How to Embed PDF file using HTML ?

Last Updated : 23 Jul, 2025

We will learn how to embed PDF files in HTML documents and explore their implementation through examples. Sometimes, you may want to insert a PDF file into an HTML document to make the content more interactive. Since HTML and PDF formats are different, embedding PDFs can be a bit challenging.

Method 1: Using Object Tag

  • HTML's object tag is the first way to embed PDF files. In the below example, the pdf file will be displayed on a web page, which is an object.
  • In addition to embedding a PDF file into a webpage, the object tag can embed ActiveX, Flash, video, audio, and Java applets.
  • Interactive documents can be attached to an object embedded with an HTML tag.
  • It can be displayed according to your need on the screen by using the object's height and width attributes.

Example 1: This example describes the embedding of a PDF file in HTML using the Object Tag.

index.html
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
    <title>PDF in HTML</title>
</head>
<style>
    .pdf {
        width: 100%;
        aspect-ratio: 4 / 3;
    }
    .pdf,
    html,
    body {
        height: 100%;
        margin: 0;
        padding: 0;
    }
    h1,
    h3 {
        text-align: center;
    }
    h1 {
        color: green;
    }
</style>
<body>
    <h1>GeeksforGeeks</h1>
    <h3>Embedding the PDF file Using Object Tag</h3>
    <object class="pdf" 
            data=
"https://media.geeksforgeeks.org/wp-content/cdn-uploads/20210101201653/PDF.pdf"
            width="800"
            height="500">
    </object>
</body>
</html>

Output:

Method 2: Using an iframe

  • Using an iframe tag is the second way to embed a pdf file in an HTML web page. In web development, web developers use the iframe tag to embed files in various formats and even other websites within a web page.
  • Due to its wide compatibility, the iframe tag is widely used for embedding pdf.
  • A browser that does not support PDF documents or the object tag can also use this tag to embed a pdf HTML code.

Example 2: This example describes the embedding of a PDF file in HTML using an iframe.

index.html
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
    <title>PDF in HTML</title>
</head>
<style>
    .pdf {
        width: 100%;
        aspect-ratio: 4 / 3;
    }
    .pdf,
    html,
    body {
        height: 100%;
        margin: 0;
        padding: 0;
    }
   h1,
    h3 {
        text-align: center;
    }
    h1 {
        color: green;
    }
</style>
<body>
        <h1>GeeksforGeeks</h1>
        <h3>Embedding the PDF file Using Iframe Tag</h3>
        <iframe class="pdf" 
                src=
"https://media.geeksforgeeks.org/wp-content/cdn-uploads/20210101201653/PDF.pdf"
            width="800" height="500">
        </iframe>
</body>
</html>

Output:

Method 3: Using embed tag

  • When embedding a pdf HTML code into a website, the embed tag isn't used as often as the previous tags because if the user's browser can't handle PDF files, the display will be blank.
  • The embed a pdf HTML code method is used when no fallback content needs to be provided.

Example 3: This example describes the embedding of a PDF file in HTML using the embed tag.

index.html
<!--Driver Code Starts-->
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
    <title>PDF in HTML</title>
    <style>
<!--Driver Code Ends-->

        .pdf {
            width: 100%;
            aspect-ratio: 4 / 3;
        }
        .pdf,
        html,
        body {
            height: 100%;
            margin: 0;
            padding: 0;
        }
        h1,
        h3 {
            text-align: center;
        }
        h1 {
            color: green;
        }
    </style>
</head>
<body>
    <h1>GeeksforGeeks</h1>
    <h3>Embedding the PDF file Using embed Tag</h3>
    <embed class="pdf" 
           src="https://media.geeksforgeeks.org/wp-content/cdn-uploads/20210101201653/PDF.pdf"
           width="800" height="500">
</body>

<!--Driver Code Starts-->
</html>
<!--Driver Code Ends-->

Output:

Note: Embedding PDF files in HTML documents can enhance the interactivity of your web content. You can choose from several methods, including the <object>, <iframe>, and <embed> tags, depending on your specific needs and browser compatibility requirements.

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