Canvas - Preview or Embed a PDF or Word document in a Canvas Page [UW-Madison]

Canvas allows you to preview a PDF or Word document within a Canvas page by using the link button when editing a page.
If you’ve already uploaded your PDF to Canvas via the Files tool, here is how you embed a PDF:
  1. Go to or create the Canvas Page you want to embed your PDF in.
  2. Put the cursor in the page where you want to embed the PDF.
  3. On the right hand side of the page where it says Insert Content into Page click on the Files tab. Navigate to where you uploaded your PDF and click the PDF. It will insert a link to the PDF on your page:
    the Files selector panel, and the resulting link in the rich content editor
  4. Select/highlight just the pdf link in the page. Make sure you don't select any additional space before or after the PDF link. Click the “link” icon the Add Link icon:
    window showing selected text, and location of Link icon
  5. A Link to Website URL window will open. Check the box next to Auto-open inline preview for this link and click the Update Link button to close the window:
    screen highlighting location of the option to have the link open in a new window
  6. Click the Save button on your Canvas page.
  7. The page with your PDF preview should display:
    screenshot showing what the Canvas page looks like with the new link

Keywords:
Instructure, Canvas, PDF, DOC, Word, embed, preview, inline, auto-open 
Doc ID:
59423
Owned by:
Learn@UW Madison in Learn@UW
Created:
2016-01-07
Updated:
2026-03-31
Sites:
DoIT Help Desk, Learn@UW