Getting Started with Document Embedder

Install Document Embedder, activate a license, and publish your first document embed.

Introduction

Document Embedder puts PDF, Word, Excel, PowerPoint and more than ten other file types straight onto your WordPress pages, so visitors read them in place instead of downloading them. It ships four viewer engines, a searchable document library, interactive overlays, access control and an email gate.

What you get

You create a document once, configure how it looks, and place it anywhere with its shortcode. Or you skip the document entirely and drop the Document Embed block straight onto a page. Both paths read the same settings and render the same output.

Four viewer engines – Default (Google viewer), Custom PDF, Flipbook and Slider, all in the free version.
More than ten file types – PDF, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Apple Pages, PSD, images and code files.
Responsive sizing – separate width and height for desktop, tablet and mobile.
Live preview while you edit – see the document as visitors will, before you save.
Download button – custom label, placement, behavior, counter and per-IP limit.
Document Library – a searchable, sortable grid of files on one page.
Email gate and leads dashboard – collect a name and email before a download. (Pro)
Access control – restrict viewing or downloading to logged-in users or specific roles. (Pro)
Interactive overlays – notes, highlights, links and calls to action on any PDF page. (Pro)
Lightbox mode – open a document in a popup from a button, an image or any element. (Pro)

Requirements

Requirement	Value
WordPress	6.5 or higher
PHP	7.1 or higher
Plugin	Document Embedder (free) or Document Embedder Pro
Browsers	Chrome, Firefox, Safari and Edge, plus iOS and Android

Two modules, one plugin

Document Embedder does two separate jobs, and it helps to know which one you need before you start.

Module	Use it for	Shortcode
Document	One file on a page, with a viewer, a toolbar and access rules	`[doc id="7"]`
Document Library	A collection of files as a searchable grid of cards	`[document_library id="12"]`

How this guide is organized

Getting Started – install, activate a license, publish your first document.
Settings – connect Google Drive and Dropbox once, and use them from then on.
How To Use – the three ways to embed, one page per settings tab, the document library, the leads dashboard and the shortcodes.
Troubleshooting & FAQ – what to check when something does not appear, and the questions support hears most.

Installation & Activation

Document Embedder installs like any other WordPress plugin. Pick whichever method suits you, then activate a license if you bought Pro.

Install from the WordPress dashboard

In your WordPress admin, go to Plugins -> Add New Plugin

In your WordPress admin, go to Plugins → Add New Plugin.
Search for Document Embedder by bPlugins

Search for Document Embedder by bPlugins.
Click Install Now, then Activate

Click Install Now, then Activate.

Install by uploading a ZIP

Download the plugin ZIP

Download the plugin ZIP. Pro customers download it from their bPlugins account.
Go to Plugins -> Add New Plugin -> Upload Plugin and

Go to Plugins → Add New Plugin → Upload Plugin and choose the file.
Click Install Now, then Activate

Click Install Now, then Activate.

Install over FTP

Unzip the plugin on your computer

Unzip the plugin on your computer. You get a document-embedder folder.
Upload that folder to /wp-content/plugins/ with

Upload that folder to /wp-content/plugins/ with FileZilla, cPanel or any FTP client.
Go to Plugins -> Installed Plugins, find Document

Go to Plugins → Installed Plugins, find Document Embedder and click Activate.

The Document Embedder menu

Activation adds a Document Embedder menu to your admin sidebar.

Menu item	What it does
Doc Embedder	Every document you have created, with its shortcode in the Shortcode column.
Add New Doc	Creates a document. See Quick Start.
Document Library	Builds a searchable grid of files. See Building a Library.
Settings	Google Drive and Dropbox API keys. See Google Drive & Dropbox.
Help & Demos	Live demos, documentation links, pricing and license activation.

Where are the leads?

The Download Leads screen is not in the sidebar. You reach it from the View Leads button in a document’s Download Stats panel, which opens it already filtered to that document. See Leads Dashboard.

Activate your Pro license

Go to Document Embedder -> Help & Demos

Go to Document Embedder → Help & Demos.
Open the License tab

Open the License tab.
Paste your license key into the field and click

Paste your license key into the field and click Activate License.

If you cannot find the key, use the Recover license link beside the field and it is emailed to you. Once activated, the same screen offers Update License and lets you deactivate the site.

Free and Pro side by side

The free plugin already shows every Pro option in the Document Configuration panel, with a padlock on the ones you cannot use yet. Activating a license turns the locked rows on in place, so nothing needs reconfiguring.

Quick Start: Your First Document

There are two routes to a document on a page. Create a document and paste its shortcode, or drop the Document Embed block straight onto the page. Use the switch below to follow whichever one you prefer.

The steps below are given for both routes. Pick the one you use.

Step 1: create the document

Go to Document Embedder -> Add New Doc

Go to Document Embedder → Add New Doc.
Give it a title

Give it a title. This is for your reference only, and visitors never see it.
In the Document Configuration panel, stay on the

In the Document Configuration panel, stay on the General tab and click Upload to pick a file, or paste the URL of a file hosted elsewhere.
Choose a Viewer

Choose a Viewer. Leave it on Default for a Word, Excel or PowerPoint file. Pick Custom PDF for a PDF.
Click Publish

Click Publish.

Step 2: copy the shortcode

The shortcode appears under the post title as soon as the document is saved. Click it to copy it.

shortcode

[doc id="7"]

The id points at this document, so every setting you change later follows the shortcode everywhere it is used.

Step 3: place it on a page

Edit the post or page where the document belongs

Edit the post or page where the document belongs.
Add a Shortcode block and paste the tag in

Add a Shortcode block and paste the tag in.
Update the page

Update the page.

To print a document from a theme template instead, use PHP:

php

<?php echo do_shortcode( '[doc id="7"]' ); ?>

Step 1: add the block

Edit the post or page where the document belongs

Edit the post or page where the document belongs.
Add the Document Embed block

Add the Document Embed block.
Open Document Source in the block sidebar and upload a

Open Document Source in the block sidebar and upload a file or paste a URL.
Pick a Viewer

Pick a Viewer. Leave it on Default for a Word, Excel or PowerPoint file. Pick Custom PDF for a PDF.

Step 2: check it on the canvas

The block renders the real document on the editor canvas as you configure it, so there is nothing to preview separately. Work through the remaining sidebar panels until it looks right.

Step 3: publish

Press Publish or Update. The block carries its own settings, so there is no shortcode and no separate document post to manage.

How to tell it worked

Open the page as a visitor would. You should see the document rendered inside the box, at the width and height you set, and be able to scroll through its pages without leaving your site. If the box is empty, work through Troubleshooting.

What to do next

Size the viewer per device on the General page.
Compare the four engines on the Viewer Engines page.
Add a download button under Toolbar, then configure it under Download Management.

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