenting them within integrated viewers. A selection of the most widely used and feature-rich platforms will be examined.

These services allow you to bypass the need for users to download the PDF directly, offering a more seamless viewing experience.

Benefits of Using Third-Party PDF Viewers

• No Plugin Requirement: Visitors can view PDFs directly in their browsers, regardless of whether they have a PDF reader installed.
• Enhanced Features: Many viewers offer functionalities like zoom, print, and full-screen viewing.
• Simplified Integration: Embedding is typically achieved with a simple copy-and-paste of an embed code.

By leveraging these tools, website owners can provide convenient access to important documents, reports, and other PDF-based content.

The following platforms represent some of the leading options available for embedding PDFs on the web.

Zoho Docs

Zoho provides a comprehensive collection of office and productivity tools. Within this suite is a web-based document viewer capable of handling a wider range of formats than Google Docs.

Supported file types include Microsoft Excel spreadsheets, RTF (rich text format) documents, and OpenDocument text, presentation, and spreadsheet files.

Uploading and Embedding Documents

Unlike Google Docs Viewer, Zoho Docs Viewer allows users to upload files directly. These files can then be published to generate a concise, shareable URL.

Alternatively, a document's URL can be pasted directly into the main page. Once the file is being viewed online, the necessary embed code can be obtained from the Embed tab.

Notably, a user account is not required to utilize this service.

Conversion Capabilities

Beyond viewing, this tool functions as a convenient file conversion utility.

It enables the conversion of any supported document format into a variety of other file types, enhancing its versatility.

Zoho Docs offers a robust solution for both viewing and converting documents online.

Google Docs PDF Viewer – A Discontinued Option

A straightforward, web-based solution for viewing PDFs, as well as PowerPoint presentations, TIFF images, and Microsoft Word documents, was previously offered by Google Docs. This service included a dedicated viewer functionality.

Accessing the Viewer

If your primary need was simply a document viewer, direct access to a specific page wasn't even necessary. The core functionality resided in the ability to utilize a document's URL.

To view a published PDF, you could obtain its URL and append it to the Google Docs Viewer address: https://docs.google.com/viewer. This resulted in a viewing link structured as https://docs.google.com/viewer?url=yourURLhere.

Embedding PDFs on Websites

The system also supported embedding PDF documents directly into websites using iframes. This was achieved through the embed parameter within the Google Docs Viewer path.

Previously, embed code could be copied directly from the Google Docs Viewer page to facilitate this integration. However, this functionality is no longer available.

Note: The original resource for obtaining this embed code is currently inaccessible.

Scribd

Scribd represents a unique platform among websites offering document embedding capabilities. It functions primarily as a document-sharing service designed for authors seeking to publish their work online.

Account registration is required to complete the document upload process on Scribd. However, upon doing so, authors gain access to an aesthetically pleasing viewer for their content.

The platform also facilitates importing documents directly from Google Docs. Furthermore, users can create documents by simply pasting text into the system.