How to Embed PDF, Spreadsheet, and others in WordPress Blog Posts

Do you want to embed PDF, spreadsheet, and other types of documents in your WordPress blog posts?

WordPress comes with a powerful content editor and allows you to easily embed videos, tweets, audio, and other media formats using the embed blocks.

You can also upload other types of files that users can download. However, it is not possible to embed files like PDF, spreadsheet, and other documents in your blog posts.

In this article, we’ll show you how to embed PDF, spreadsheet, PowerPoint, and other documents in your WordPress blog posts.

Embedding PDF, Spreadsheet and Others in WordPress Blog Posts

To help you navigate this guide, we have created the table of contents here.

Adding PDF in WordPress Blog Posts without Plugin

Embedding PDF in WordPress Posts Using the PDF Viewer Plugin

Embedding Spreadsheets, and Other Types of Documents in WordPress

How to Embed SlideShare Presentations in WordPress Posts

Embedding Google Docs, Sheets, and Others in WordPress Posts

Track File Downloads in WordPress Posts

Now, let’s get started with the guide.

Adding PDF in WordPress Blog Posts without Plugin

By default, WordPress doesn’t offer a full embed option for PDF documents; however, you can add them as links in your blog posts.

This option is useful if you don’t want to add a plugin to your website.

Simply add the File block to your WordPress post or page and then upload your PDF file.

Add file block

Once you have uploaded the PDF file, WordPress will display the file name with a download button. You can edit the file name and download button text.

Download PDF link

You also have the option to show or hide the download button and choose whether it links to the file itself or the attachment page.

You can use this method to upload Microsoft Word documents, Excel spreadsheets, and PowerPoint presentations to your website.

While this method is easier and straightforward, it does not embed the documents which mean users have to download the file to view it, and this may not be very user-friendly depending on the use-case.

Let’s take a look at some other ways to embed documents in WordPress.

Embedding PDF in WordPress Posts Using Embed PDF Viewer Plugin

As shown above, displaying the PDF files as links will lead your website visitors away from your site.

In this method, we will cover how to easily embed the document in your WordPress posts and pages.

First, you need to install and activate the Embed PDF Viewer plugin. For detailed instructions, see our step by step guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.

Once the plugin is activated, simply create a new post or edit an existing one to embed a PDF document.

In the WordPress post edit screen, click on the Add New Block icon, and select the PDF block under Embeds section.

Choose PDF Embed Block in WordPress Post Editor

After that, you can upload a new PDF file to your post, select one from your media library or insert from URL.

PDF Block Added in WordPress Editor

Once you select the file, you can see the PDF file embedded in your blog post. You can also resize the embed area and add additional CSS from the block options on the left side.

PDF Embedded in WordPress Post Editor

Once you’re done with customization, simply save your post and preview it on your live website. Here’s how it appeared on our demo website.

PDF Embedded in WordPress Post Preview

Embedding Microsoft Word, Spreadsheet, and Other Documents in WordPress

The plugin mentioned above only lets you embed PDF files into your WordPress site.

If you want to embed more document types like Microsoft Word, Excel spreadsheet, PowerPoint presentation, etc, then you need to use another plugin.

First, you need to install and activate the Embed Any Document plugin on your website. You can follow our guide on how to install a WordPress plugin for more information.

Next, create a new post or open an existing one to embed a document. Once you’re in the WordPress edit, simply add the Document block under the Embeds section.

Add Document Block in WordPress Editor

After that, you need to click on the Add Document button.

Add Document Option in WordPress Post Editor

Next, you can upload a document or add from a URL. The paid plugin users can also attach documents from Google Drive, Dropbox, and Box.

Add Document Options

Once you choose the document to embed, you will see the options to customize the embed. You need to review them and click the Insert button.

Add Spreadsheet Advanced Options

Once done, you can see the document embedded in your post. You can also review the document display options again from the block options panel on the left side.

Spreadsheet Embedded in WordPress Editor

Now, save your post and preview it on your live website. Here’s how the embedded spreadsheet looked on our demo website.

Spreadsheet Embedded in WordPress Preview

Embedding SlideShare Presentations in WordPress Posts

Unlike PDF and other documents, WordPress allows you to easily embed content from third-party services into your website.

