Overview
There are two ways to include a PDF on your department website in WordPress:
-
Link text or an image: When a visitor clicks the link, the PDF file opens as a full window in the browser. The visitor can easily download or print the file.
-
Embed the PDF: The PDF appears directly on the page in its own viewer. The viewer controls (for instance, the download or print option) vary by browser.
A note about accessibility
Please ensure your PDFs are optimized for accessibility prior to upload. For more instructions, refer to our guide, Preparing an accessible PDF document in Adobe Acrobat.
Uploading a PDF
File upload limit
The upload limit for WordPress is 5 MB per file.
Upload the file to WordPress
Quick guide
- In the left menu, select Media and then select Add Media File.
- Click Select Files, and select the file on your computer.
- Once the file finishes uploading, click Copy URL to clipboard.
Detailed guide (with screenshots)
- In the left menu, select Media and then select Add Media File.
- Click Select Files, and select the file on your computer.
- Once the file finishes uploading, click Copy URL to clipboard.
Other upload options
If your PDF exceeds the 5 MB size limit, you can reduce its size using Adobe's free PDF compressor tool. If your PDF is still too large, a workaround is to upload it to your USC Google account, and then create a shareable link (select the Anyone with this link option). You'll need to use Google, not OneDrive, because USC OneDrive does not permit publicly shareable links.
Linking text or an image to a PDF
You can link text or an image to a PDF. When the visiter clicks the link, you can set the PDF to open in the same window or in a new tab.
Quick guide
- Open the page in the WordPress editor.
- Select the text or image you want to link, and click the Link
icon in the toolbar.- If you are linking text, the text should be descriptive and make it clear the visitor is opening a PDF.
- Paste the PDF link.
- If you want the PDF to open in the same window, click the Apply
button.
- Otherwise, if you want the PDF to open in a new tab, select the Options
icon. Then, select Open link in a new tab and click Update.
- Don't have the link? To find the link for a file you uploaded to WordPress:
- Return to the dashboard. In the left menu, select Media.
- Click the file you uploaded.
- Click Copy URL to clipboard.
Detailed guide (with screenshots)
- Open the page in the WordPress editor.
- Select the text or image you want to link, and click the Link icon in the toolbar.
- If you are linking text, the text should be descriptive and make it clear the visitor is opening a PDF.
- Paste the PDF link.
- If you want the PDF to open in the same window, click the Apply button.
- Otherwise, if you want the PDF to open in a new tab, select the Options icon. Then, select Open link in a new tab and click Update.
- Don't have the link? To find the link for a file you uploaded to WordPress:
- Return to the dashboard. In the left menu, select Media.
- Click the file you uploaded.
- Click Copy URL to clipboard.
Embedding a PDF on a page
Another option is to embed the PDF directly on the page. Depending on the browser (for example, Chrome vs. Safari), the PDF viewer controls may look different. You can customize the height and width of the viewer.
Quick guide
- First, set up the component:
- Open the page in the WordPress editor.
- Add the Full Width iFrame Embed component.
- (Optional) Fill in the Title field.
- In the Code Embed field, paste the following. Be sure to replace title here with a description of the PDF you will be linking. You will replace filename later:
<embed src="filename" title="title here" type="application/pdf" width="100%" height="600px" />
- Next, obtain the PDF link. To find the link for a file you uploaded to WordPress:
- Return to the dashboard. In the left menu, select Media.
- Click the file you uploaded.
- Click Copy URL to clipboard.
- Return to the page in the WordPress editor.
- In the Code Embed field, paste the PDF link, replacing filename (and the title, if you have not already done so). For example:
<embed src="filename" title="title here" type="application/pdf" width="100%" height="600px" />
becomes
<embed src="https://dornsife.usc.edu/dts/wp-content/uploads/sites/67/2025/12/zoom-room-guide.pdf" title="Download our Zoom Room guide" type="application/pdf" width="100%" height="600px" />
- Save and preview your changes. You can further adjust the width and height.
Detailed guide (with screenshots)
- First, set up the component:
- Open the page in the WordPress editor.
- Add the Full Width iFrame Embed component.
- (Optional) Fill in the Title field.
- In the Code Embed field, paste the following. Be sure to replace title here with a description of the PDF you will be linking. You will replace filename later:
<embed src="filename" title="title here" type="application/pdf" width="100%" height="600px" />
- Next, obtain the PDF link. To find the link for a file you uploaded to WordPress:
- Return to the dashboard. In the left menu, select Media.
- Click the file you uploaded.
- Click Copy URL to clipboard.
- Return to the page in the WordPress editor.
- In the Code Embed field, paste the PDF link, replacing filename (and the title, if you have not already done so). For example:
<embed src="filename" title="title here" type="application/pdf" width="100%" height="600px" />
becomes
<embed src="https://dornsife.usc.edu/dts/wp-content/uploads/sites/67/2025/12/zoom-room-guide.pdf" title="Download our Zoom Room guide" type="application/pdf" width="100%" height="600px" />
- Save and preview your changes. You can further adjust the width and height.