How to Upload PDF Files to Your WordPress Site

Uploading PDF files to your WordPress site can be very useful. WordPress allows you to upload PDFs and make them easily available for download.

We have used PDF downloads in many different ways, including to grow our email subscriber list and sell digital downloads in a members-only area. PDFs offer a versatile way to share content and engage your visitors.

This tutorial will show you how to upload PDF files to your WordPress site. We’ll also discuss how to use PDFs to grow your email list, accept user-generated content, or create a members-only area.

Why Upload PDF Files in WordPress?

PDFs are one of the most popular file formats, and uploading them to your WordPress website has many benefits.

We have successfully used PDFs as lead magnets to grow email subscribers on our websites, including WPBeginner (Case study: See proven and tested methods we use at WPBeginner to grow our email list).

Uploading PDF files can also boost user engagement. Allowing visitors to download PDFs and complete actions can help reduce a high bounce rate.

You don’t need to create new content. You can repurpose your existing long-form content or combine several articles into one to make a highly useful download. This strategy keeps users on your site longer and encourages interaction with your content.

PDF files are also great for offering exclusive members-only premium content. You can use them as part of your online course or membership site to provide additional value to your paying subscribers.

Now, let’s see how to upload PDF files in WordPress.

How to Upload PDF Files in WordPress

If you are looking to upload a PDF file and share it with everyone on your site, then this is the easiest method because it works without installing any plugins.

Uploading PDF files in WordPress is similar to uploading images and other media files on your WordPress website.

To get started, you need to log in to your WordPress admin area and then go to Media. After that, click the ‘Add New’ button.

Simply drag and drop your PDF file into WordPress.

Or, you can click the ‘Select Files’ button to upload it.

After that, the PDF file will be uploaded to your WordPress blog.

How to Add a PDF File to a Post or Page in WordPress

Once you have uploaded the PDF file, the next thing to do is add it to your posts or pages.

WordPress allows you to easily embed PDF files or show them as links that users can click to download the files.

To get started, you need to edit the post or page where you want to add the PDF file.

On the post edit screen, you must click on the ‘+’ add block button and then add the File block to the content area.

Next, click the ‘Media Library’ option.

This will bring up a popup where you can select the PDF file to add to the post or page.

Click ‘Select’ to continue.

WordPress will now automatically embed your PDF file in your post or page. You will also see a live preview of the PDF embed in the editor.

If you only want to show the download instead of the full PDF embed, then you can turn off the toggle next to the ‘Show inline embed’ option in the block settings.

Once you are satisfied with the changes, preview the PDF file upload and then publish it.

This is the quickest and simplest way of showing your uploaded PDF files on a WordPress site.

However, if you want to display PDF documents with more options and better PDF viewers, then you will need a WordPress PDF plugin.

We recommend using the WP PDF Embedder plugin, which lets you easily embed mobile-friendly PDF files in WordPress. The PDF viewer comes with a toolbar so users can zoom in, navigate to specific page numbers, enter fullscreen mode, download PDFs, and more.

There’s also a free version of WP PDF Embedder that you can get started with.

For more information, follow our detailed guide on how to embed PDFs, spreadsheets, and others in WordPress blog posts.

Pro Tips for Making the Most Out of Your PDF Uploads

After uploading a PDF file, there’s a lot more that you can do.

Here are some pro tips on how to use your PDF uploads to grow your email list, measure the number of downloads, allow users to upload PDF files, or even sell PDF downloads as premium content.

1. Offer Content Upgrades to Build Your Email List

One of the fastest ways to grow your email list is by offering content upgrades to website visitors.

Content upgrades are bonus content that people can download in exchange for their email addresses. You can turn your blog posts into PDF files and then allow users to download them when they sign up for the email list.

The easiest way to add content upgrades in WordPress is with OptinMonster.

It’s the best lead generation plugin that allows you to create beautiful opt-in forms like popups, in-content signup forms, floating bars, scroll boxes, etc.

Using their drag-and-drop builder and different pre-built templates, you can build and show a content upgrade option in just a few clicks.

Here’s an example of the results of content upgrades from one of our other websites:

The OptinMonster blog has even more content upgrade ideas that you can use to get more email subscribers.

2. Measure PDF Download Stats in WordPress

As you start to offer different PDF files for downloads, it is important to find out which files are performing well and which are not.

To measure PDF file downloads in WordPress, you can use MonsterInsights. It’s the best Google Analytics plugin for WordPress, used by over 3 million websites.

Once enabled, it automatically tracks file downloads on your site.

MonsterInsights Top Download Links report helps you see which PDF files get the most downloads. You can use this information to create more PDF documents on similar topics.

3. Allow Users to Upload PDF Files

You can upload PDF files in WordPress yourself or allow users to submit PDF files to your site without giving them admin access.

To do this, you need to create a file upload form. We recommend using WPForms, the best WordPress contact form plugin used by over 6 million websites.

Once activated, you simply need to create a file upload form using WPForms and let users submit PDF documents.

4. Create Members-Only PDF Documents area

If you want to sell PDFs as digital downloads or upload premium PDF content to a members-only area, then you can do it in WordPress using a membership plugin.

We recommend using MemberPress, the leading membership platform that allows you to create courses, add members-only content, and more.

We have created a complete step-by-step guide on how to create a membership site in WordPress.

We hope this article helped you learn how to upload PDF files to your WordPress site. You may also want to go through our guide on how to create an email newsletter or how to make money from WordPress.

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