MaxtDesign

<p>MaxtDesign PDF Viewer is a performance-focused PDF embedding solution for WordPress. Unlike other PDF plugins that load heavy JavaScript libraries upfront, this plugin uses a smart lazy-loading approach that keeps your pages fast.</p>
<h4>Key Features</h4>
<ul>
<li>Instant Preview – Server-generated WebP preview images display immediately</li>
<li>Zero Layout Shift – CSS aspect-ratio reserves exact space before content loads</li>
<li>Lazy Loading – Full PDF.js viewer loads only when needed</li>
<li>Gutenberg Block – Native block editor integration</li>
<li>Shortcode Support – Works in classic editor and widgets</li>
<li>Keyboard Navigation – Full keyboard and screen reader accessibility</li>
<li>Mobile Optimized – Touch gestures for page navigation and zoom</li>
</ul>
<h4>Performance</h4>
<ul>
<li>Initial page load: < 10KB JavaScript</li>
<li>First paint: < 200ms</li>
<li>Full viewer: Loads on-demand</li>
<li>Preview images: Optimized WebP format</li>
</ul>
<h4>How It Works</h4>
<ol>
<li>Upload a PDF to your media library</li>
<li>The plugin automatically extracts the first page as a WebP preview</li>
<li>Insert the PDF using the Gutenberg block or shortcode</li>
<li>Visitors see an instant preview image</li>
<li>Clicking “View Document” loads the interactive PDF.js viewer</li>
</ol>
<h4>Requirements</h4>
<p>For automatic preview generation, your server needs one of:</p>
<ul>
<li>ImageMagick with PDF support (recommended)</li>
<li>Ghostscript</li>
</ul>
<p>The plugin will detect available options and use the best method automatically.</p>
<h4>Shortcode Usage</h4>
<p>[pdf_viewer id=”123″]</p>
<p>Attributes:</p>
<ul>
<li>id (required) – Attachment ID of the PDF</li>
<li>width – CSS width value (default: 100%)</li>
<li>load – When to load viewer: click, visible, immediate (default: click)</li>
<li>toolbar – Show toolbar: true/false (default: true)</li>
</ul>
<h3>Privacy</h3>
<p>This plugin:</p>
<ul>
<li>Does not collect any personal data</li>
<li>Does not send data to external services</li>
<li>Stores preview images locally on your server</li>
<li>Uses PDF.js library loaded from your own server</li>
</ul>


MaxtDesign PDF Viewer

The fastest PDF viewer for WordPress. Sub-200ms load times, zero layout shift, and a beautiful reading experience.

Whodunit

Jb Audras

<p>A simple, responsive and 100% free Gutenberg Block to display PDF Viewers / Readers on your website.</p>
<p>You can easily configure the Reader’s width, height and alignment on the fly.</p>
<p>Compatibility:<br />
– Fully responsive<br />
– Works fine on Chrome, Firefox, Opera, Edge and IE11<br />
– If javascript is disabled, a download link is provided as a fallback</p>
<p>This plugin uses <a href="https://mozilla.github.io/pdf.js/" rel="nofollow ugc">PDF.js</a> library, provided by Mozilla under Apache license.</p>


PDF Viewer Block for Gutenberg

Very easy to install and to use. No need to configure anything.
And it works out of the box.

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A simple and 100% free Gutenberg Block to display PDF Viewers / Readers on your website.

MaxtDesign PDF Viewer vs PDF Viewer Block for Gutenberg