I’m working with an embedded Google Docs viewer and need help changing its appearance. Here’s my current setup:
<section class="document-container" style="margin: 0 auto; width: 85%; display: block;">
<iframe src="https://docs.google.com/viewer?url=http://mysite.com/files/document.pdf&hl=en&embedded=true" frameborder="0"></iframe>
</section>
The iframe loads perfectly and shows the document viewer as expected. However, I’m struggling with the default gray background that appears around the document content. I want to replace this gray background with a white one to match my website’s design.
I tried applying custom CSS styles to modify the background, but this caused issues where the Google Docs viewer stopped functioning properly and showed error messages instead of the document. The styling changes work fine in Chrome and Opera browsers, but they break the functionality in Firefox and Safari.
Has anyone successfully modified the background color of an embedded Google Docs viewer without breaking its functionality across different browsers?
Had this exact problem on a client project last year. Google’s iframe sits on a different domain, so you can’t modify it directly - security policies block that. What worked for me: set the container background to white and adjust iframe dimensions to hide most of the gray areas. Also try adding &chrome=false to your viewer URL - it strips out some default Google interface elements that cause the gray background. This kept everything working across browsers while fixing the appearance. The trick is working around the iframe, not trying to break into it.
Indeed, the cross-origin restrictions with Google Docs viewer can complicate background modifications. What worked for me is setting the container’s background to white, then using padding and box-shadow to create an illusion of the white background extending into the viewer. Additionally, incorporating &rm=minimal into your Google Docs URL can help by removing some UI elements, effectively reducing the gray space. You might also consider lowering the iframe’s opacity and layering it over a white background div, though careful positioning is essential. Overall, while direct modifications to Google’s content are off the table, clever adjustments in your layout can achieve the desired effect.
modifying the iframe can be tricky due to cross-browser issues. try wrapping the iframe in a div with a white background and setting the iframe to have a transparent background if possible. it helped me once, just make sure to test it everywhere.