Upload a PDF to WordPress and link to it

  • media
  • pdf
  • links
  • buttons

Updated

To add a PDF to a WordPress page, upload it under Media → Add Media File, copy its URL, then link a button or some text to that URL. Visitors click to open or download the file.

Upload the PDF to the media library

  1. Go to Media → Add Media File.
  2. Drag the PDF onto the page, or click Select Files.
  3. Open the file in the library.
  4. Click Copy URL to clipboard.

You can also upload from inside a page with a File block, or from the media window when you set a button link.

Link to the PDF from a button

  1. Edit the page.
  2. Add a Buttons block and type the label, like Download the brochure.
  3. Open the button's link control and paste the PDF link. You can also search for the file by name if it shows up in the results.
  4. Click Update.

Link to the PDF from text

  1. Highlight the words to link.
  2. Click the link icon in the toolbar.
  3. Paste the PDF link and press Enter.
  4. Click Update.

Tips

  • Keep PDFs small. Large files are slow to open on phones.
  • Use a label that says what the file is ("2026 program PDF"), not "click here."
  • A replacement PDF usually gets a new link. After you upload a new version, update your buttons and text links.

If your site runs on Dirigible

With Dirigible Optimize active, big PDFs are compressed for you. A PDF of 10 MB or more is compressed in the background a minute or two after upload, and keeps the same link. For a smaller one over 1 MB, open it in the media library and click Compress PDF. See Images in the Optimize docs for which PDFs are left alone.