Embedding PDF File in Email Step by Step

Nowadays, most business owners take advantage of managing their online documentation in PDF format. This is one of the most popular ways of keeping your documents well-organized, up to date, secure, and valid. With the help of a specialized PDF authoring service, you can create portable PDF files on the go, ending with a presentably looking contract, letter, image, or any other type of document you currently need. 

At times, there is a necessity to send a PDF file to another recipient right in the email. Some email clients ask to attach it in the form of an image so that they can open and view it immediately. Since the majority of desktop email or webmail clients are suitable for viewing images, the recipient will instantly have access to your PDF file. Follow the guide below to effortlessly, mistake-free, and in a blink of an eye embed a PDF document in an email message.

Why Embed a PDF in Gmail or Email? 

There are multiple reasons for a small business owner to attach a PDF file to an Email, Microsoft Outlook, or Gmail message they send to another party. This necessity arises regardless of the industry or company size:

• The main reason why the knowledge of how to insert a PDF document in an email is indispensable in business is that if you embed a PDF as an attachment to your email, the recipient can unintentionally miss it. It is easy to overlook the attached file if it isn’t inserted directly into the body of an email;
• Sometimes, the attachments to Email, Microsoft Outlook, or Gmail can be not clearly visible, making it challenging for a recipient to view them. When it comes to important business documents such as contracts, landing papers, and the like, the cost of such delinquency can lead to the delay in signing these files, time loss, and waste of money.

This is where the knowledge of how to embed PDF documents directly in an email can come in handy. The method we provide here suits all existing computing platforms or operating systems such as Microsoft Outlook, Gmail, and others.

You Can’t Embed PDF Documents

If you find it challenging to embed a PDF in an email, the entire file won’t be accessible via the email application as if you were reading it with the Adobe Acrobat document tool or other PDF authoring program. If you used such a service before, you had to press the “Insert” and “Object” buttons before proceeding to a PDF. However, Outlook email and Gmail don’t support this option anymore. A lot of users also claimed that this action converted their PDFs to low-resolution images, so it was hard to use these files on a legit basis anyway. 

Ways to Display a PDF in an Email

There are various tips and tricks that empower you to convert the PDF you need to a high-quality image and insert the image in your email further. Each of these actionable techniques implies a particular approach and requires you to take certain steps to successfully send a PDF document to the required recipient. Let’s observe them one by one so that the procedure becomes straightforward for you.

1. Convert PDF to JPEG image file

Find an online tool to convert your PDF document to JPEG: We recommend choosing PDFLiner for this purpose. Except for the possibility to freely and easily convert any PDF directly to JPEG, Word file, and other common formats online, this smart, all-in-one platform enables you to edit files to your liking, add electronic signature and watermarks, draw right in your document, renumber the pages, etc. The next algorithm makes the conversion of a PDF into a JPEG seamless and effortless:

1. Step 1. Upload a PDF file from your computer or browse the existing service database. Press the red “Upload” button to do it in a single click.
2. Step 2. Click on the “Done” button that is located in the upper right corner of your dashboard.
3. Step 3. You will see a new window popping up. Choose a “Save Document As” section, where different formats are available for download, and opt for JPG format.
4. Step 4. In just 5 minutes, you’ll get a letter with a ZIP file on your email address. Press on the “Download ZIP” button. The link for downloading this archive will remain active for not more than 5 hours.
5. Step 5. Find the ZIP file in the “Downloads” folder and unzip it into the one you need. The title will be the same as the freshly converted PDF form. The number of JPG files in the folder will be equal to the pages in your PDF. 

Now that you’ve successfully converted your file into JPEG, you can insert it into the body of your email. Here’s how to do it:

1. Launch a Web-based email service like Gmail, Microsoft Outlook, or Yahoo Mail, or open the email client you currently utilize. In a new message window, start composing an email.
2. Insert the created image file right in the new message window. 
3. Move the window with the image towards the side of the screen. Ensure that you can clearly see the image as well as the email message you are writing. If you need to relocate the message window, you can do it as well.
4. Press on the converted image and hold down the mouse. Place the image where you want it to appear in the email. Release the mouse button.

This is it! This drag-and-drop technique is the easiest way you can use to embed a PDF in the email you need.

2. Convert PDF to email body

Another option you can use to insert a PDF file into the body of your email is to convert it to a text file. This way will suit you if you have an initially text-based PDF with hyperlinks and want to send this file as an email without arranging it as an attachment. Choose one of the alternatives below to do it:

• Benefit from the Adobe Acrobat document functionality (even the free edition will cope with the task) to convert a PDF to text. Just open the PDF you need, go to “File,” and pick “Save as text” in the menu;
• Visit an online service to convert your PDF to text (you can use PDFLiner for this purpose as well) and then go through the entire procedure as described above. Then do the following:

1. Duplicate the text from your file. For this, highlight it and press “Ctrl+C” or right-click it and choose “Copy.” 

2. Go to the place of your email where you need to add the content from the PDF. Embed a PDF by using either the “Ctrl+V” combination or right-click and “Paste.”

3. Embed a PDF by converting it to HTML email

The Google method we provide below is the most popular and easy method to convert a PDF to HTML code, which you can then edit to your liking. With a utility from Google, you can do it for free. Follow the next steps:

1. Step 1: Create a Gmail account at mail.google.com if you don’t have one already. Otherwise, you can use your existing account.
2. Step 2: Start crafting a new email in your Gmail account. Attach the file you need to this email and send it to the same Gmail account, that is, for yourself.
3. Step 3: When you get the email, open it and scroll it down to the end. There will be an attachment. Press "View as HTML" and open your PDF file as an HTML file in your current browser.
4. Step 4: Click "View" and choose "Page Source" in your browser menu. The exact title can vary based on your browser and its version. Bring up the page source of the freshly converted HTML file. Paste the code into your clipboard by pressing the combination of buttons "CTRL+C."
5. Step 5: Write a new message in your email account one more time and insert the HTML code. You can use any email service supporting HTML and change the code as you wish. We recommend that you first send the email to yourself to check the PDF’s content of the file that you have turned into an HTML email.

This technique is suitable for Microsoft Outlook as well. If you wish for an alternative to the above procedure, you can also use an online converter. With a reliable tool, it’s easy to convert a PDF file to an HTML email. Do the following to reach this aim:

1. Step 1: Upload the necessary file to your Web server. It will become available for public viewing.
2. Step 2: Go for Adobe's Online Conversion service page. To get the direct link, go for "Resources." This is also free.
3. Step 3: Enter the URL of your file into the "Enter a URL" field of the online converter. Then select the HTML format and specify why you need to convert the file. Pick your operating system and press "Convert."
4. Step 4: Copy and insert the received HTML code into your email message. You can do it by following Step 5 in the Google method provided above.

4. Send a PDF as an Attachment 

As an alternative to inserting a converted JPEG in the body of your email, you can send it as an attachment. The recipient will view the email as text with either an image or images or a link below it. In the latter case, they will have to click on the link to see or save the image. 

In a Nutshell 

Attaching a PDF directly to the email in the form of a converted image is the most common way to send important data via Outlook email and Gmail. Follow the tips above to enable the receiver to get distinct, unblurry, and quality PDF content and run your business without any technical hindrances on the way.