# Download a PDF from a website

> Download a PDF from a website: use the viewer’s button or Save link as, find embedded PDFs in DevTools, get every PDF on a site with wget, and know the limits.

Canonical page: https://sitepeel.dev/guides/download-pdf-from-website/

To download a PDF from a website, open it and press the download button in the browser’s PDF viewer, or right-click its link and choose Save link as. For a PDF embedded in a page, open DevTools, type pdf in the Network filter, reload and open the file in a new tab. View-only documents can’t be saved.

Published: 2026-11-04

## In short

- A PDF link opens in the browser’s viewer, which has its own download button
- Embedded PDFs are still files: the Network panel shows their address
- Some viewers show pages as pictures, with no PDF file to save
- View-only and paid documents are protected on purpose: ask the owner

## How to use it

1. **Open the PDF** Click the link. Chrome, Edge, Firefox and Safari open PDFs in their own viewer.
2. **Press the download button** Use the download arrow in the viewer’s toolbar, or press Ctrl+S (Cmd+S on a Mac).
3. **Or save the link** Right-click the PDF link and choose Save link as to download it without opening it.
4. **Find an embedded PDF** No link? Open DevTools, go to Network, type pdf in the filter, reload and open the request.

## Where the PDF lives

How websites show PDFs, and how to save each

| How the page shows it | What you see | How to save it |
| --- | --- | --- |
| A link to a .pdf file | The PDF opens in a new tab | The viewer’s download button, or Save link as |
| An embedded viewer | A PDF inside a box on the page | Find its address in Elements or Network |
| A download button | A script fetches the file when you click | It saves on click; if not, check Network |
| Pages shown as pictures | A custom viewer of page images | No PDF to save: ask the owner for it |
| A view-only document | Download is turned off | Ask the owner; don’t get around it |

## Download an embedded PDF

- Open DevTools (F12), go to Network, type `pdf` in the filter and reload the page.
- Wait for the viewer to load, then right-click the request and choose Open in new tab.
- Or in Elements, press Ctrl+F and search `.pdf` to find the `src` of an `<iframe>`, `<embed>` or `<object>`.
- In Firefox, right-click the PDF and choose This Frame > Open Frame in New Tab.
- An address with `viewer.html?file=` holds the real file’s address after `file=`.

Good to know: Some PDF links work only while you are signed in, so open them in the same browser.

## Download all PDFs from a website

wget, a free command-line tool, can follow a site’s links and keep only the PDF files. Point it at the folder that lists them.

- `--level=2` follows links two pages deep. Raise it for bigger sites.
- `--no-parent` keeps it inside that folder.
- `--wait=1` waits a second between files, so you don’t overload the site.

Example: all-pdfs.sh

```
wget --recursive --level=2 --no-parent --no-directories --accept pdf --wait=1 https://example.com/docs/
```

## When the PDF won’t download

- Download is turned off, as in a view-only shared file: the owner chose that, so ask them for a copy.
- Only page pictures load: the site never sends the PDF, so there is nothing to save.
- The link has expired: reload the page and download it right away.
- You want the page itself as a PDF, not a file on it: print it to PDF instead.

Watch out: Sitepeel tools don’t list PDF files. Never get around a document’s download protection.

- [Save a webpage as a PDF](https://sitepeel.dev/guides/save-webpage-as-pdf/index.md)
- [Screenshot tool: a whole page as PNG or PDF, free](https://sitepeel.dev/free-tools/screenshot/index.md)

## Questions and answers

### How do I download a PDF that is not downloadable?

If only the button is hidden, the file is still there: find it in the Network panel by filtering for pdf. If the owner turned off downloads, as in a view-only shared file, ask them for a copy.

### How do I download an embedded PDF from a website?

Open DevTools, choose Network, type pdf in the filter and reload. Open the PDF request in a new tab and press the download button. In Firefox you can also right-click it and open the frame in a new tab.

### How do I download a PDF on my phone?

Tap the link to open it. On Android, Chrome downloads it or shows a download button. On an iPhone, tap Share and choose Save to Files.

### How do I download all PDFs from a website?

Use wget with --recursive and --accept pdf: it follows the site’s links and keeps only PDF files. Limit how deep it goes with --level, and add --wait=1 to go easy on the site.

### Is it legal to download PDFs from a website?

Saving a public PDF to read is normal. Sharing or republishing it needs the owner’s permission, and getting around download protection can break the site’s terms.

## Further reading

- [GNU Wget manual](https://www.gnu.org/software/wget/manual/wget.html)
- [Chrome DevTools: Network features reference](https://developer.chrome.com/docs/devtools/network/reference)

## Related pages

- [Save a webpage as a PDF](https://sitepeel.dev/guides/save-webpage-as-pdf/index.md): Save any webpage as a PDF in Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Safari or on your phone, fix missing images and cut-off pages, or keep the exact on-screen look.
- [Download an entire website](https://sitepeel.dev/guides/download-entire-website/index.md): Download an entire website for offline viewing with HTTrack, SiteSucker or one wget command, see what copies badly and why, and save single pages instead.
- [Download a web page](https://sitepeel.dev/guides/download-web-page/index.md): Download a web page to read offline: Webpage, Complete, a single .mhtml file, a PDF or a phone’s offline copy, and why some saved pages look broken.
- [Extract website images](https://sitepeel.dev/guides/extract-images-from-website/index.md): Download a website’s images, SVGs and videos, choose the right size and see why some files won’t download. Online or with Sitepeel for Chrome.