Written by Admin on 2025-05-06

WordPress PDF Embed Stop Download

If you've ever embedded a PDF file on your WordPress website, you may have noticed that some visitors can download the PDF file by right-clicking and selecting the "Save link as" option. While this may not be a big deal for some websites, others may want to prevent visitors from downloading the PDF file for various reasons such as copyright protection or intellectual property.

Fortunately, there are several ways to prevent PDF download on your WordPress website. In this article, we will explore some methods to help you achieve this.

Method 1: Use a PDF Plugin

One of the easiest ways to prevent PDF download is by using a PDF plugin that offers this functionality. Some popular plugins such as PDF Embedder, PDF Viewer, and Google Doc Embedder offer the option to disable downloading of PDF files. To do this, you can look for the "Download" or "Print" options in the plugin settings and deactivate them.

Method 2: Use a Password

Another way to prevent PDF download is by protecting your PDF file with a password. This means that visitors will need to enter a password before they can access the PDF file, and they won't be able to download it if they don't know the password. There are several plugins available that can help you achieve this, including Password Protected, PDF Embedder Secure, and PDF Viewer Secure.

Method 3: Use an Online PDF Viewer

Using an online PDF viewer is another way to prevent PDF download. When you embed your PDF file using an online viewer, visitors can view the content of the file but won't be able to download it. Some popular online PDF viewers include Calameo, Issuu, and Scribd.

Method 4: Use CSS Code

If you have some coding knowledge, you can prevent PDF download by adding CSS code to your website. This method involves disabling the right-click context menu on your website, which includes the "Save link as" option. To do this, you can add the following code to your website's style.css file:

css body { -webkit-touch-callout: none; /* iOS Safari */ -webkit-user-select: none; /* Safari */ -khtml-user-select: none; /* Konqueror HTML */ -moz-user-select: none; /* Old versions of Firefox */ -ms-user-select: none; /* Internet Explorer/Edge */ user-select: none; /* Non-prefixed version, currently not supported by any browser */ }

This code disables user selection, which includes the ability to right-click and download PDF files.

Conclusion

Preventing PDF download on your WordPress website can help protect your content and prevent unwanted distribution. While some methods may be easier to implement than others, choosing the right approach will depend on your specific needs and preferences.

By using a plugin, password protection, online viewer, or CSS code, you can prevent visitors from downloading your PDF files and maintain control over your content.