Embeds PDFs in your pages and posts, without using JS.
As of April 2026, Vanilla PDF Embed is a WordPress pdf plugin with 3.0K+ active installations and a 4.6/5 rating from 32 reviews. It has been downloaded 99K+ times in total. Requires WordPress 3.0.1+ and PHP false+. Available on WordPress.org since 2013. Last updated 9 years ago — may have compatibility concerns. Download volume is stable this week. Top alternative: PDF Invoices & Packing Slips for….
To embed a PDF you’ve uploaded to your WordPress site’s media
library, simply put the URL for the attachment page in your
post on its own line. The PDF will be embedded with the
default settings at that location, as if it were using oEmbed.
Post short URL:
http://localhost/?p=9
Attachment default URL:
http://localhost/?attachment_id=9
Attachment pretty URL:
http://localhost/test/report1/
Media direct URL:
This doesn’t work for PDFs hosted on other websites, or if you
need to change the parameters.
[pdf] shorttagIf the PDF isn’t in your WordPress site’s media library, or if
you want to customize any parameters for the embed, then use
the [pdf]...[/pdf] shorttag. Between the tags, you’ll p…
Converts the URL of a PDF document automatically in to an embedded PDF. Very easy to use, very nice result.
Just paste the link to pdf file on the same domain and you can view it just as pdf and not a link. This is what I was looking for. The best plugin to view the pdf. You can download and print too.
Thank you very much
There was no embedding; only the link to the PDF file was placed. I think that this plugin has not been updated as of the time of writing.
Doesn’t work on Latest Chrome or Firefox
Doesn’t embed it all, just inserts a link to download the pdf
| WordPress | 3.0.1+ requiredTested up to 4.5.0 |
| PHP | false+ required |
Plugin data sourced from WordPress.org. Analysis and metrics by PluginSift.