I’m trying to figure out how to show a PDF file that I have stored in my Google Drive directly within my blog post on Blogger. I’ve seen other websites do this where the PDF appears right in the page and you can scroll through it without having to download anything.
I’ve tried a few different methods but none of them seem to work properly. Some approaches just show a link instead of the actual document, while others don’t display anything at all.
Has anyone successfully done this before? What’s the correct process to make this work? I want my readers to be able to view the PDF content without leaving my blog page.
Any step-by-step guidance would be really helpful since I’m still learning about web development stuff.
Google Drive embedding usually breaks when your PDF is too big or has security restrictions. I dealt with this constantly until I started fixing my files first. Keep PDFs under 25MB - anything bigger will timeout or look terrible in browsers. Check for password protection or form fields too, since these completely block the preview. Sometimes I’ll recreate the PDF from scratch when weird compatibility issues pop up. The iframe method works great, but only if your file actually plays nice with Google’s viewer.
just swap /edit with /preview in your google drive url and drop it in an iframe. that’s it. no fancy automation needed - takes 30 seconds and works for most people.
Both methods work, but they break down when you’re updating PDFs or handling multiple documents. Manually updating embed codes gets old fast - trust me, I’ve been there.
Automation’s the real fix. Set up a workflow that watches your Google Drive folder and auto-updates your blog posts when PDFs change. You can even batch process multiple PDFs.
I built this exact thing for our company blog. Someone drops a new PDF in our shared Drive folder, and it automatically generates the embed code and pushes it to our CMS. No more manual copy-paste or broken links when files move.
The workflow handles permissions, grabs the right file IDs, and optimizes iframe dimensions based on PDF content. Takes 5 minutes to set up, saves hours monthly.
This scales way better than doing everything manually. Plus you can add features like automatic PDF thumbnails or email alerts when new docs go live.
Check out Latenode for building these workflows. It connects Google Drive and Blogger without coding: https://latenode.com
It’s probably a Google Drive permissions issue. Set your PDF to ‘Anyone with the link can view’, then grab the file ID from the sharing URL. Use Google’s PDF viewer with this format: https://drive.google.com/file/d/YOUR_FILE_ID/preview and embed it with an iframe in your Blogger post. I’ve done this for two years - works every time. Loads fast and gives readers that smooth scrolling experience. Just make your iframe big enough or it’ll look terrible on mobile.
The Problem: You’re trying to embed a PDF file from your Google Drive directly into a Blogger blog post, but various methods either display only a link or don’t display anything at all. You want readers to view the PDF content without leaving the blog page.
TL;DR: The Quick Fix: Use Google Drive’s built-in embed feature. Open your PDF in Google Drive, click the three-dot menu, select “Embed item,” copy the generated HTML code, and paste it into the HTML view (not the compose view) of your Blogger post.
Understanding the “Why” (The Root Cause):
Manually creating iframes or using alternative methods can lead to inconsistencies in display across different devices and browsers. Google Drive’s embed feature automatically handles responsive design and provides built-in PDF viewer controls, ensuring a consistent and optimized viewing experience for your readers. Using this method simplifies the process and avoids potential compatibility issues.
Step-by-Step Guide:
Obtain the Embed Code from Google Drive:
Open the PDF file you wish to embed in Google Drive.
Click the three vertical dots (More options) in the top right corner of the PDF preview.
Select “Embed item.”
Copy the HTML code provided in the pop-up window. This code will contain an iframe element with the necessary attributes to display the PDF.
Embed the Code in Blogger:
In your Blogger post, switch to the “HTML” editor view (usually a button labeled “HTML” or a similar option). Do not use the visual editor for this.
Paste the copied HTML code into the desired location within your Blogger’s HTML.
Save your Blogger post.
Common Pitfalls & What to Check Next:
Using the Visual Editor: Ensure you’re pasting the code into the HTML editor, not the visual editor. The visual editor may strip out the iframe code or alter it in a way that prevents the PDF from displaying correctly.
File Permissions: Double-check that the PDF file’s sharing settings in Google Drive allow anyone with the link to view it. Insufficient permissions will prevent the PDF from being embedded.
HTTPS: If your Blogger site uses HTTPS, ensure the Google Drive embed code uses a secure URL. Mixed content (HTTP content on an HTTPS site) can prevent the PDF from loading. Test your embed in an incognito or private browsing window to rule out browser extensions that may interfere with the embedding.
Iframe Size: Adjust the iframe’s width and height attributes within the HTML code if necessary to ensure the PDF displays correctly and doesn’t get cut off.
Still running into issues? Share your (sanitized) config files, the exact command you ran, and any other relevant details. The community is here to help!
Had the same issue until I figured out it’s all about HTTPS. If your Blogger site runs HTTPS (most do), your iframe src needs the secure Google Drive viewer URL too. Mixed content policies silently block HTTP embeds on HTTPS sites - your PDF just disappears with no error. Also, ad blockers often kill Google Drive embeds because they think it’s tracking. I test everything in incognito mode to catch this. The preview method works great, but check your security settings first. Otherwise you’ll troubleshoot for hours on the wrong problem.
Understanding the “Why” (The Root Cause):
Step-by-Step Guide:
Common Pitfalls & What to Check Next:
Still running into issues? Share your (sanitized) config files, the exact command you ran, and any other relevant details. The community is here to help!