Linking a PDF in WordPress

Adding PDFs to your website is pretty easy, but if it isn’t linked properly, it won’t open properly or at all. The trick is to set the Link Url correctly.

To add a PDF, insert your cursor on the page or post where you want the link to the file to appear. Click on the Add Media button — the forth button along in the row of Upload/Insert buttons.

This will open the Add Media dialog box. Here’s a screen shot.

Choosing the correct Link URL in the Add Media dialog box is the key to telling WordPress how the PDF should open. You have three choices in the section Link URL

Choice 1: None – Clicking this button will remove any link that is currently in the box. If there is nothing in the box, there will be no link. The title of the PDF will appear, but it will not link to anything.

Choice 2: File URL – This is the one you want. The File URL is the web address of the actual file you have uploaded. Notice in the screen shot how hovering my mouse over the File URL button reveals the web address (file url) of the PDF. Choosing this option links the Title to the PDF.

Choice 3: Post URL – This option links the Title to a new page (post) which is not what you want. In fact, I can’t think of an instance when you would want to use this, but if you select it, that’s what it does.

Default settings: – The Add Media dialog box always remembers the last settings used, so you should always double check to make sure that the selection is correct for the current application.

Once your title is set correctly and you have chosen the correct Link URL, click on the Insert into Post button to insert the PDF. Don’t forget to click Update to commit your changes to the web.