.. _Add Embedded PDF:

##############################
Embed PDFs in Your Course
##############################

.. tags:: educator, how-to

The PDF embed tool allows you to add PDF documents to your course. It uses an
the browser's built-in PDF viewing capability, and provides options for
downloading the document or its original source.

.. image:: /_images/educator_references/pdf_embed.png
  :alt: An embedded PDF showing trigonometry functions.
  :width: 500

PDFs have significant accessibility challenges. They are finalized documents intended
for printing exactly specified copies. This makes them difficult for screen readers
and other assistance technology to interpret. You are strongly encouraged to
use alternative means of presenting the information in these documents, such as
a :ref:`text component<Working with Text Components>`. Please visit the
:ref:`Accessibility Best Practices Checklist` for more information, which also
includes a guide on improving PDF accessibility if they must be used.

Additionally, viewing PDFs on mobile devices results in a poor learner
experience.

Nevertheless, the PDF embed block exists to handle the case of a document
being unavailable in other formats, or for when variations in representing the
document are unacceptable.

***************************************
How to Embed PDFs in Open edX Studio
***************************************

#. Ensure the PDF embed tool is enabled in your course.

   To enable the pdf embed tool in Studio, add the ``"pdf"`` key to the
   **Advanced Module List** on the **Advanced Settings** page. (Be sure to include
   the quotation marks around the key value.) For more information, see
   :ref:`Enable Additional Exercises and Tools`.

#. On the Course Outline page, open the unit where you want to add the PDF.

#. Under **Add New Component** click **Advanced** and then select **PDF**.

   The new component is added to the unit with a default example PDF embedded.

   .. image:: /_images/educator_references/pdf_embed.png
    :alt: The PDF embed component in Studio.
    :width: 400

#. In the new component, click the **Edit button, or pencil icon**.

#. In the **Name** field, enter the name for the new component. This will be
   displayed above the component as a title.

#. In the **PDF URL** field, set the URL of the PDF you would like to embed.

   If you do not have an existing URL for your PDF, you may upload the PDF by
   :ref:`adding a course file<Add Course Files>` and copy the
   URL of the resulting handout.

#. Toggle the **PDF Download Allowed** field to optionally display a
   download link for the PDF.

   .. note::

       PDF display is handled by the browser's built-in PDF viewer. The option to hide the download button will not hide the browser's built-in download button if it provides one. A determined learner will always be able to download a PDF.


#. In the **Source document URL** field, optionally add the URL to the source
   of the PDF document.

   This might be, for instance, the PowerPoint or Word document this PDF is
   based on. Providing a source URL is heavily encouraged, as source files
   tend to have better accessibility than PDFs. Please visit the
   :ref:`Accessibility Best Practices Checklist` for more information.

#. In the **Source document button text** field, you can change the display
   text of the source download link.

#. Select **Save**.


**Maintenance chart**

+--------------+-------------------------------+----------------+--------------------------------+
| Review Date  | Working Group Reviewer        | Release        | Test situation                 |
+--------------+-------------------------------+----------------+--------------------------------+
| 09/02/2026   | Fox Piacenti                  | Verawood       | Pass                           |
+--------------+-------------------------------+----------------+--------------------------------+