I’m having trouble with the Google Docs viewer. It used to work great for embedding documents on our website, but now it’s acting up. Most of the time, we’re getting 204 No Content responses.
Has anyone else noticed this? Did Google stop supporting this service? I heard rumors they might have, but I’m not sure.
If it’s really gone, do you know any other ways to embed docs (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, PDF) in a website? I’m looking for something that lets users view files without needing the actual apps installed.
Ideally, I’d like a free option that works with docs on our own server, not just stuff stored on Google Drive.
I’ve encountered similar issues with Google Docs viewer recently. An alternative worth considering is PDF.js, an open-source PDF viewer developed by Mozilla. It’s lightweight, works well for embedding, and doesn’t require server-side processing. For other document types, you might want to look into ViewerJS. It supports various formats and can be self-hosted. Both options are free and allow you to keep files on your own server. They might require a bit more setup than Google Docs viewer, but they offer more control and reliability in the long run.
yeah, google docs viewer’s been acting up lately. i’ve had similar issues. have u tried microsoft’s office online viewer? it’s pretty good for embedding docs, and works with most file types. might be worth a shot. not sure if it’s totally free tho, so double-check that.
I’ve been dealing with this Google Docs viewer problem too. It’s been a real pain lately. From my experience, Box View API has been a solid alternative. It handles a wide range of file types and the embedded viewer looks pretty slick. The free tier gives you a decent number of document previews per month, which might be enough depending on your traffic.
Another option I’ve used is Scribd’s iPaper. It’s not as well-known, but it’s surprisingly versatile. You can upload docs directly or use a URL, and it supports quite a few formats. The viewer is customizable and works well on mobile too.
Both of these let you keep your files on your own server, which is a big plus. They’ve been pretty reliable for me so far. Just keep in mind that setup might take a bit more time than the Google viewer did, but it’s worth it for the stability.