Description
Stop losing visitors to clunky PDF downloads. PDF Rack lets you display PDFs directly on your WordPress pages โ no iframes, no browser plugins, no external services. Just a clean, fast, mobile-friendly viewer your visitors will love.
Unlike the WordPress Media Library that buries PDFs alongside thousands of images and videos, PDF Rack gives you a dedicated PDF dashboard built for document management. Upload once, embed anywhere โ in seconds.
๐ Why site owners choose PDF Rack
- Save time โ Upload, categorize, and find any PDF in seconds with built-in search and filters.
- Better user experience โ Visitors read PDFs right on your page without leaving your site or installing anything.
- Works everywhere โ Gutenberg block, Elementor widget, or a simple shortcode. Pick whatever fits your workflow.
- Mobile-ready โ The viewer automatically adapts to any screen size so your content looks great on phones and tablets.
๐ Feature Highlights
- Dedicated PDF Dashboard โ A focused admin panel just for your PDF documents, separate from the Media Library clutter.
- Categories & Tags โ Organize documents with custom taxonomies for easy sorting and retrieval.
- Quick Search & Filter โ Find any document instantly by name, category, or upload date.
- Media Library Preview โ Preview PDF contents directly within the WordPress Media Library details view.
- Auto-Generate Covers โ Generate and set a cover image for your PDFs on demand.
- Responsive PDF Viewer โ Page navigation, zoom controls, and an optional download button โ all in a sleek, lightweight viewer powered by Mozilla’s PDF.js.
- Gutenberg Block โ Drag-and-drop native block support for the Block Editor.
- Elementor Widget โ A dedicated widget for Elementor page builder users.
- Shortcode Support โ Use
[pdf-rack id="123"]in the Classic Editor or any text widget. - Lightweight & Fast โ No bloat. The viewer loads only on pages where you embed a PDF.
๐ Premium Features (Coming Soon)
- Flipbook Viewer โ Realistic 3D page flipping effect for an immersive reading experience.
- Lightbox Viewer โ Open PDFs in a stunning, distraction-free modal overlay.
- Carousel Display โ Showcase multiple PDFs in a beautiful, swipeable carousel slider.
- Secure PDF โ Protect your documents with passwords and prevent unauthorized downloads.
- Watermarking โ Automatically add custom text or image watermarks to your PDFs.
- Analytics โ Track views, downloads, and engagement metrics for your documents.
๐ฏ Perfect For
- Businesses sharing catalogs, brochures, or price lists.
- Educators & trainers publishing course materials and handouts.
- Real estate agents displaying property brochures and floor plans.
- Nonprofits sharing annual reports and newsletters.
- Any WordPress site that needs professional PDF document management.
๐ How It Works
- Go to PDF Rack Add New and upload your PDF.
- Assign a category (optional) to keep things organized.
- Embed it anywhere using the Gutenberg block, Elementor widget, or the auto-generated shortcode.
That’s it โ your visitors can now read the PDF directly on your site.
Third Party Libraries
This plugin utilizes the following third-party libraries to provide its functionality:
- PDF.js (Mozilla) – https://github.com/mozilla/pdf.js (Apache License 2.0)
- React (Meta) – https://reactjs.org (MIT)
- Lucide Icons – https://lucide.dev (ISC)
- Date-fns – https://date-fns.org (MIT)
Screenshots
PDF Dashboard โ The admin list view showing all uploaded PDFs with categories, dates, and ready-to-copy shortcodes. 
Add New PDF โ Clean upload interface with one-click category assignment.
Installation
- Upload the plugin files to
/wp-content/plugins/pdf-rack, or install directly from the WordPress plugin directory. - Activate through Plugins Installed Plugins.
- Navigate to the new PDF Rack menu in your admin sidebar to start uploading documents.
FAQ
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Does this plugin modify my existing Media Library files?
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Not at all. PDF Rack stores its data separately. Your existing Media Library files remain completely untouched.
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Can I use this with the Classic Editor?
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Absolutely. Every uploaded PDF gets a unique shortcode (e.g.,
[pdf-rack id="10"]) that you can paste into the Classic Editor or any text widget. -
Is the PDF viewer mobile-friendly?
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Yes. The viewer is fully responsive and adapts to any screen width โ phones, tablets, and desktops.
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Will it slow down my site?
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No. The PDF viewer scripts load only on pages where you embed a PDF, so the rest of your site stays fast.
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Does it support large PDF files?
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The plugin will load any PDF your server allows. For very large files (50 MB+), performance depends on your hosting
upload_max_filesizesetting and your visitor’s connection speed. -
Do visitors need to install anything?
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No. The built-in viewer runs entirely in the browser โ no plugins, extensions, or third-party apps required.
Reviews
There are no reviews for this plugin.
Contributors & Developers
“PDF Rack – PDF Viewer, Document Manager & Embed PDF Files” is open source software. The following people have contributed to this plugin.
Contributors
Translate “PDF Rack – PDF Viewer, Document Manager & Embed PDF Files” into your language.
Interested in development?
Browse the code, check out the SVN repository, or subscribe to the development log by RSS.
Changelog
1.0.2
- New: Added in-app documentation slideover for easier usage.
- New: Added keyboard shortcuts for PDF viewer navigation and zoom.
- New: Added custom background color support for shortcode.
1.0.1
- Added Quick View lightbox feature in the admin dashboard.
1.0.0
- Initial release.
- Dedicated PDF dashboard with upload, categorization, and search.
- Responsive frontend PDF viewer powered by PDF.js.
- Gutenberg block, Elementor widget, and shortcode embedding.
- Category and tag taxonomy support for document organization.