
MaxtDesign PDF Viewer is a performance-focused PDF embedding solution for WordPress. Unlike other PDF plugins that load heavy JavaScript libraries upfront, this plugin uses a smart lazy-loading approach that keeps your pages fast.
Key Features
- Instant Preview – Server-generated WebP preview images display immediately
- Zero Layout Shift – CSS aspect-ratio reserves exact space before content loads
- Lazy Loading – Full PDF.js viewer loads only when needed
- Gutenberg Block – Native block editor integration
- Shortcode Support – Works in classic editor and widgets
- Keyboard Navigation – Full keyboard and screen reader accessibility
- Mobile Optimized – Touch gestures for page navigation and zoom
Performance
- Initial page load: < 10KB JavaScript
- First paint: < 200ms
- Full viewer: Loads on-demand
- Preview images: Optimized WebP format
How It Works
- Upload a PDF to your media library
- The plugin automatically extracts the first page as a WebP preview
- Insert the PDF using the Gutenberg block or shortcode
- Visitors see an instant preview image
- Clicking “View Document” loads the interactive PDF.js viewer
Requirements
For automatic preview generation, your server needs one of:
- ImageMagick with PDF support (recommended)
- Ghostscript
The plugin will detect available options and use the best method automatically.
Shortcode Usage
[pdf_viewer id=”123″]
Attributes:
- id (required) – Attachment ID of the PDF
- width – CSS width value (default: 100%)
- load – When to load viewer: click, visible, immediate (default: click)
- toolbar – Show toolbar: true/false (default: true)
Security
Found a security issue? Please report it privately to security@maxtdesign.com rather than posting
in a public support thread. We aim to acknowledge reports within 3 business days and will agree a
disclosure timeline with you.
Please include the plugin version, steps to reproduce, and the impact as you understand it. We will
credit you in the changelog unless you would rather stay anonymous, and we ask that you do not test
against a site you do not own.
This plugin is published on WordPress.org by the account slaacr, which is MaxtDesign. The account
name predates the brand and WordPress.org does not support renaming accounts, so the two names
differ. Anything published under slaacr is ours.
Privacy
This plugin:
- Does not collect any personal data
- Does not send data to external services
- Stores preview images locally on your server
- Uses PDF.js library loaded from your own server
Screenshots

PDF viewer with preview image and activation button

Full interactive viewer with toolbar

Gutenberg block in the editor

Settings page - General tab

Settings page - Server Info tab