Format
PDF (Portable Document Format) is a document format developed by Adobe that preserves layout, fonts and graphics across devices. WordPress supports PDF uploads natively, stores them in the Media Library as attachments, and can generate thumbnail previews of the first page.
PDFs in the WordPress Media Library
When you upload a PDF, WordPress creates an attachment record and — if the server has the required libraries (Ghostscript or Imagick with PDF support) — generates a thumbnail image of the first page. The thumbnail appears in the Media Library grid view.
PDFs are linked to from post content like any other attachment, but they are not embedded as image blocks. They typically appear as download links or in PDF viewer shortcodes provided by plugins.
PDFs and Mediapapa
Mediapapa does not currently compress or convert PDF files. They are outside the current compression scope. PDFs in your Media Library are tracked in the attachment database and will appear in usage scans if referenced in content, but they do not receive a Media Score.
Frequently asked questions
Can I display a PDF inline on a WordPress page?
Not with native WordPress blocks. You can link to a PDF as a file download. Displaying it inline requires a plugin that wraps the PDF in a viewer (PDF Embedder, WP PDF Viewer) or embedding it using an iframe with Google Docs Viewer as the source.
Does Mediapapa track PDF usage?
PDFs are attachment post types and are included in the usage index scan for URL references. If a PDF is linked from post content, that reference is tracked. Mediapapa does not compress or score PDFs in the current version.
Related terms: Attachment · MIME Type
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