It has built-in embed options for YouTube videos, Tweets, Facebook updates, SlideShare presentations, and many more.

Best of all, the new WordPress block editor includes separate embed blocks for them.

To embed a SlideShare presentation in your WordPress blog post, create a new post, or edit an existing one. Next, click on the Add New Block icon and add the SlideShare block in your post edit area.

Add SlideShare Embed Block in WordPress Post Editor

Next, you need to visit the SlideShare website and copy the link of a SlideShare presentation that you want to embed.

Once done, paste the link in the embed SlideShare block and click on the Embed button.

Embed SlideShare URL in WordPress Post

After that, you can see the SlideShare presentation embedded in your blog post. You can review the block options on the left side, and save your post.

SlideShare Presentation Added in WordPress Editor

Once done, you can preview the embedded SlideShare presentation live on your website. Here’s how it looked on our demo website.

SlideShare Presentation Added in WordPress - Preview

How to Embed Google Docs, Sheets, and Others in WordPress

In the above examples, we have covered how to add PDF and other documents from your local computer. However many users nowadays use Google Drive to create and store documents (specially small business owners).

Similar to Microsoft Word, Excel Sheets, and PowerPoint presentations, Google Drive also lets you create Docs, Sheets, Presentations, and other online documents.

If you have created documents in Google Drive, then you can easily embed these files in your WordPress posts by using the iFrame method.

To embed a Google doc in WordPress, you need to open the document in your browser first. After that, go to the File menu and click on the “Publish to the web” option.

Publish to the Web Option in Google Doc

After that, a new popup window will appear. You need to select the Embed option and then click on the Publish button.

Click Publish to Find the Embed Code for Google Doc

Once done, it will provide you an iFrame embed code. Go ahead and copy the code.

Embed a Google Doc Code

Next, you need to create a new post or edit an existing one to embed the Google doc. In your post editor, add the Custom HTML block to insert the embed code.

Add Custom HTML Block in WordPress Post

Once the Custom HTML block is added in your post edit area, paste the embed code that you copied before.

Google Doc Embed Code Added in WordPress Post

You may need to add height and width parameters to the embed code. Simply add the parameters to the iframe code like this:

After that, you can save your post and then preview it on your live website. Here is how it appeared on our demo website.

Google Doc Embedded in WordPress Post -preview

You can now use this method to embed other documents from your Google Drive account to WordPress.

Track File Downloads in WordPress Posts

If you’re embedding different documents, spreadsheets, PDFs, and other content for users to download, then it’s important to know how they’re performing.

By setting up file download tracking, you can easily see which type of files your visitors download the most. This way, you can offer similar content to your users and boost file downloads.

A simple way to track file downloads is by using MonsterInsights. It’s the best WordPress Analytics plugin and makes it super easy to use Google Analytics.

MonsterInsights

You can get started with the MonsterInsights Lite version, as it includes file download tracking and shows a report in Google Analytics.

However, if you want to see top file downloads inside your WordPress dashboard and other advanced reports, then you’ll need the MonsterInsights Pro version.

First, install and activate the MonsterInsights Lite plugin on your website. For more details, please see our guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.

Next, you’ll need to connect your WordPress site with Google Analytics. MonsterInsights allows you to do that without editing code or hiring an expert. If you need help, then see our guide on how to install Google Analytics in WordPress.

Once you’ve added Google Analytics to your website, the plugin will automatically start tracking file downloads.

If you’re using the MonsterInsights Pro version, then you can view the report by navigating to Insights » Reports from your WordPress dashboard and then go to the ‘Publishers’ tab.

The Publishers tab in MonsterInsights

Next, you’ll need to scroll down to the ‘Top Download Links’ report to find out which files are getting a lot of downloads.

monsterinsights top download links

MonsterInsights tracks all the popular file types by default. However, you can add more file extensions in MonsterInsights to track them in Google Analytics.

For more details, you can check out our guide on how to manage, track, and control file downloads in WordPress.

We hope this article helped you to learn how to embed PDF, spreadsheet, and other documents in WordPress posts. You may also want to go through our guide on how to choose the best blogging platform and best WordPress membership plugins.

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